Calabar (also referred to as "Canaan City") is a city in Cross River State, southern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Akwa Akpa, from the Efik language.The city is watered by the Calabar and Great Kwa Rivers and creeks of the Cross River (from its inland delta).Calabar is the capital of Cross River State. For the purpose of administration, the city is divided into Calabar Municipal and Calabar South LGAs. It has an area of 406 km² and a population of 371,022 at the 2006 census.