It was originally a small village of the Urhobo or "Okpe" people.
By
the mid-19th century, Sapele was established as a trading village,
occasionally visited by Europeans. In 1891, the British government
established a vice-consulate at Sapele. The population grew to 33,638 by
1952, including people from many Nigerian tribes.
Today, the city is
one of Nigeria's major ports. Its industries include the processing of
timber, rubber, and palm oil, as well as furniture and footwear
manufacturing. As of 1995, its population was 135,800. And as of
2005/2006, the population of this advancing city is 142,652
