 Flag of the Aro Confederacy | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Upwards of 1.1 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Nigeria | |
| Languages | |
| Igbo, Ibibio, Cross River languages, English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, Traditional | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ibibio, Efik, Ekoi, Bahumono, Ijo, Igala, Idoma, other Igbo peoples |
The Aro people or Aros are an Igbo group[1] that originated from the Arochukwu kingdom in present-day Abia state, Nigeria. The Aros can also be found in about 250 other settlements mostly in the Southeastern Nigeria and adjacent areas. The Aros today are classified as Eastern or Cross River Igbos because of their location, mixed origins, culture, and dialect. Their god, Chukwu Abiama, was a key factor in establishing the Aro Confederacy as a regional power in the Niger Delta and Southeastern Nigeria during the 18th and 19th centuries.
- ^ Olson, James Stuart (1996). The Peoples of Africa: An Ethnohistorical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 234. ISBN 0313279187.