Lagos Lagoon is a lagoon

Lagoon

A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...

 sharing its name with the city of Lagos

Lagos

Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...

, Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, the second largest city in Africa, which lies on its south-western side. The name is Portuguese, and means 'lakes' in the Portuguese language

Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

 so 'Lagos Lagoon' is an example of a tautological place name.

Physical Characteristics

The lagoon is more than 50 km long and 3 to 13 km wide, separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a long sand spit 2 to 5 km wide, which has swampy margins on the lagoon side. Its surface area is approximately 6,354.7 km². The lagoon is fairly shallow and is not plied by ocean-going ship

Ship

Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...

s, but by smaller barge

Barge

A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...

s and boat

Boat

A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...

s.

Geography

Lagos Lagoon empties into the Atlantic via Lagos Harbour, a main channel through the heart of the city, 0.5 km to 1 km wide and 10 km long. The principal ocean port

Port

A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....

 of Lagos is located at Apapa

Apapa

Apapa is the major port of the city of Lagos, Nigeria, and is located to the west of Lagos Island, across Lagos Harbour. It is also one of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Areas.- Overview :...

 in a broad western branch off the main channel of the harbour.

Another branch off the main channel, narrower and longer, separates Lagos Island

Lagos Island

Lagos Island is the principal and central local government area of the Metropolitan Lagos in Nigeria. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian census, the LGA had a population of 209,437 in an area of 8.7 km²...

 from Victoria Island

Victoria Island (Nigeria)

Victoria Island is an affluent town that encompasses a former island of the same name that sits between Lagos Island and the Lekki Peninsula in the Lagos Lagoon. It is the main business and financial centre of Lagos, Nigeria. Victoria Island is one of the most exclusive and expensive areas to...

, the broad sand spit which forms the coastline.

The city spreads along more than 30 km of the lagoon's south-western and western shoreline. Pollution

Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...

 by urban and industrial waste

Industrial waste

Industrial waste is a type of waste produced by industrial activity, such as that of factories, mills and mines. It has existed since the outset of the industrial revolution....

 is a major problem as a large amount of wastewater

Wastewater

Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations...

 is released into the lagoon daily. The 11-km-long Third Mainland Bridge

Third Mainland Bridge

The Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria to the mainland, the other two being the Eko and Carter bridges. It is the longest bridge in Africa....

 was built off the western shore to by-pass congested mainland suburbs.

To its north-east the lagoon is connected by a channel passing south of the town of Epe

Epe, Nigeria

Epe is a town and Local Government Area in Lagos State, Nigeria located on the north side of the Lekki Lagoon. At the 2006 Census the population of Epe was 181,409.-References:...

 to the Lekki Lagoon

Lekki Lagoon

Lekki Lagoon, sometimes spelled Leeki, is a lagoon located in Lagos and Ogun states in Nigeria. The lagoon lies directly to the east of Lagos Lagoon and is connected to it by a channel. It is surrounded by many beaches.-Real Estate Developments:...

. Narrow winding channels connect the system through a broad band of coastal swamps and rivers, as far away as Sapele

Sapele, Nigeria

Sapele is a city in Delta State, Nigeria, on the Benin River just below the confluence of the Ethiope River and Jamieson River. It was originally a small village of the Urhobo or "Okpe" people....

, 250 km to the east.

The areas west of Lagos Lagoon are not well provided with roads and many communities there traditionally relied on water transport.