Map - Ebonyi State (Ebonyi State)

Ebonyi State (Ȯra Ebonyi) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north and northeast by Benue State, Enugu State to the west, Cross River State to the east and southeast, and Abia State to the southwest. Named for the Abonyi (Aboine) River—a large part of which is in the state's south—Ebonyi State was formed from parts of Abia and Enugu state in 1996 and has its capital as Abakaliki.

One of the smallest states of Nigeria, Ebonyi is the 33rd largest in area and 29th most populous with an estimated population of nearly 2.9 million as of 2016. Geographically, the state is divided between the Cross–Niger transition forests in the far south and the drier Guinean forest–savanna mosaic in the rest of the state. The other important geographical features are the Cross River and its tributary, the River Aloma, which flow along Ebonyi's southeastern and eastern borders, respectively; while fellow Cross River tributaries, the Abonyi (Aboine), Asu, and Eze Aku rivers run through the state's interior.

After independence in 1960, the area of now-Ebonyi was a part of the post-independence Eastern Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of the East Central State. Less than two months afterwards, the former Eastern Region attempted to secede in the three-year long Nigerian Civil War with Ebonyi as a part of the secessionist state of Biafra. At the war's end and the reunification of Nigeria, the East Central State was reformed until 1976 when the state's north became Anambra State and the south became Imo State. Fifteen years afterwards, Anambra and Imo states were divided with their eastern parts becoming Enugu State and Abia State, respectively. It was not until 1996, when Enugu State's east and Abia's northeast were split off and joined to form Ebonyi State.

Economically, Ebonyi State is based around agriculture, mainly of yams, rice, oil palm, and cassava crops. A key minor industry is mining due to lead, zinc, and limestone deposits around Abakaliki, and locally hand-made baskets of various sizes at Ntezi. Ebonyi has the joint-twentieth highest Human Development Index in the country and numerous institutions of tertiary education.

It was one of the six states created in 1996 by the then federal military government of General Sani Abacha. The State of Ebonyi was created from parts of both Enugu State and Abia State, which were the Abakaliki division from Enugu State and the Afikpo division from Abia State respectively. It has three senatorial zones, the Abakaliki division make up Ebonyi North and Ebonyi Central senatorial zones, while the Afikpo, Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo division make up the Ebonyi South senatorial zone. Ebonyi has thirteen local government areas as well as local development centres created by the state government. It is home to six prominent higher institutions of learning: Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki (EBSU); Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo; Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana; Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu; Federal College of Education (Technical), Isu; Ebonyi State College of Education Ikwo (EBSCOEI); College of Health Sciences, Ezzamgbo and Ebonyi State College of Health and Midwifery (EBSCONMU), Uburu. In 2021, three other Universities were introduced by Governor David Umahi, Aeronautical Engineering and that of Technology in Ezza and Izzi Local Government Areas (LGA), and King David University of Medical Science, Uburu, Ohaozara LGA, Ebonyi State.