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Lagos State State nickname: Centre of Excellence
Location
Flag
Seal
Statistics
Date Created	May 27, 1967
Capital	Ikẹja
Official language	English
Area	3,475.1[1]km² Ranked of 36
Population  - 2006 Census¹  - 1991 Census  - Density (2006)	Ranked 2nd of 36 9,013,534[2] 5,725,116 2,594/km²
Current Governor Previous Governors	Babatunde Fashola (AC)
Senators	Munirudeen Muse (AC) Ganiyu Solomon (AC) Adeleke Mamora (AC)
Representatives	List
ISO 3166-2
Website	http://www.lagosstate.gov.ng
¹ Preliminary results

Lagos State is an administrative region of Nigeria, located in the southwestern part of the country. The smallest of Nigeria's states, Lagos State is the second most populous state after Kano State,^[2] and arguably the most economically important state of the county,^[3] containing Lagos, the nation's largest urban area.

Contents 1 History 2 Administrative Divisions and Local Government Areas 3 Demography 4 People 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

Lagos State was created on May 27, 1967 by virtue of State (Creation and Transitional Provisions) Decree No. 14 of 1967, which restructured Nigeria’s Federation into 12 states. Prior to this, Lagos Municipality had been administered by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Lagos Affairs as the regional authority, while the Lagos City Council (LCC) governed the City of Lagos. Equally, the metropolitan areas (Colony Province) of Ikeja, Agege, Mushin, Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry were administered by the Western Region. The State took off as an administrative entity on April 11, 1968 with Lagos Island serving the dual role of being the State and Federal Capital. However, with the creation of the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja in 1976, Lagos ceased to be the capital of the State which was moved to Ikeja. Equally, with the formal relocation of the seat of the Federal Government to Abuja on 12 December 1991, Lagos ceased to be Nigeria’s political capital. Nevertheless, Lagos remains the center of commerce for the country.

Lagos State is divided into 5 Administrative divisions, which are further divided into 20 Local Government Areas, or LGAs:^[2]

• Badagry Division
  • Ajeromi-Ifelodun
  • Amuwo-Odofin
  • Badagry
  • Ojo

• Epe Division
  • Epe
  • Ibeju-Lekki

• Ikeja Division
  • Agege
  • Alimosho
  • Ifako-Ijaiye
  • Ikeja (capital of Lagos State)
  • Kosofe
  • Mushin
  • Oshodi-Isolo
  • Somolu (aka Shomolu)

• Ikorodu Division
  • Ikorodu

• Lagos Division
  • Apapa (home of the main port of Lagos)
  • Eti-Osa (home of one of Lagos's largest business centres and of the upscale communities of Victoria Island and Ikoyi, formerly the residence of the Nigerian federal government)
  • Lagos Island (the historical centre and commercial core of the Lagos agglomeration)
  • Lagos Mainland
  • Surulere

Lagos State is the smallest state in Nigeria, yet it has the highest population after Kano State.

According to the 1991 national census, Lagos State had a population of 5,725,116 out of a national total of 88,992,220.^[4] However, the preliminary results of the 2006 census show that Lagos State has now 9,013,534 inhabitants out of a national total of 140,003,542.^[2] This is nonetheless less than what was anticipated. Authorities of Lagos State have consequently attacked the results of the 2006 census, accusing the National Population Commission of having undercounted the population of Lagos State, an accusation strongly denied by the National Population Commission.^[5]

The rate of population growth is about 275,000 persons per annum with a population density of 2,594 persons per sq. kilometer. In the urban area of Metropolitan Lagos, the average density is 8,000 persons per square kilometer on average (up to 55,000 inh. per sq. km. in the densest parts of the urban area). In a UN study of 1999, the city of Lagos was expected to hit the 24.5 million population mark by the year 2015 and thus be among the ten most populous cities in the world, but this projection must now be revised downward due to the results of the 2006 census.

While the State is essentially a Yoruba-speaking environment, it is nevertheless a socio-cultural melting pot attracting both Nigerians and foreigners alike.

Indigenous inhabitants include the Aworis and Ogus in Ikeja and Badagry Divisions respectively, with the Ogus being found mainly in Badagry.

There is also an admixture of other pioneer settlers collectively known as the Ekos.

The indigenes of Ikorodu and Epe Divisions are mainly the Ijebus with pockets of Eko-Awori settlers along the coastland and riverine areas.

• Lagos
• Lagos Island
• Surulere

• Lagos State Government Official Site
• Lagos Interactive Maps & Sat Navs to travel around.

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Coordinates: 6°35′N, 3°45′E