Lagos Island () is the principal and central

Local Government Area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

(LGA) in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, Nigeria. It was the capital of

Lagos State Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...

until 1957. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, the LGA had a population of 209,437 within an area of just 8.7 km². The LGA only covers the western half of Lagos Island; the eastern half is simply referred to as Lagos Island East LCDA.

Overview

Lying on

Lagos Lagoon Lagos Lagoon (Yoruba language, Yoruba: Ọ̀sà) is a lagoon found in the city of Lagos, southwest Nigeria, the most populous city in Africa. The name ''Lagos'' means 'lakes' in Portuguese language, Portuguese, therefore ''Lagos Lagoon'' is an ex ...

, a large protected harbour on the coast of Africa, the island is home to the Yoruba fishing village of Eko, which grew into the modern city of Lagos. The city has now spread out to cover the neighboring islands as well as the adjoining mainland. Lagos Island is connected to the mainland by three large bridges (the Carter Bridge, the Eko Bridge and the

Third Mainland Bridge Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the Lagos Mainland, mainland, the others are the Eko Bridge, Eko and Carter Bridge, Carter bridges. It was the longest bridge in Africa until 1996 when the 6th Octo ...

) which cross Lagos Lagoon to the district of

Ebute Metta Ebute Metta is a neighbourhood of Lagos Mainland, Lagos, in Lagos State, Nigeria. History Ebute Metta is known for the production and sale of local food and cloths. It is a very old part of Lagos State, many of its houses were built during th ...

. It is also linked to the neighboring island of

Ikoyi Ikoyi is the most affluent neighborhood of Lagos, located in Eti-Osa Local Government Area. It lies to the northeast of Obalende and adjoins Lagos Island to the west, and at the edge of the Lagos Lagoon. Popular with the extreme upper class r ...

and to Victoria Island. The Lagos harbor

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Apapa Apapa is a Local Government Area in Lagos, Nigeria located to the west of Lagos Island. Apapa contains a number of ports and terminals operated by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), including the major port of Lagos State and Lagos Port Co ...

faces the western side of the island. Forming the main commercial district of Lagos, Lagos Island plays host to the main government buildings, shops and offices. The Catholic and Anglican

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

s, as well as the Central Mosque, are located here. Historically, Lagos Island (Isale Eko) was home to the Brazilian Quarter of Lagos where the majority of the slave trade returnees from

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

stayed. Many families lived on Broad Street in the Marina. 1962 Lagos Island map detail Lagos Nigeria txu-oclc-441966035-lagos-1962

The poor eastern side of the island contains the main markets and poor housing and is overcrowded. It is the part of

where the Oba (king) of Lagos resides. It is also believed that the Eyo festival can only be held in this part of Lagos.

Economy

Most Nigerian banks' head offices are located on Lagos Island.

First Bank of Nigeria First Bank of Nigeria is a multinational bank and financial services company with headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria. First Bank was founded in 1894 by Sir Alfred Jones and is currently owned by First HoldCo PLC, which in itself has diversified own ...

is one of the Nigerian

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

s with its head office in Marina, Lagos Island. Another bank that has its head office situated in Lagos Island is the

United Bank for Africa United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) is a multinational pan-African financial services group headquartered in Lagos Island, Lagos and known as Africa’s Global Bank. It has subsidiaries in 20 African countries and offices in London, Paris and New ...

(UBA). Other medium and large-scale

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

es such as real estate consultancy firms, electrical appliances

manufacturers Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...

and retail stores are based in Marina, Lagos Island.

Landmarks and tourist attractions

Tom Jones Memorial Hall And Library

Located on Nnamdi Azikiwe Street, Idumota, formerly Victoria St, Tom Jones Memorial hall is noteworthy as the venue of the call for positive action by zikists in November 1948. The hall was built by trustees selected by Mr Thomas Jones who died in 1913. In his will, he bequeathed the land and

funds Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm us ...

for a hall and

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

in his memorial.

Freedom Park

Freedom

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

is becoming a major tourist attraction and it is located on Lagos Island. The park was formerly a

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

yard, back when the country was still under colonial rule and was known then as Her Majesty's Broad Street Prisons. Freedom Park was created to serve as a national memorial in remembrance of the nation's founding fathers who struggled against colonial rule and fought for the country's

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

. The park was opened in 2010 to celebrate Nigeria's 50th independence celebration. The park is now a

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

attraction to both locals and foreigners and you can actually find historical statues all over the park. There is also an

amphitheater An amphitheatre ( U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meaning "place for vie ...

which holds

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s, music shows, and drama presentations. You can also relax by the numerous

pond A pond is a small, still, land-based body of water formed by pooling inside a depression (geology), depression, either naturally or artificiality, artificially. A pond is smaller than a lake and there are no official criteria distinguishing ...

s and

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

s at the park or visit the Wole Soyinka

Art Gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

to view unique art presentations.

Marina road

The Lagos

Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

is host to a number of office buildings, and other structures such as the Bookshop House which was formerly owned by CMS and the Cathedral Church of Christ. Due to the conditions of the

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

, the foundations of most of the tall buildings are either piled or raft. Buildings along the marina include National House now occupied by

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

and it is the first tall office building at Marina. The former Central Bank headquarters and the Investment House, headquarters of Bank of Industry were both built-in 1960. The land on which the

Investment Investment is traditionally defined as the "commitment of resources into something expected to gain value over time". If an investment involves money, then it can be defined as a "commitment of money to receive more money later". From a broade ...

House was built previously housed the Grand Hotel before it was demolished. New Africa House of UAC,

Elder Dempster Elder Dempster Lines was a UK shipping company that traded from 1932 to 2000, but had its origins in the mid-19th century. Founders Alexander Elder Alexander Elder was born in Glasgow in 1834. He was the son of David Elder, who for many ye ...

House, Nigerian Ports Authority head office and National Electric Power Authority's former headquarters are all located along the marina.

Notable Indigenes

* Babajide Sanwo-Olu *

Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello (born 23 April 1964) is a Nigerian academic. She is a professor of physiology and the 9th Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University. Biography Olatunji-Bello was born in Ologbowo community Idumota, Lagos Island in defunc ...

* Justice G.B.A Coker * F.C.O Coker * Lanre Towry-Coker

Important places at Lagos Island

Aerial view of CMS, Lagos Island East, Lagos-Nigeria.jpg, Aerial view of CMS, Lagos Island East, Lagos-Nigeria Aerial view of Marina, Lagos Island East, Lagos-Nigeria.jpg, Aerial view of Marina, Lagos Island East, Lagos-Nigeria Cathedral Church CMS, Lagos Island East, Lagos-Nigeria.jpg, Cathedral Church CMS, Lagos Island East, Lagos-Nigeria Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Marina, Lagos Island.jpg, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Marina, Lagos Island Lagos Cathedral, Marina, Lagos Island.jpg, Lagos Cathedral, Marina, Lagos Island Marina Bus Stop, Lagos Island.jpg, Marina Bus Stop, Lagos Island Nigerian Ports Authority, Marina, Lagos Island.jpg, Nigerian Ports Authority, Marina, Lagos Island Cms, Lagos.jpg, CMS Lagos Cms, Motor Park.jpg, CMS Motor Park Cms ROAD, Lagos.jpg, CMS road Cms Bus Park route to marina, lagos, nigeria 09.jpg, CMS route to Marina, Lagos Civic Towers, Ozumba Nbadiwe, Victoria Island, Lagos.jpg, Civic Towers Church of the Assumption, Falomo.jpg, Church of the Assumption, Lagos 1004 building, lekki road, Lagos, Nigeria.jpg, 1004 building, lekki road, Lagos Marina, Lagos Island .jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 43.jpg, Freedom Park File:Remembrance Arcade, Lagos Island 02.jpg, Remembrance Arcade, Lagos Island

References

External links

Lagos Island Local Government

lagos employment
{{Authority control Islands of Lagos Local Government Areas in Lagos State Islands of Yorubaland Central business districts in Nigeria