
26/12/2024
There is a town in southern Portugal called Lagos.
The Lagos in Nigeria is named after the Lagos in Portugal. Before 1760, the areas we call Lagos today, was called "Eko." In the 1760s when slave trade thrived in the region, Portuguese slave traders named Eko “Lagos”.
That time, the Lagos in Portugal was a trading hub that has the largest link to Africa. In Portuguese, "Lagos" means "lakes".
Staying true to the real meaning of its name, the Lagos in Portugal has several beautiful beaches and lakes.
The Lagos in Portugal is a beachy popular tourist attraction— while the Lagos in Nigeria is a huge commerce hub.
Bonus fact: You may not know any Nigerian whose surname is Lagos, but "Lagos" as a surname is common among people of Spanish, Galician and, of course, Portuguese descent. Here are two famous people from history whose surname is Lagos: Ovidio Lagos, an Argentine journalist; and Nazaria Lagos, a patriot of the Revolution and the Philippine-American War.