Lagos,  a state in southwestern  Nigeria on the coast of the  Gulf of  Benin, is a  metropolitan city surrounded by  various bodies of  water.

It  borders Ogun  State to the north and east, the  Gulf of Benin to the south, and the Republic of Benin to the west. From 1914 to  1954, the area in the state was administered by the British as part of the  Colony of Nigeria.  Provisions of the 1954 constitution led to the creation of the  Lagos Federal Territory (the  70 km² area of  Lagos Island, including the city of Lagos) and the transfer of the  inner city to the administrative region of Western Nigeria.  However, this agreement limited the expansion of Lagos city  into the mainland, and in 1967 the creation of Lagos  State by the national government restored the  city's sovereignty over its hinterland.