Warri

Town in Delta State, Nigeria, on the Forcados River, on the western edge of the Niger delta; population (1992) 114,100. Formerly a small market town, Warri grew rapidly as a result of increased petroleum production from the Ughelli and neighbouring oil fields. The Warri refinery was opened in 1978 by the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and is operated by a subsidiary company, the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC).

In addition to petroleum products, the refineries also produce petrochemicals and plastics. Other local industries include steel production.

During the Nigerian Civil War (1967-70), when Port Harcourt was isolated from the west, Warri became a focus for development within the oil-field area. Further stimulus to growth was given with the construction of the Trans-Forcados Pipeline from Ughelli to Forcados in 1969 and the deepening of the Forcados river channel to Warri.