Lagos

Nigeria / Lagos /
 city, capital city of state/province/region, state government, former national capital
Lagos is the capital city of Lagos State in southwest Nigeria. It is the most populous city in Nigeria and one of the most populous metropolitan areas in Africa. In the Yoruba language, it is also known as "Eko". It has an area of 1,000 sq km (386 sq mi) and a population of around 10,000,000.

From the 1400s until the 1800s, it was a major centre for the slave trade. The mane was given to the settlement by the Portuguese in 1472. Originally inhabited by the Awori subgroup of the Yoruba people, and then became a Benin war camp named "Eko" following an attack by the Benin Empire. Throughout its history, Lagos was home to a number of warring ethnic groups who had settled in the area, and it also saw periods of rule by the Benin Kingdom. Lagos was annexed as a British colony in 1861. Lagos was the capital of Nigeria from 1914 until 1991, when it was replaced by Abuja. The city has experienced rapid growth since the 1960s.

Most of Lagos's population lives on the mainland, and others live on Lagos Island and Eti-Oso. It has a tropical wet and dry climate with rainy seasons from April to July and in October. Lagos is not a municipality, with no overall city administration. Metropolitan Lagos has 16 of the 20 Local Government Areas of Lagos State.

Lagos is a manufacturing and educational center, and its port is among the busiest in Africa. It is served by Murtala Mohammed International Airport and has an extensive road network, a BRT system, and a planned rail transit system.
Official site for Lagos State government www.lagosstate.gov.ng/
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagos
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   6°32'39"N   3°22'57"E

Comments

  • Lagos desperately needs a major rapid transit system. But the corruption and graft in my government makes that nearly impossible so we're all going to be stuck in slow traffic forever.
  • Truly, there is no city or a place like it in Africa
  • We need to merge Lagos and Ikorodu with bigger roads and rail lines to form a bigger more prosperous mega city
  • For real they do need a MAJOR RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM!!! What is wrong with the government and why all the fighting all the time instead of making roads & things better for the people!!
  • They don't need bigger roads, they need birth control.
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