was the name of an independent republic that was created out of a province of Nigeria in 1967. At its height, the Republic of Biafra had a population of about 14 million and covered an area of over 29,400 square miles. Its capital was located at Enugu. The republic went out of existence in 1970, following a bitter and bloody civil war between it and Nigeria.

Timeline of Major Events

October 1, 1960 Nigeria gained full independence from Great Britain.

1961 The United Nations organized a referendum in western Cameroon, then a UN Trust Territory, which resulted in the northern part of the territory joining Nigeria, and the southern joining the Republic of Cameroon.

1962 A national census showed an even greater population in the northern regions of Nigeria than had been expected. Southerners, most of whom were Ibo, protested the census results. A second census, conducted in 1963, confirmed the original results.

1963 The Mid-Western Region was created out of Nigeria's Western Region. People in the Northern and Eastern regions demanded separate political units as well.

1964 Northern politicians gain control of the government following popular elections. Southerners charge that the elections were dishonest.

1965 Similar charges of dishonesty follow regional elections. Violent riots break out in several parts of Nigeria, especially in the south.

January 1966 A group of army officers, mainly Ibo, overthrew the central government, as well as many regional governments. Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and the prime ministers of the Northern and Western provinces were killed. General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, commander of the Army and an Ibo, took control of the central government.

May 1966 Aguiyi-Ironsi abolished the federal system of government and established a strong central government with many Ibo advisers. Northerners deeply distrusted the Ibo, and riots broke out throughout the northern provinces. Thousands of Ibo were killed, and tens of thousands more fled to the southern provinces.

July 1966 A group of northern army officers revolted and killed Aguiyi-Ironsi. Yakubu Gowon, army chief of staff, became the head of a military government. Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, military governor of the Eastern Region, refused to accept Gowon as chief of state.

1967 Gowon replaced the country's 4 political regions with 12 states, to give smaller ethnic groups more political power; the Eastern Region was divided into 3 states.

May 30, 1967 Ojukwu declared the Eastern Region the independent Republic of Biafra (which he named for the Bight of Biafra, the bay to its south). The republic was almost immediately recognized by the nations of Gabon, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Tanzania and Zambia. Gowon responded to Ojukwu's declaration by blockading Biafra's ports, preventing food and humanitarian supplies from getting into the republic.

June 5, 1967 Civil war broke out between Biafra and the rest of Nigeria. During the ensuing fight, Biafra would receive covert military assistance from France, Rhodesia, and South Africa, and open military support from the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. Financial and humanitarian aid was provided by Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and a few other nations.

January 12, 1970 Biafra surrendered to Nigeria. Hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of Biafrans were killed during the course of the war, most of them from starvation and disease brought about by the Nigerian blockade. Biafran leader Ojukwu fled to asylum in the Ivory Coast.

January 15, 1970 The Republic of Biafra was officially disbanded. By March, schools, markets, and roads had reopened in the former war zone. The administrator of East Central State (formerly Biafra) was given special powers to guarantee security, and government agencies were established; political activities with the state remained banned for some time, however.

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