The case study of one megacity (Lagos): its location, context and structure, the causes of rapid growth, and the opportunities and challenges, including contrasts in quality of life.

What this dot point is asking

This is Edexcel GCSE Geography B (1GB0) Paper 1, Section C (Topic 3, Challenges of an urbanising world), the megacity case study. Edexcel expects you to study one megacity in a developing or emerging country in depth (this page uses Lagos, Nigeria) and explain: its site, situation, connectivity and structure (CBD, inner city, suburbs, urban-rural fringe); the reasons for rapid population growth; the opportunities the megacity offers; the challenges rapid growth creates; and the contrasts in quality of life between wealthy and poor areas, plus the difficulty of managing the city.

Location, context and structure

Lagos is a coastal city in southwest Nigeria, on the Atlantic coast in West Africa. Its site on a lagoon and islands and its situation as a major port make it the economic capital of Nigeria and one of the most connected cities in Africa, with a large airport and links across the region. Although Abuja is the political capital, Lagos dominates Nigeria's economy.

Reasons for rapid growth

Lagos has grown explosively, from under 1.5 million people in 1970 to over 15 million today, for two linked reasons.

Opportunities and challenges

Rapid growth creates both opportunity and severe strain, and the two are very unevenly shared.

The opportunities include access to employment in both the formal sector (offices, port, manufacturing) and the informal sector (street trading, repairs, services), with Lagos generating a large share of Nigeria's GDP; access to education and health services that rural areas lack; and the growth of a middle class.

The challenges caused by rapid growth are large. There are severe housing shortages and poor-quality housing, with millions living in slums such as Makoko with insecure property rights; inadequate clean water supply and sanitation, raising disease risk; poor employment conditions in the informal sector; limited service provision; and chronic traffic congestion. The starkest issue is inequality: areas of extreme wealth sit beside areas of deep poverty, so quality of life varies enormously within the same city. Managing all this is a major political and economic challenge.

Try this

Q1. For a named megacity, state two challenges caused by rapid population growth. [2 marks]

• Cue. For Lagos, any two of housing shortages and slums, inadequate clean water and sanitation, traffic congestion, poor informal employment, or limited service provision.

Q2. For a named megacity, explain one opportunity that rapid growth has created for its people. [3 marks]

• Cue. In Lagos, growth has created employment in the formal and informal economy and a large share of Nigeria's GDP, plus better access to education and healthcare than rural areas offer.