Rivers State, also known simply as Rivers, is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. According to census data released in 2006, the state has a population of 5,198,716, making it the sixth-most populous state in the country. Its capital and largest city, Port Harcourt, is economically significant as the centre of Nigeria’s oil industry. Rivers State is bounded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean, to the North by Imo, Abia and Anambra States, to the East by Akwa Ibom State, and to the West by Bayelsa and Delta states. It is home to three indegenious ethnic groups Ijaw, Ikwerre and Ogoni. The people from Rivers State are known as “Riverians”.

The inland part of the state consists of tropical rainforest; towards the coast, the typical Niger Delta environment features many mangrove swamps.