Delta State Brief History

Delta State was created on the 27th Day of August, 1991 by the Military Administration of Gen. Ibrahim Badamonsi Babangida. The State was created from the Defunct Bendel State (Benin City as her Capital City) which was formerly known as Mid-Western Region at the time it gained regional status in August, 1963, from the then western region. This means two States were created from the defunct Bendel State namely, Edo State retaining Benin City as her Capital city and Delta State with Asaba as her Capital City which many viewed as Gen Ibrahim B. Babangida's way of compensating the people of his wife, Maryam (of blessed memory) who was an indigene of Asaba and having been the First Lady at that time. Delta State was made up of twelve political division called Local Government Area (L.G.A), which was later increased to 19 in 1996 and 25 Local Government Areas as at today.

Delta State is divided into three Senatorial Districts, which are Delta North, Delta South and Delta Central. The State presently covers a landmass of about 18,050 Km2 of which more than 60% is land. The State lies approximately between Longitude 5°00 and 6°.45' East and Latitude 5°00 and 6°.30' North. It is bounded in the North by Edo State, the East by Anambra State, South-East by Bayelsa State, and on the Southern flank is the Bight of Benin which covers about 160kilometres of the State's coastline. Delta State is generally low-lying without remarkable hills. The State has a wide coastal belt inter-lace with rivulets and streams, which form part of the Niger-Delta.