Lagos Nigeria

Lagos is the most populous metropolitan area in Nigeria with 7,937,932 inhabitants at the 2006 census. It is currently the second most populous city in Africa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa after Bamako. From the beginning, Lagos has spread on the mainland west of the lagoon and the conurbation, including Ikeja and Agege, now reaches more than 40 km north-west of Lagos Island. The city is the economic and financial capital of Nigeria.

Lagos was declared its capital 1914. 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 up to 1991; it was stripped of this title when the Federal Capital Territory was established at the purpose-built city of Abuja. However, most government functions stayed in Lagos for a time since Abuja was still under construction.
Lagos is also home to many of Nigeria’s Financial Institutions, Banks and Insurance Companies. The Port of Lagos is Nigeria’s leading port and one of the largest in Africa. It is administered by the Nigerian Port Authority and is split into three main sections. The port features a railhead.
The port has seen growing amounts of crude oil exported, with export figures rising between 1997 and 2000. Oil and petroleum products provide 20% of GDP and 95% of foreign exchange earnings in Nigeria as a whole. Lagos has one of the largest and most extensive road networks in West Africa. It is linked by many highways and bridges. Local roads in Lagos vary in quality from well-maintained to pothole-ridden. Most freeways are in good shape.
Lagos is Nigeria’s most prosperous city, and much of the nation’s wealth and economic activity are concentrated there. Most commercial, financial and business centers of Lagos and of Nigeria remains at the Central Business District in Lagos Island which is also typified with the presence of high rise buildings. This is also where most of the country’s largest banks and financial institutions and headquarters of big corporations are located. Lagos has one of the highest standards of living as compared to other cities in Nigeria as well as in Africa at large. Lagos is famous throughout West Africa for its music scene. Lagos has given birth to a variety of styles such as highlife, juju, Fuji, and Afrobeat.
Lagos is the center of the Nigerian film industry, often referred to as Nollywood.
The cinemas are gradually losing their supporters to the movie industry. Yoruba-spoken films happen to be the most watched in the cinemas, followed by Indian films. Films are not premiered for a long period of time in the western sense, especially with Yoruba-spoken films. The English spoken films controlled mainly by the Igbo are the most popular and move directly from the studios to the market