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The city of Lagos lies in south-western Nigeria, on the Atlantic coast in the Gulf of Guinea, west of the Niger River delta. On this stretch of the high-rainfall West African coast, rivers flowing to the sea form swampy lagoons like Lagos Lagoon behind long coastal sand spits or sand bars. Some rivers, like Badagry Creek flow parallel to the coast for some distance before finding an exit through the sand bars to the sea.

The three major urban islands of Lagos in Lagos Lagoon are Lagos Island, Ikoyi, and Victoria. These islands are separated from the mainland by the main channel draining the lagoon into the Atlantic, which forms Lagos Harbour. The islands are separated from each other by creeks of varying sizes and are connected to Lagos Island by bridges. However the smaller sections of some creeks have been built over or filled in so today in places there is scarcely any water dividing Lagos Island and Ikoyi, or Victoria Island and Maroko.

Lagos Island contains many of the largest markets in Lagos, its central business district, the central mosque, and the Oba’s palace. Though largely derelict, Tinubu Square on Lagos Island is a site of historical importance; it was here that the Amalgamation ceremony that unified the North and South took place in 1914.

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 (especially the head of state) stayed in Lagos for a time since Abuja was still under construction. In 1991, the head of state and other government functions finally moved to the newly built capital in a mass exodus.

Climate

The climate in Lagos is similar to that of the rest of southern Nigeria. There are two rainy seasons, with the heaviest rains falling from April to July and a weaker rainy season in October and November. There is a brief relatively dry spell in August and September and a longer dry season from December to March. Monthly rainfall between May and July averages over 300 mm (12 in), while in August and September it is down to 75 mm (3 inches) and in January as low as 35 mm (1.5 inches). The main dry season is accompanied by harmattan winds from the Sahara Desert, which between December and early February can be quite strong. The average temperature in January is 27°C (79°F) and for July it is 25°C (77°F). On average the hottest month is March; with a mean temperature of 29°C (84°F); while July is the coolest month.

Get in

There are plenty of airlines offering flights to Lagos from major UK airports including London Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Aberdeen, Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff, New Castle, London Gatwick. You can get flights into Lagos from most European cities (London, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Rome), Doha, Dubai, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Kenya. There are also direct flights to Lagos from the United States (New York and Atlanta).

Things to Do

Lagos is for tourists like England is for food. It’s a stereotype and not really true, but you have to put the effort in to see it. There are a lot of great beaches. Especially if you make the effort to get outside the side (like Badagari). Inside the city, Lekki is about as good as it gets.  There are also lots of markets to see, although it can be very tiring. Usually safe during the day. There is the lekki Conservartory down on the lekki/Epe express way which is really good for relaxation, its a dense park with a few animals and birds, there are walkways and benches to rest on.

Beaches:

• Bar Beach: On Ahmodu Bello Way, Victoria Island.
• Eleko Beach: Km 56, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Turn right just past Total service station, proceed to toll gate, turn left follow road to Rainbow Church sign, turn right onto dirt road. Eleko beach is at end of road.
• Lekki Beach: Turn right at round-about just past estate (about 9 Km), Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lekki.
• Tarkwa Beach: Accessible by boat only. boat can be hired opposite American/Indian Embassy. You can also board water taxis for about N200 per trip.

Beach Resorts:

• Hermitage Garden Resorts: Hermitage road, Tiye village, near Akodo, Lekki Local Government.
• La Campagne Tropicana: Lekki

Museums:

• National Museum of Nigeria: Awolowo Rd (Opp Muson Centre), Onikan, Lagos Island. Open: 9AM-5PM Daily.
• Didi Meuseum: 175, Akin Adesola St, Victoria Island. Open: 9AM-5PM (Monday-Friday).
• FunCity, 45B Ikorodu Lagos Rd. A place where kids and adults can play. It’s a Kid’s thing, a couple’s thing, a family thing! It’s Fun City! Nigeria’s 1st All-Round Entertainment Place. Filled with VIP Lounges, Bar’s with state of the art televisions and on site DJ playing all the latest hits. Great Food, Mixed Drinks, Tons and Tons of arcade games and bumper cars. It is also a Club too. Some through and see what happening at Fun City!!!

Culture

Music & film industry

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. In recent years Lagos has been the fore-runner with African styled hip-hop branded Afrohip-hop.

Lagos is the centre of the Nigerian film industry, often referred to as ‘Nollywood.’ Many of the large film producers have offices in Surulere, Lagos, though there aren’t any film studios in Nollywood, in the Hollywood sense. Idumota market on Lagos Island is the primary distribution centre. Also many films are shot in the Festac area of Lagos. The cinemas are gradually losing their supporters to the movie industry. Yoruba 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 films. The English spoken films move directly from the studios to the market. Iganmu is home to the National Arts Theatre — the primary centre for the performing arts in Nigeria.

Football

As in the rest of Nigeria, football is the most popular sport. The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and the Lagos State Football Association (LAFA) are both based in Lagos. A prominent Lagos soccer club Julius Berger FC, members of the Nigerian Premier League; the team, owned by the Julius Berger Construction Company, is set to close in 2008, potentially leaving Lagos without a Premier League team.

The Nigerian national football team, also known as the Super Eagles, used to play almost all of their home games in Lagos; however, games are now split between the Surelere Stadium in Lagos and the larger, newer Abuja Stadium in Abuja, which may soon become the default home of the Super Eagles.

Tourism

Lagos tourist destination, as it is primarily business-oriented and has a reputation for chaos, danger and squalor amongst some foreigners and while such aspects exist in some places, others appreciate the culture and vitality which can be found in the city as well. Visitors are also drawn to the musical heritage of Lagos, such as fuji music (see Music section). There are tourist attractions such as the Oba’s Palace and modern facilities for international visitors exist particularly in Ikoyi and Victoria Island, such as the Silverbird Galleria, The Palms Shopping Mall, Eko Hotels & Suites & City Mall.

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