Osun

Osun State, created in 1991 from part of Oyo State, lies in the heart of Yorubaland in south-western Nigeria and takes its name from the Osun River, revered in Yoruba tradition as the domain of the river deity Osun. Its capital, Osogbo, sits beside the river and hosts the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, one of the last remaining stretches of primary high forest in southern Nigeria and a place of continuing religious devotion, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. The state also contains Ile-Ife, regarded in Yoruba tradition as the site of the world's creation and the ancestral home of the Yoruba people, seat of the Ooni of Ife. Osun is densely populated for its size, comprising 30 local government areas, and its towns retain strong traditions of Yoruba religion, festivals and craft.

Ile-Ife, within present-day Osun State, is regarded by the Yoruba as their spiritual and cultural cradle, associated with the deity Oduduwa and the origin of the ruling dynasties found across Yorubaland; the city produced sophisticated terracotta and bronze sculptures between roughly the twelfth and fifteenth centuries that remain celebrated examples of African art. The wider area that became Osun State was part of the Oyo Empire's sphere and, after its decline, saw the growth of towns such as Osogbo, Ilesa and Ejigbo as regional centres during the nineteenth-century Yoruba wars. Osogbo itself grew in importance after resisting an Ibadan-led incursion in the 1830s-40s and later served as a refuge for people displaced by the wars. Osun State was created on 27 August 1991 by the splitting of Oyo State, with Osogbo chosen as capital. The Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove and its annual festival honouring the river goddess Osun have continued as a living religious tradition throughout this history, leading to UNESCO recognition in 2005.

Osun State lies inland in south-western Nigeria, bordered by Oyo State to the north-west, Kwara State to the north, Ekiti and Ondo states to the east, and Ogun State to the south. The state occupies a transitional zone between tropical rainforest in the south and derived savanna towards its northern edge, drained principally by the Osun River and its tributaries. The terrain is generally undulating, with low hills, and the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove near Osogbo preserves a stretch of forest that has survived extensive clearance elsewhere in the region owing to its religious protection. The climate is tropical, with a wet season lasting roughly from April to October and a shorter dry season, and the compact geography contributes to the state having one of the highest concentrations of towns per unit area in Nigeria.

Osun State's economy rests on agriculture, trade and small-scale industry, with cocoa, cassava, maize, yam and citrus fruits widely cultivated across its numerous towns. Osogbo and Ile-Ife serve as commercial centres for the surrounding farming communities, while Ife is also known for traditional beadwork and terracotta craft linked to its historic artistic heritage. Ede and Iwo are noted for indigo textile dyeing and weaving traditions. Tourism connected to the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove and the annual Osun-Osogbo Festival draws visitors, including members of the Yoruba diaspora, and contributes to the state's cultural economy. A number of tertiary institutions, including Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, support education-related economic activity in the state.