Enugu

City in Nigeria, capital of Enugu state; population (2007 est) 688,900. It is a coal- and iron ore-mining centre. Other industries include steel and cement works, vegetable oil production, food processing, and motor vehicle assembly. The city is linked by rail with Port Harcourt.

Enugu was founded in 1909, growing up around a small coalfield. Its rail links to Port Harcourt were finished in 1916 and those to Lagos via Kaduna were completed in 1926. The city was capital of the secessionist state of Biafra 1967–70 during the Nigerian Civil War (1967– 71) when the city became almost deserted; it has since regained most of its previous importance. A campus of the University of Nigeria was founded in Enugu as a subsidiary to the main university at Nsukka, 70 km/43 mi to the north.