Sapele, Nigeria

Sapele is a city and one of the Local Government Areas of Delta State, Nigeria.

Sapele city [səpā´lē] (2016 pop. 161,686) is a port in the Niger Delta region of Southern Nigeria along the Ethiope River in western Delta State. Sapele has its headquarters located in Sapele town. The main town is located 68 km south of Benin City and is connected to Warri and Benin by the A2 federal highway. The center of the Nigerian timber industry, Sapele houses sawmills and a large plywood and veneer factory where rubber is processed. The city also houses industry for the manufacture of plastics, chemicals, and shoes. The Sapele Township Stadium was completed in 2013. It has a seating capacity of 10,000 visitors. This LGA has a total population of 174,273 as at the 2006 census.

After the British established a vice consulate in the city in 1892, Sapele grew in importance as a port; in 1894 it came under British rule and served as a local administrative center.

The Okpe people believe the origin of the name is to be an anglicized derivation of the Okpe word 'Uriapele', named after a local deity, the shrine of which can still be found in the centre of the city. The British colonial officials changed the name of the then hamlet to Sapele.

Sapele city seats on the indigenous lands of the Okpe people, a major group of the Urhobo Nation whose language Okpe is one of the Edoid tribesof southern Nigeria. The town also houses a number of other groups, many of whom migrated due to the growing industry. Today, the town has grown into an urban area unofficially incorporating the townships and villages of Amukpe, Oviri, Okuovwori and Jesse (Akpobome, Mosogar, Ajititor, Mosagon & Michaga).