Oyo, Oyo State
Ọ̀yọ́
Òyó Aláàfin | |
|---|---|
| Ọ̀yọ́ | |
Picture taken of calabash carving in Oyo, Oyo State, of present-day Nigeria | |
| Motto: Ajíse Bí'Ọ̀yọ̀ Làárí | |
| Coordinates: 7°50′30″N 3°55′50″E / 7.84167°N 3.93056°E | |
| Country | Nigeria |
| State | Oyo State |
| Government | |
| • Alaafin | Abimbola Owoade |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,427 km2 (937 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | |
• Total | 428,798 |
| • Density | 180/km2 (460/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT) |
| National language | Yorùbá |
Oyo is a city in Oyo State, Nigeria. It was founded as the capital of the remnant of the historic Oyo empire in the 1830s, and is known to its people as 'New Oyo' (Ọ̀yọ́ Àtìbà) to distinguish it from the former capital to the north, 'Old Oyo' (Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé), which had been deserted as a result of the Yoruba Civil Wars. Its inhabitants are mostly of the Yoruba people, and its ruler is the Alaafin of Oyo.