Lagos

Lagos

Lagos is a city and port in Lagos State, of which it was the capital until 1975 and was also the federal capital of Nigeria until December 1991. The state capital of Lagos has been replaced by Ikeja and the federal capital of Lagos by Abuja. However, the city remains the unofficial seat of several government agencies. At the end of the 15th century, the Lagos Island was settled by Yoruba fishermen and hunters, who named it Oko. From the late 16th to the mid-19th century, the area was ruled by the Kingdom of Benin, which referred to it as Eko. The first Portuguese landings on the Lagos Island were in 1472, but trade developed slowly until a century later, when the Portuguese were granted a monopoly on the sale of slaves in Spanish America. The slave trade continued until 1861, when Lagos came under British control. Nowadays, Lagos is gradually becoming a major tourist destination as one of the largest cities in Africa and in the world. Africans living in the diaspora and others, especially from East and Southern Africa, are more and more frequently visiting Lagos, mainly to experience the Nigeria that Nollywood has introduced them to. There are sandy beaches on the Atlantic coast of Lagos, among them Elegushi Beach and Alpha Beach. There are also several private beach resorts in the city, including Landmark Beach and Inagbe Grand Beach Resort. On Wole Olateju Crescent, just off the Lekki Bridge, there are a number of companies offering boat tours and renting kayaks or jet skis.