Lagos

Lagos, Nigeria · Africa

About Lagos

Lagos sits on the route: 5 minutes from Apapa.

Lagos is in Nigeria, with about 15 million people. The nearest town is Apapa, about 4 km away.

Lagos (; LAY-goss; Yoruba: Èkó [èkó]), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan port city in southwestern Nigeria. As of November 2025, the size of the city's population has been estimated to be between 17 and 21 million residents, making Lagos the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African

continent, and one of the fastest-growing megacities in the world. The lands are separated by creeks, fringing the southwest mouth of Lagos Lagoon, while being protected from the Atlantic Ocean by barrier islands and long sand spits such as Bar Beach, which stretch up to 100 kilometres (62 mi) east and west of the mouth. With its international airport, three ports (Apapa, Tin Can Island and Lekki deep-sea port), four expressways (to Badagry, Abeokuta, Ibadan and Calabar, the latter under construction since 2023 and partially operational in 2026), and the standard-gauge rail link to Abeokuta and Ibadan, the city is well connected in terms of transport and handles 88% of Nigeria’s exports. The urban rail transit system in Lagos is regarded as one of the most modern of its kind in Africa. Lagos is best known as the leading financial centre of West and Central Africa, with headquarters of financial institutions like Access Bank, the First Bank of Nigeria or Zenith Bank. The Nigerian Exchange Group, the main stock exchange group in Nigeria, is also located here. Other major employers include two breweries, three major shipyards and the headquarters of several African airlines. Lagos is also home to numerous pharmaceutical companies; the city is also an exhibition city: Art X Lagos is West Africa’s largest art fair, whilst Lagos Fashion Week is Africa’s largest fashion fair. It has more than 20 data centres in operation and branches of Microsoft, Equinix and Google. Five out of seven African high tech start-ups with a value above US$ 1 billion ("unicorns") are located in Lagos. The employer with the most staff is the Dangote Refinery, which, once expanded, will be the world’s largest oil refinery. Lagos houses four public universities (LASU, UNILAG, LASUSTECH, and LASUED) and six private universites as well as scientific facilities like the Institute for Oceanography and the Institute of Medical Research. Lagos is also a cultural hub. The National Arts Theatre in Surulere, the National Gallery of Modern Art (in the same building), the Centre For Black And African Arts on Broad Street, the National Museum and the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture in Onikan and privately run galleries like Nike Art Gallery (West Africa's biggest art collection) display Nigerias culture. The conservatoire MUSON Centre, many local orchestras and choirs (like the Lagos City Chorale or the Cathedral Church of Christ Choir) as well as writers like Sefi Atta, Oyinkan Braithwaite and Ayòbámi Adébáyò and artists like Dotun Popoola, Peju Alatise, Idowu Sonaya and Collins Abinoro Akporode represent Lagos' creative scene. Furthermore, Lagos is the centre of media outlets and of Nigerian cinema, "Nollywood". The lagoon city also is a hot spot for West African music ("Afrobeats"); in its recording studios Nigerian stars like Wizkid, Tems, Davido, and Asake have started their careers. International stars like Paul McCartney, James Brown, Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé have recorded albums there.