Lagos is the largest city in the Nigerian state of the same name. The city, with its adjoining conurbation, is the most populous in Nigeria and South of The Sahara, Africa, it is one of the fastest growing cities in one of the most populous urban areas. Lagos is a major financial centre in Africa. Lagos emerged as a port city that originated on a collection of islands, which are contained in the present day Local Government Areas of Lagos Island, Eti-Osa, Amuwo-Odofin and Apapa; the islands are separated by creeks, fringing the southwest mouth of Lagos Lagoon, while being protected from the Atlantic Ocean by barrier islands and long sand spits such as Bar Beach, which stretch up to 100 km east and west of the mouth. Due to rapid urbanization, the city expanded to the west of the lagoon to include areas in the present day Lagos Mainland, Ajeromi-Ifelodun and Surulere; this led to the classification of Lagos into two main areas: the Island, the initial city of Lagos, before it expanded into the area known as the Mainland.

This city area was governed directly by the Federal Government through the Lagos City Council, until the creation of Lagos State in 1967, which led to the splitting of Lagos city into the present day seven Local Government Areas, an addition of other towns from the Western Region to form the state. Lagos, the capital of Nigeria since its amalgamation in 1914, went on to become the capital of Lagos State after its creation. However, the state capital was moved to Ikeja in 1976, the federal capital moved to Abuja in 1991. Though Lagos is still referred to as a city, the present day Lagos known as "Metropolitan Lagos", as "Lagos Metropolitan Area" is an urban agglomeration or conurbation, consisting of 16 LGAs including Ikeja, the state capital of Lagos State; this conurbation makes up 37% of Lagos State's total land area, but houses about 85% of the state's total population. The exact population of Metropolitan Lagos is disputed. In the 2006 federal census data, the conurbation had a population of about 8 million people.

However, the figure was disputed by the Lagos State Government, which released its own population data, putting the population of Lagos Metropolitan Area at 16 million. As of 2015, unofficial figures put the population of "Greater Metropolitan Lagos", which includes Lagos and its surrounding metro area, extending as far as into Ogun State, at 21 million. Lagos was inhabited by the Awori subgroup of the Yoruba people in the 15th century. Under the leadership of the Oloye Olofin, the Awori moved to an island now called Iddo and to the larger Lagos Island. In the 16th century, the Awori settlement was conquered by the Benin Empire and the island became a Benin war-camp called "Eko" under Oba Orhogbua, the Oba of Benin at the time. Eko is still the native name for Lagos. Lagos, which means "lakes", was a name given to the settlement by the Portuguese. Throughout history, it was home to a number of warring ethnic groups. Following its early settlement by the Awori nobility, its conquest by the Bini warlords of Benin, the state first came to the attention of the Portuguese in the 15th century.

Portuguese explorer Rui de Sequeira visited the area in 1472, naming the area around the city Lago de Curamo. Another explanation is that Lagos is a Portuguese named after a major port in Portugal —a maritime town that, at the time, was the main centre of Portuguese expeditions down the African coast. In Britain's early 19th century fight against the transatlantic slave trade, its West Africa Squadron or Preventative Squadron as it was known, continued to pursue Portuguese, American and Cuban slave ships and to impose anti-slavery treaties with West African coastal chiefs with so much doggedness that they created a strong presence along the West African coast from Sierra Leone all the way to the Niger Delta and as far south as Congo. In 1849, Britain appointed John Beecroft Consul of the Bights of Benin and Biafra, a position he held until his death in 1854. John Duncan was located at Wydah. At the time of Beecroft's appointment, the Kingdom of Lagos was in the western part of the Consulate of the Bights of Benin and Biafra and was a key slave trading port.

In 1851 and with pressure from liberated slaves who now wielded political and business influence, Britain intervened in Lagos in what is now known as the Bombardment of Lagos or Capture of Lagos resulting in the installation of Oba Akitoye and the ouster of Oba Kosoko. Oba Akitoye signed the Treaty between Great Britain and Lagos abolishing slavery; the signing of the 1852 treaty ushered in the Consular Period in Lagos' history wherein Britain provided military protection for Lagos. Following threats from Kosoko and the French who were positioned at Wydah, a decision was made by Lord Palmerston who noted in 1861, "the expediency of losing no time in assuming the formal Protectorate of Lagos". William McCoskry, the Acting Consul in Lagos with Commander Bedingfield convened a meeting with Oba Dosunmu on 30 July 1861 aboard HMS Prometheus where Britain's intent was explained and a response to the terms were required by August 1861. Dosunmu resisted the terms of the treaty but under the threat to unleash violence on Lagos by Commander Bedingfield, Dosunmu relented and signed the Lagos Treaty of Cession on 6 August 1861.

Lagos was declared a colony on 5 March 1862. The remainder of modern-day Nigeria was seized in 1887, when th

"Delightful" is the first physical single released by Ami Suzuki under the label Avex Trax. It is known as Suzuki's "comeback single", after 5 years of her previous major work; this single became her first major work of Suzuki since 2000's "Reality/Dancin' in Hip-Hop". The song "Delightful" was produced by German trance musician Axel Konrad, giving to it a marked eurodance influence. Since her return to a major company, "Delightful" was the only single to get into the Top 3 of the Oricon charts, it has become Ami Suzuki's signature song of her new era in the Avex company. Since its release, the song has become her strong points along with "Be Together" when performing live in music festivals and public events, one of the most remarkable being the yearly Japan nationwide tour organized by Avex, A-Nation; the single debuted at number two in the Oricon daily charts. At the end of its first week, it had gotten the third spot, selling 41,936. After twelve weeks in the charts, "Delightful" ended up selling 97,218 copies.

All lyrics are written by Ami Suzuki. 11 March 2005 — Music Station 17 March 2005 — Utaban 19 March 2005 — Music Fair 21 - "Delightful" and "Love the Island" 25 March 2005 — Music Fighter 26 March 2005 — CDTV 1 April 2005 — PopJam 31 December 2005 - CDTV 2005-2006 Special 31 December 2005 — 56th Kouhaku Uta Gassen Oricon Sales Chart

Günther Steinhausen was a World War II Luftwaffe Flying ace with 40 combat victories to his name. He was a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Günther Steinhausen was born 15 September 1917 on the island of Rügen. After flight training, Steinhausen was posted, as an Unteroffizier, to 1./JG 27 in the spring of 1941, transferring with the unit to North Africa soon after. The first Luftwaffe fighter unit in Africa, they were based at Ain-el-Gazala, just west of the besieged port of Tobruk. Flying the older Bf 109E-7, it was still found to be eminently competitive against the British squadrons based there, he recorded his first victory on 9 June. On 26 August 1941, Steinhausen claimed his fifth victory: a Tomahawk IIb AK374 of No. 250 Squadron flown by British ace Sgt. Maurice Hards who force-landed wounded near Mersa Matruh. In August, as the remaining Gruppen of Jagdgeschwader 27 transferred in to North Africa from Russia as reinforcements, I./JG 27 rotated its squadrons back to Germany to re-equip onto the Bf 109F.

After the British Operation Crusader in November and December had relieved Tobruk and driven the Axis back, in January Rommel had sufficient fuel supplies to launch his next counter-attack, he took Benghazi on 29 January, as the aircrew retraced their steps to airfields they had abandoned only a month or so previously. On 28 March Steinhausen claimed his 10th victory, when he shot down a Kittyhawk fighter of No. 94 Squadron RAF flown by P/O Crosbie, near Timimi. Four days after his 13th victory on 22 May 1942, Rommel launched his offensive that would take the Axis forces right across Libya and into Egypt to the gates of Alexandria, it was this time, as with many other pilots of JG 27, to be successful for Steinhausen. With a rush of multiple victories he advanced his tally: a pair of South African Tomahawks on 31 May, followed by four fighters in the El Adem area on 16 June and a further four Hurricanes on 28 June over Sidi Haneish. On 9 July, Steinhausen shot down a United States Army Air Forces B-24 Liberator, only the second four-engine bomber claimed by JG 27.

One of six bombers of the Halverston Detachment, sent to attack an Axis supply convoy, it was his 34th victory. By now the front had stabilised at the Alamein line and both sides paused to draw breath, build up supplies for their next offensives. In the interim, he was awarded the Ehrenpokal on 5 August, the German Cross in Gold on 21 August, for his success to date. At the end of August, activity picked up again, Rommel launched his assault on the fortified Alamein line at the beginning of September. On 6 September 1942, on an early-morning patrol, Fw Steinhausen shot down a Hurricane of No. 7 Sqn or No. 274 Sqn near El Alamein for his 40th victory. However, he was himself shot down in his Bf 109F-4 "White 5" southeast of El Alamein, his body was never recovered. One analyst asserts that James Francis Edwards was his victor since his combat report tallies with the action, though he only claimed a "damaged" Bf 109. Another objects, since the time differences do not match. Christopher Shores and his co-authors noted Steinhausen was killed in the morning at 08:00 local time.

Francis made a claim between 18:50 in an evening sortie. They assert the more certain candidates are Sergeant W J Malone and Flight Lieutenant R L Mannix from No. 127 Squadron RAF. Both made claim at 08:25 to 09:35. Günther Steinhausen was credited with 40 victories, all recorded over the Western Desert, all but two of those were over single-seat fighters. On 3 November he was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and promoted to Leutnant. Steinhausen was credited with 40 aerial victories. Iron Cross 2nd and 1st class Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 10 August 1942 as Feldwebel and pilot German Cross in Gold on 21 August 1942 as Feldwebel in the I./Jagdgeschwader 27 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 November 1942 as Feldwebel and pilot in the 1./Jagdgeschwader 27