Functions & Structures of Lagos (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)
Revision Note
Written by: Jacque Cartwright
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Site & Situation of Lagos
Lagos is:
Nigeria’s largest and most populous city
Developed on the west side of a sheltered lagoon
Next to the Bight of Benin on the Atlantic Ocean
Borders with Benin, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon
Nigeria is an oil-rich nation and is predicted to be one of the largest economies in the world
Site of Lagos, Nigeria
Situation of Lagos
Situated near large oil reserves on an expanse of flat land
Being on the Atlantic Ocean coast, Lagos has excellent access to shipping trade routes
Lagos Lagoon limits the growth of the city to the east
This forces the city to spread northward and to the west
Map of Lagos
Importance of Lagos
Regional | Lagos Island is the financial hub of the city (CBD) 6,300 millionaires live in Lagos, 330 have a fortune of more than $10 million, 20 are worth more than $100 million; and there are 4 billionaires The CBD and the Eko Atlantic development provide highly skilled jobs, with industrial areas and ports providing low-skilled employment |
National | Former capital city The city has a well-connected transport hub, along with a major international airport and a very busy seaport providing raw materials for local industries Although Lagos is not the capital (Abuja is), it is one of the world’s fastest-growing megacities (600,000 people per year) and is Nigeria’s leading city in terms of trade and economy 80% of Nigerian industry is in Lagos |
International | The port facility on Tin Can Island in Lagos connects Nigeria to the world through global trade, mostly oil Lagos has emerged as a major centre for the headquarters of national and global companies such as Shell Nigeria Lagos has the fourth-highest GDP in the whole of the African continent Growing fashion and film industry (Nollywood) |
The Structure of Lagos
The structure of Lagos has features of the model of a developing city in Sub-Saharan Africa
Model of land use in a Sub-Saharan African city
The CBD is on an island and forces urban sprawl north and west on the mainland
The main industrial areas are along major transport routes
Wealthy residential areas are found on Lagos and Victoria Islands and Eko Atlantic
Informal settlements are closest to industrial areas, housing over 60% of the population
Land use of Lagos
Housing is mixed in Lagos and ranges from skyscrapers, luxury apartments and high-rise flats within the city centre to colonial mansions and gated communities on Victoria Island to tin shacks and floating slums on the outskirts
The shortage of housing has created a new urban district, Eko Atlantic City, which is being built on land reclaimed from the sea and is to be protected by an 8.5 km sea wall
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