Igbo/Ibo Tribe Collection

The Igbo or Ibo people of Nigeria, one of the largest tribes in Nigeria are located in the southeastern area referred to as Igboland. Igboland is divided into two sections along the lower River Niger, the eastern and Midwestern regions. Small Igbo communities are also found in parts of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. The Igbo speak the Igbo language. Before European colonization, the Igbo were not united as a single people but lived in autonomous local communities. By the mid-20th century, however, a sense of ethnic identity was strongly developed, and the Igbo-dominated Eastern region of Nigeria tried to unilaterally secede from Nigeria in 1967 as the independent nation of Biafra. By the turn of the 21st century, the Igbo numbered some 20 million. As a result of the transatlantic slave trade, Igbos have migrated to other countries including Jamaica, Cuba, Barbados, Belize, the United States among others.