Lagos

Categories: Lagos | Coastal cities | Capitals in Africa

For other uses, see Lagos (disambiguation).

Map of Nigeria showing Lagos on the lower left

Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria. As only two censuses (in 1972 and 1991) have been taken since independence, estimates of its population vary considerably, but generally range from 10 to 15 million people, making it one of the largest in Africa (second only to Cairo, Egypt). One of the fastest-growing cities in the world, Lagos is located at 6°34'60" North, 3°19'59" East (6.58333, 3.333). [1]

Lagos is built on the mainland and the series of islands surrounding Lagos Lagoon. Originally a small village, known as Eko, its position as one of the few natural harbours on the Atlantic coast made it a principal site for European contact. The city name comes from a derivation of the word "Lagoon"

Lagos is the former capital city of Nigeria as it was replaced by Abuja in 1976, but the city remains the commercial center of Nigeria.

1 Geography
2 Features
3 Transport
4 History
5 See also
6 External links

[edit]

Geography

The commercial centre remains Lagos Island, which is connected to the mainland by three large bridges: Eko Bridge, Carter Bridge, and Third Mainland Bridge. Ikoyi and Victoria islands are closely connected to Lagos Island. The main docks are in Apapa directly opposite Lagos Island. Other districts on the mainland include Ebute-Meta, Surulere, Yaba (Lagos) (site of the University of Lagos), Mushin, and Ikeja, site of Murtala Mohammed International Airport.

[edit]

Features

The mainland is home to most of the residential areas and famous music-based nightlife, notably around Yaba and Surulere, as well as the Nigerian National Stadium, the university and the railway station (with trains to Kano). Attractions in the city include the Lagos National Museum, Tafa Balewa Square known for its war memorials, the Independence House skyscraper (built in 1963), many markets including the Balogun Market and the Brazilian quarter, all on Lagos Island; the Nigerian National Theatre and several beaches. The city also has two airports: the Murtala Mohammed International Airport and the Lagos Domestic Airport.

[edit]

Transport

Ferries and highways link the parts of the city together. However, transport links within Lagos are congested, due in part to the geography of the city, its explosive population growth, as well as bad roads and bad driving habits. A chain of salt-water lagoons runs west to Badagri and also east toward Ogun State.

[edit]

History

Image:Oshodi market lagos.jpg

Oshodi Market in Lagos

Lagos was originally called Eko, which means "cassava farm". It was founded by the royal family that came from Benin city. The founding king was Ado. He begat Gabaro, Akinsemoyin, and Erelu Kuti.

Eko was the land area where the king's palace was built. The indigenous people settled down in the southern part of Eko called "Isale Eko", Isale meaning bottom.

Erelu Kuti begat Ologun Kutere, who became king, and Shokun his brother, who was given a Chieftancy house behind the king's palace called "Onile-gbale" (Land owner-sweeps your land).

The King dynasty started henceforth and the king's brother started his own chieftancy family behind the palace building.

Modern-day Lagos was founded by Portugal in the sixteenth century, and was a major center of the slave trade until 1851, when Great Britain, which had abolished slavery in 1807, captured the city. It was formally annexed as a British colony in 1861. The remainder of modern-day Nigeria was seized in 1886, and when the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria was established in 1914 Lagos was declared its capital. Lagos experienced rapid growth throughout the 1960s and 1970s as a result of Nigeria's economic boom prior to the Biafran War.

Lagos was the capital of Nigeria from 1914 - 1976; then the capital was moved to Abuja. However, most government functions (especially the head of state) stayed in Lagos since Abuja was not developed enough. Abuja is a capital like Washington, DC in USA and Brasilia in Brazil in that it was built from scratch specifically to be a capital; many other cities existed prior to becoming capital, for example, Rome in Italy. In 1991, the head of state and other government functions finally moved to the newly built capital in a mass exodus (many sources incorrectly claim this year to be when Lagos ceased being the capital). The change resulted in Lagos losing some prestige and economic leverage. However, it has retained its importance as the country's largest city and as an economic center.

[edit]