Ila

Ila, also spelled Illa, also called Ila Orangun, town, Osun state, southwestern Nigeria. The town lies in the Yoruba Hills and on the road from Oshogbo to Omu-Aran. One of the oldest settlements of the Yoruba people, it was founded according to tradition by the orangun (ruler) of Ila, a son of Oduduwa, the deity who is said to have spread earth on the primeval water. Modern Ila is a collecting centre for locally produced cotton and for tobacco, which is sent to the cigarette factories at Oshogbo, 28 miles (45 km) southwest, and Ibadan, 82 miles (132 km) southwest. Local trade is primarily in palm oil and kernels, yams, cassava (manioc), and corn (maize). Pop. (2006) local government area, 62,049.