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Americanah is a 2013 novel by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie , for which Adichie won the 2013 U.S. National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. Americanah tells the story of a young Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who immigrates to the United States to attend university. The novel traces Ifemelu's life in both countries, threaded by her love story with high school classmate Obinze. It was Adichie's third novel, published on May 14, 2013, by Alfred A. Knopf .

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82-468: Americanah is about Ifemelu and Obinze who, as teenagers in a Lagos secondary school, fall in love. Nigeria at the time is under military dictatorship , and people are seeking to leave the country. Ifemelu moves to the United States to study, where she struggles for the first time with racism and the many varieties of racial distinctions: for the first time, Ifemelu discovers what it means to be

164-574: A "Black Person". Obinze had hoped to join her in the U.S. but he is denied a visa after 9/11 . He goes to London , eventually becoming an undocumented immigrant after his visa expires. Years later, Obinze returns to Nigeria and becomes a wealthy man as a property developer in the newly democratic country. Ifemelu gains success in the United States, where she becomes known for her blog about race in America, entitled "Raceteenth or Various Observations About American Blacks (Those Formerly Known as Negroes) by

246-610: A "ruthless honesty about the ugly and beautiful sides of both" the United States and Nigeria. In the Chicago Tribune , Laura Pearson wrote, "Sprawling, ambitious and gorgeously written, 'Americanah' covers race , identity , relationships, community, politics, privilege , language, hair, ethnocentrism , migration , intimacy, estrangement, blogging , books and Barack Obama . It covers three continents, spans decades, leaps gracefully, from chapter to chapter, to different cities and other lives...[Adichie] weaves them assuredly into

328-470: A Non-American Black". When Ifemelu returns to Nigeria, the two consider reviving a relationship in light of their diverging experiences and identities during their many years apart. Americanization is one of the most prominent themes in Americanah . In the context of the novel, America itself is a symbol of hope, wealth, social and economic mobility, and, ultimately, disappointment, as Ifemelu learns that

410-474: A Yellow Sun," 2016's "The Wedding Party", 2023's "Battle on Buka Street"). In Nigeria, newspapers are available in digital format and are predominantly produced in Lagos. The most widely read newspaper in Lagos, by its own account, is Punch . The Vanguard newspaper is one of the few dailies that is not only available online but also in print. Other publications include The Guardian , The Nation , The Sun and

492-417: A blunt, American way of speaking and addressing problems. She resists this label, but it's evident to the reader that Ifemelu's years in America have changed her. According to Idowu Faith, "no valid statement can be made on Americanah without deconstructing the term "Americanah" which, more or less, reveals the thesis of the narrative as well as the preoccupation of Adichie in the text." In Nigerian parlance,

574-507: A major area in Lagos that boasts several shopping districts. On its seashore along the Atlantic front there is an environmentally reconstructed Bar Beach . Ajah/Lekki The Lekki Peninsula shares some prestige with its Ikoyi and Victoria Island neighbours. Development has stretched the piece of land further such that the Ibeju axis, though closer to Epe (which is on the outskirts of Lagos)

656-507: A puritan post-colonial society. While many of the migratory experiences in the novel work within migration theory, Adichie simultaneously transcends the borders of international migration theories by introducing a new factor that both influences migration and projects a new perspective on return migration. According to Dustmann and Weiss (2007:237), lack of economic opportunity and escape from natural disaster/persecution are two main reasons individuals migrate throughout history. While identifying

738-616: A recreational park, and one of Africa's largest golf courses. Originally a middle class neighbourhood, in recent years it has become a fashionable residential enclave for the upper middle class to the upper class . The commercial section is concentrated in the South-West. Victoria Island with its annex is situated to the south of Lagos Island and known with a zip code of 101241 as assigned by NIPOST. It has expensive real estate properties and for that reason, many new luxury condos and apartments. Along with Ikoyi, Victoria Island occupies

820-573: A thoughtfully structured epic . The result is a timeless love story steeped in our times." Tshilidzi Marwala links the Americanah to the rise of nationalism. In this regard, he thinks the story of Americanah evokes the image that the 21st century will be defined by the dialectical tension between the globalization, which is brought by technology, and the "othering" which is brought by the alienating characteristic of globalization. Accordingly, Marwala on reviewing Americanah states that "it seems that in

902-620: Is June with precipitation total 316 mm or 12.44 in, while the driest month is January with precipitation total 13 mm or 0.51 in. Located near the equator, Lagos has only a slight seasonal temperature variation, with mean high temperatures ranging from 28 to 32 °C (82 to 90 °F). Lagos has the highest temperatures in March with a daily range from 32 to 26 °C (90 to 79 °F), and least hot temperatures in August ranging from 28 to 24 °C (82 to 75 °F), not unlike

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984-520: Is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria . With an upper population estimate of 21 million, it is the largest city in Nigeria, and the most populous urban area on the African continent. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until the government 's December 1991 decision to move their capital to Abuja in the centre of the country. Lagos is a major African financial centre and

1066-469: Is a major financial and banking centre. The four largest banks in West and Central Africa are headquartered in Lagos, and another nine banks in Lagos are among the 20 largest banks in the region. Zenith Bank , Access Bank , Guaranty Trust Bank and First Bank have capital of more than US$ 2 billion each. Banking headquarters are located on Victoria Island and Lagos Island. The insurance industry in Nigeria

1148-539: Is a site of historical importance; it was here that the Amalgamation Ceremony that unified the North and South protectorate to form Nigeria took place in 1914. Ikoyi is situated on the eastern half of Lagos Island and joined to it by a landfill . Ikoyi is also connected to Victoria Island by Falomo bridge, which carries the main road over Five Cowrie creek. Falomo garden, a green public space which

1230-712: Is almost always described as part of Lekki. The expanse of land starts from the Lekki toll gate, which was the focal stage of the famous #EndSars protest in October 2020, and ends in Ibeju-Lekki and boasts of communities slowly inching their way to suburb status such as Ajah , Awoyaya, Sangotedo, Abijo, and Eputu. There is quite a bit of place to see – the Lekki Conservation Centre ; The Novare Mall; The Lekki Free Trade Zone – Dangote, Africa's richest man

1312-502: Is another 4G provider. 9Mobile and Dataflex are Internet providers. Paystack is used by Nigerians who regularly receive payments from abroad. ULesson maintains a platform on which secondary school learning content is presented. Hotels.ng allows hotel bookings to be made throughout Africa. For decades, there was no oil processing industry in Nigeria, apart from illegal refineries in the Niger Delta (which are very polluting due to

1394-547: Is attracting investors who want to capitalise on this expanding technology hotspot. Startupgrind.com refers to Lagos as "Africa's Silicon Valley". Bloomberg highlights "Nigeria's Chaotic Rise as the Tech Heart of Africa" and means Lagos , specifically the Yaba district. Lagos is the only African city to have both a Google and a Microsoft office. MTN maintains the first and still predominant 4G network in Nigeria. Airtel

1476-515: Is building his refinery in this FTZ; Lagos Business School ; Eleko Beach ; Elegushi Beach ; La Camaigne Tropicana – a beach/tourist getaway, Pan-Atlantic University . The area has a Catholic monastery. Across the main channel of the lagoon from Lagos Island, there is a smaller settlement called Iddo . Iddo is also a railroad terminus and it is now situated in the Lagos Mainland Local Government Area after it

1558-643: Is categorized as a medium-port megacity using the Southampton System for port-city classification. It is administered by the Nigerian Ports Authority . The Port of Lagos / Apapa is the oldest and largest port in the country, both in terms of land area and cargo volume handled. More than half of Nigeria's maritime trade is handled here, and the port also acts as a transhipment point for landlocked countries such as Chad and Niger. Around 1,000 ships with 5,700,000 tonnes of cargo call at

1640-432: Is clear that Ifemelu's decision to return home without worrying about being identified as an "Americanah" establishes that Adichie is proposing and charting a path for a new kind of migration story whose quintessence is return migration. Adichie's explorations of sexual education and the perception of sex among youngsters in Nigeria plays a fundamental role in the journey of Ifemelu exploring her sexuality as an adolescent in

1722-544: Is comparatively and modestly developed, with an industry turnover of around US$ 1 billion per year. As with the banks, the headquarters of the insurance companies are predominantly located in Lagos. The Port of Lagos, formally known as the Lagos-Elbert Mathews Memorial Port, is Nigeria's leading port and one of the largest and busiest Ports in Africa. Due to the large urban population, Lagos

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1804-475: Is concerned with how migration debases and elevates, how it barters and fulfills and, most significantly, how it reinvents. Critics praised the novel, especially noting its range across different societies and reflection of global tensions. According to Book Marks , the book received "positive" reviews based on 16 critic reviews with 8 being "rave" and 3 being "positive" and 4 being "mixed" and 1 being "pan". On The Omnivore , an aggregator of British press reviews,

1886-494: Is disputed. In the 2006 federal census data, the conurbation had a population of about 9 million people. However, the figure was disputed by the Lagos State Government , which later released its own population data, putting the population of Lagos Metropolitan Area at approximately 16 million. Daily, the Lagos area is growing by some 3,000 people or around 1.1 million annually, so the true population figure of

1968-469: Is in the virtual bank card business. Opay and Interswitch are platforms for online bookings. Andela trains software engineers and places them in the Nigerian labour market. Jumia is an online retail company that offers a wide range of products such as electronic devices and fashion. Lagos is home to more tech hubs than any other city in Africa. With more than 90 million internet users, Lagos

2050-547: Is indigenous to Yoruba people , the central Yoruba language is widely spoken. It is by most estimates, one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Lagos is experiencing a population increase of about 275,000 persons per annum due to the influx of people from other regions for economic purposes. In 1999, the United Nations predicted that the city's metropolitan area, which had only about 290,000 inhabitants in 1950, would exceed 20 million by 2010 and thus become one of

2132-408: Is not a single municipality and therefore has no overall city administration. The geographical city limits of Metropolitan Lagos comprise 16 of the 20 Local Government Areas of Lagos State. The latter entity provides overall government for the metropolitan region. The former Municipality of Lagos, which covered Lagos Island, Ikoyi, and Victoria Island as well as some mainland territory, was managed by

2214-612: Is rated "beta minus" by the GaWC. This is equivalent to Manchester or Edinburgh in the UK . Lagos is thus the most "globalised" city in West and Central Africa. 5 out of 7 African tech "unicorns" operate out of Lagos (see below). Lagos is home to more tech centres than any other city in Africa. Yves Bellinghausen from the German magazine ZEIT summarises: ‘Lagos is Africa's Hollywood, Manhattan and Silicon Valley all rolled into one.’ Lagos

2296-621: Is referred to as "Greater Metropolitan Lagos" or "Lagos Megacity Region", which is a continuously built-up land area of an additional 1,535.4 square kilometres (592.8 square miles ), in LGAs situated next to Lagos's eastern and western city limits in Lagos State, and also beyond its northern limits, spilling into some LGAs in adjoining Ogun State . Ogun State LGAs that have become part of Greater Metropolitan Lagos include Obafemi Owode , Sagamu , Ifo , Ado-Odo/Ota and part of Ewekoro . Today,

2378-424: Is still widely referred to as a city, the present-day Lagos, also known as "Metropolitan Lagos", and officially 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 total land area, but houses about 85% of the state's total population. The population of Metropolitan Lagos

2460-515: Is the economic hub of Lagos State and Nigeria at large. The city has a significant influence on commerce , entertainment , technology , education , politics , tourism , art , and fashion in Africa . Lagos is also among the top ten of the world's fastest-growing cities and urban areas. In 2024, Time Out magazine ranked Lagos as the 19th Best City to visit in the World. A megacity , it has

2542-1055: The Nigerian Tribune . The latter was founded in colonial times, in 1949. The most watched television station in Lagos (and in Nigeria) is the 24-hour news channel Channels TV , based in Lagos. Some of its presenters use an overly correct standard of British English that compatriots like to mock. The same can be said of Arise TV and the state broadcaster NTA . The private African Independent Television focuses on entertainment and infotainment. Programmes in pidgin English or in Yoruba have moved to digital streaming services and offer action films , comedies and heartbreak productions . Seven tech start-ups in Africa are said to have " unicorn " status (worth over 1 billion euros). Five of them are based in Lagos: Flutterwave

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2624-402: The 2022 IPCC Sixth Assessment Report , Lagos is one of 12 major African cities ( Abidjan , Alexandria , Algiers , Cape Town , Casablanca , Dakar , Dar es Salaam , Durban , Lagos, Lomé , Luanda and Maputo ) that would be the most severely affected by sea level rise . It estimates that they would collectively sustain cumulative damage of US$ 65 billion under RCP 4.5 and US$ 86.5 billion in

2706-503: The 21st century, the strangeness of othering, of enhancing difference rather than embracing our commonalities and the wedging of deep fissures in society continues unabated." The book was selected as one of the 10 Best Books of 2013 by the editors of the New York Times Book Review . It won the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award (Fiction), and was shortlisted for the 2014 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction of

2788-537: The American Dream is a lie and that the advantages she enjoys there often come at a great price. Her Americanization is slow but distinct, and she gradually picks up the slang, adapts to her surroundings (for better or worse), and adopts American politics. Her views on gender and race change because of this, and her blog is devoted to exploring the issue of race as a non-American black in America. She's called Americanah when she returns to Nigeria, having picked up

2870-621: The Awori settled on a Farmstead along the coastal line in which they worked and lived in and around their Farmstead which translates to Ereko in Yoruba, which formed the Lagos indigenous name “Eko”. The lands 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 (62 mi) east and west of

2952-783: The Island include Lagos Island and Eti-Osa . The major upscale Island neighbourhoods within these LGAs include Ikoyi and Victoria Island . Three major bridges join the Island to the Mainland. They are the Carter Bridge , which starts from Iddo; the Eko Bridge (formerly called the Second Mainland Bridge); and the Third Mainland Bridge , which passes through densely populated mainland suburbs to

3034-619: The Lagos City Council (LCC), but it was disbanded in 1976 and divided into several Local Government Areas (most notably Lagos Island LGA, Lagos Mainland LGA and Eti-Osa LGA ). The mainland beyond the Municipality of Lagos, on the other hand, included several separate towns and settlements such as Mushin , Ikeja and Agege. In the wake of the 1970s Nigerian oil boom, Lagos experienced a population explosion, untamed economic growth, and unmitigated rural migration. This caused

3116-411: 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 (LGAs), and an addition of other towns (which now make up 13 LGAs) from the then Western Region to form the state. However, the state capital was later moved to Ikeja in 1976, and the federal capital moved to Abuja in 1991. Even though Lagos

3198-566: The Lagos Lagoon. The Ikoyi link bridge links Ikoyi and Lekki Phase 1, both of which are part of the Island. Construction on the Fourth Mainland Bridge will commence in 2022, according to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Lagos Island contains a central business district . This district is characterized by high-rise buildings. The Island also contains many of the city's largest wholesale marketplaces (such as

3280-610: The Lagos port complex annually. Tin Can Island Port is located west of Apapa near the Lagos Port Complex. It was established in 1975. In early 2023, the deep sea port of Lekki was commissioned 50 km east of Lagos. This thus does not belong to the urban area of Lagos but to the state of the same name . Lagos is the centre of the West African film, music, and TV industries. The film industry in

3362-563: The National Population Commission. A study found that research carried out by Africapolis (the African subsidiary of e-Geopolis backed by the Agence française de développement ), in addition to the cross-referencing of official figures with more scientific independent research concluded that the 2006 census figures for Lagos State of about 9 million were valid and that the state's own assessments are inflated. Lagos

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3444-564: The Surulere locality ranks second or third in the world, ahead of or behind Hollywood, depending on the survey. PricewaterhouseCoopers Int. forecasts that the Nigerian entertainment industry will grow 85% to $ 15 billion. Since the success of the Nigerian thriller "The Figurine", Nigerian film has increasingly turned to high-quality productions that are also commercially successful. This, in turn, has led to consistently new box office revenue records in Nigeria (2009's "The Figurine," 2013's "Half of

3526-464: The United Kingdom. The Chicago Tribune awarded Adichie its 2013 Heartland Award for Fiction, "recogniz[ing Americanah as] a novel that engages with important ideas about race, and does so with style, wit and insight." In March 2017, Americanah was picked as the winner for the "One Book, One New York" program, part of a community reading initiative encouraging all city residents to read

3608-547: The United Nations and other population agencies and groups worldwide. The population figure of Lagos State given by the Lagos State Government is 17,553,924. That figure was based on claimed conducted enumeration for social planning by the Lagos State Government's "parallel census" and it believes that since the inhabitants of the metropolitan area of Lagos constitute 88% of the Lagos State population,

3690-429: The accuracy of Adichie's observations." Peed concluded: "'Americanah' is witheringly trenchant and hugely empathetic, both worldly and geographically precise, a novel that holds the discomfiting realities of our times fearlessly before us. It never feels false." Reviewing the novel for The Washington Post , Emily Raboteau called Adichie "a hawkeyed observer of manners and distinctions in class," and said Adichie brings

3772-556: The book climbed to the number 179 spot on Amazon.com 's list of its 10,000 best-selling books. In 2022, Americanah was banned in the Clay County School District in Florida. In 2014, it was announced that David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong'o would star in a film adaptation of the novel, to be produced by Brad Pitt and his production company Plan B . In 2018, Nyong'o told The Hollywood Reporter that she

3854-471: The book received an "omniscore" of 4 out of 5. In an aggregation of British and American press on Culture Critic , the book received a score of 76%. On Bookmarks July/August 2013 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has never been afraid to address

3936-507: The climate of Lagos in the year 2050 would most closely resemble the current climate of Panama City . The annual temperature would increase by 1.6 °C (2.9 °F) and the temperature of the warmest month by 1.5 °C (2.7 °F), while the temperature of the coldest month would be 2.9 °C (5.2 °F) higher. According to Climate Action Tracker , the current warming trajectory appears consistent with 2.7 °C (4.9 °F), which closely matches RCP 4.5. Moreover, according to

4018-632: The coast for some distance before exiting through the sand bars to the sea. Lagos experiences a tropical savanna climate ( Aw ) according to the Köppen climate classification , as there are three months under 60 mm or 2.4 in of rain, and annual rainfall is not nearly high enough for tropical monsoon classification. The wet season starts in March and ends in October, while the dry season starts in November and ends in February. The wettest month

4100-470: The coast of West Africa that includes areas in five sovereign states , the Abidjan–Lagos Corridor . The University of Lagos is one of the first generation universities of Nigeria. The business district of Lagos is home to Tinubu Square , named after the aristocratic slave trader Efunroye Tinubu . Lagos contains Murtala Muhammed International Airport , named after Murtala Muhammad , one of

4182-442: The country's GDP. Most commercial and financial businesses are carried out in the central business district situated on the island. This is also where most of the country's commercial banks, financial institutions, and major corporations are headquartered. Lagos is also the major information communications and telecommunications (ICT) hub of West Africa. Lagos is developing a 24-hour economy . The globalisation of Lagos' economy

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4264-417: The difficult subjects of race and class. Americanah , though perhaps limned on a smaller scale than that of her previous fiction, masterfully tackles the nuances of these elephants in the room." Writing for The New York Times , Mike Peed said, "'Americanah' examines blackness in America, Nigeria and Britain, but it's also a steady-handed dissection of the universal human experience—a platitude made fresh by

4346-536: The former Nigerian presidents; the airport is one of the busiest African airports. Lagos National Stadium has hosted various international sports events such as the 1980 African Cup of Nations . Lagos is derived from the Portuguese word for "lakes". The pronunciation / ˈ l eɪ ɡ ɒ s / ( LAY -goss ) is typically standard in British and Nigerian English . Speakers of American English often use

4428-532: The fourth-highest GDP in Africa, and houses one of the largest and busiest seaports on the continent. Due to the large urban population and port traffic volumes, Lagos is classified as a Medium-Port Megacity. Lagos emerged as a home to the Awori subgroup of the Yoruba of West Africa islands in the 15th century, which are contained in the present-day Local Government Areas ( LGAs ) of Lagos Island , Eti-Osa , Amuwo-Odofin and Apapa . Before 15th century,

4510-451: The greater Lagos area in 2022 is roughly 28 million (up from some 23.5 million in 2018). Lagos may therefore have overtaken Kinshasa as Africa's most populous city. 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 approximately 21 million. The Lagos conurbation is part of an emerging transnational megalopolis on

4592-425: The high-emission scenario RCP 8.5 by the year 2050. Additionally, RCP 8.5 combined with the hypothetical impact from marine ice sheet instability at high levels of warming would involve up to US$ 137.5 billion in damage, while the additional accounting for the "low-probability, high-damage events" may increase aggregate risks to US$ 187 billion for the "moderate" RCP4.5, US$ 206 billion for RCP8.5 and US$ 397 billion under

4674-450: The high-end ice sheet instability scenario. Since sea level rise would continue for about 10,000 years under every scenario of climate change, future costs of sea level rise would only increase, especially without adaptation measures. Sea level rise is being exacerbated by subsidence , which is occurring at up to 87 millimetres (3.4 in) per year. The city of Lagos is a major economic focal point in Nigeria, generating around 30-35% of

4756-405: The islands, while the mainland has some high rise buildings. In recent years, the Lagos State government has renovated existing parks and green areas, with a long-term goal of expansion. Many good quality buildings are interspersed across the city. The Island is a loose geographical term that is used to define the area of Lagos that is separated from the "Mainland" by the main channel draining

4838-547: The lack of cracking ). Nigeria therefore had to have the end products of domestic crude oil such as fuels , bitumen , paraffin , motor oil , polypropylene etc. produced in US or European refineries, with transport costs over thousands of nautical miles and margins for middlemen. The oil refinery in Lekki went into operation in December 2023 and is expected to process 650,000 barrels of oil per day when fully operational, making it

4920-487: The lagoon into the Atlantic Ocean, which forms Lagos Harbour. The Island is mainly a collection of islands that are separated from each other by creeks and are connected by bridges. The smaller sections of some creeks have been dredged and built over. This part of Lagos is the area where most business activities and entertainment events take place, as well as where most of the upscale residential areas are concentrated. The Local Government Areas (LGAs) that are considered to be on

5002-407: The main nightlife attraction. Mainland LGAs include Surulere , Apapa , and Lagos Mainland . Metropolitan Lagos suburban LGAs include: Agege , Amuwo Odofin , Mushin , Oshodi-Isolo and Ikeja (site of Murtala Muhammed International Airport and the capital of Lagos State). Major areas on the Mainland include Ebute Metta , Yaba and Ejigbo . Some rivers, like Badagry Creek, flow parallel to

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5084-586: The mouth. Due to rapid urbanisation, 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 , which was the original city of Lagos, and the Mainland , which it has since expanded into. This city area was governed directly by the Federal Government through

5166-454: The need to flee "choicelessness" as the main reason for much of the migration in the twenty-first century Nigerian setting of the novel, Adichie uses literary dimensions to shake up the foundations of theory. Consequently, the direction of this type of migration, how it affects the bonds of love, how it changes personalities and cultural views, and how it reinterprets identity become the novelist's major theoretical engagements. In addition, Adichie

5248-424: The outlying towns and settlements to develop rapidly, thus forming the present-day "Lagos Metropolitan Area", also known as "Metropolitan Lagos". The history of Lagos is still evidenced in the layout of the LGAs that display the unique identities of the cultures that created them. By 2006, the metro area around Lagos had extended beyond Lagos State's boundaries and attained a megacity status. This much larger area

5330-662: The popular Idumota and Balogun Markets ). It also has the National Museum of Nigeria, the Central Mosque, the Glover Memorial Hall, Christ's Church Cathedral (CMS) and the Oba 's Palace ( Iga Idunganran ). Another major part of Lagos Island is Marina. It borders the idumota and Balogun markets and houses major Banking institutions. Though formerly in a derelict condition, Lagos Island's Tinubu Square

5412-410: The population of Lagos State, including some semi-rural areas. Lagos has a considerable number of high-rise buildings that dominate its skyline. Most of the tall buildings are located in the downtown Central Business District. Although the 2006 National Population Census of Nigeria credited the metropolitan area with a population figure of 7,937,932, the figure is at variance with some projections by

5494-458: The population of metropolitan Lagos is about 15.5 million. A rejoinder to Lagos State Government views concluded that Lagos State concealed the fact that the population projection, for Lagos Urban Agglomeration by the UN agencies, had been revised downwards substantially as early as 2003. It failed to interpret the two most important and fairly representative and reliable secondary data sets already in

5576-413: The pronunciation / ˈ l ɑː ɡ oʊ s / ( LAH -gohss ), which sounds more similar to the original Portuguese pronunciation. The native Yoruba name Èkó is also used by Yoruba people . Lagos may have been named after the Portuguese town called Lagos, since, at the time of the 15th century, Lagos, Portugal , was the main centre of Portuguese maritime expeditions down the African coast. Lagos

5658-579: The public domain, the National Identity Card Scheme and the 2003 Voters Registration figures from INEC. The figures for 2007 voter registration by INEC were an act sequel to the release of the provisional census results and comprehensively corroborated, vindicated and validated the population figures. According to the official results of the 2006 census, there were 8,048,430 inhabitants in Metropolitan Lagos. This figure

5740-543: The same book . In 2024, Americanah was ranked #27 in the list of 100 best books of the 21st century by the New York Times . Americanah spent 78 weeks on NPR 's Paperback Best-Seller list. Days after The New York Times named Americanah to its best books of 2013 list, Beyoncé also signaled her admiration of Adichie, sampling Adichie's TED Talk "We should all be feminists" on the song " ***Flawless "; sales of Americanah soared and as of December 23, 2013,

5822-584: The seasons of coastal locations in the Southern Hemisphere. Summer is the coldest season, with June, July and August are the coldest and rainiest months, while spring (March - May) is the hottest season. Weather Atlas (daily sun hours) A 2019 paper published in PLOS One estimated that under Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 , a "moderate" scenario of climate change where global warming reaches ~2.5–3 °C (4.5–5.4 °F) by 2100,

5904-539: The seventh largest oil refinery in the world. By comparison, the largest refinery in the United Kingdom in Fawley processes 270,000 barrels a day, while the biggest US refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, processes 607,000 barrels a day. 57,000 people have been hired. Bookmarks (magazine) Bookmarks is a bimonthly American literary magazine dedicated to general readers, book groups, and librarians. It carries

5986-482: The tagline, "For everyone who hasn't read everything." Launched in 2002, Bookmarks summarizes and distills published book reviews and includes articles covering classic and contemporary authors, "best-of" genre reading lists, reader recommendations, and book group profiles. It was named a "Best New Magazine" shortly after its debut by Library Journal . Bookmarks magazine is based in Langhorne, Pennsylvania . It

6068-525: The ten most populated cities in the world. Lagos is loosely classified into two main geographical areas—the "Island" and the "Mainland". The city of Lagos has the tallest skyline in Nigeria. The architectural styles in Lagos are diverse and range from tropical and vernacular to colonial European and ultramodern buildings or a mixture. Brazilian style architecture brought by the creoles is evident in buildings such as Water House and Shitta Bey Mosque. Skyscrapers and most high rise buildings are centered on

6150-404: The term "Americanah" is an identity term based on a person's previous experience of living in America. In an interview, Adichie defines Americanah as describing those who have been to the US and return with American affectations, pretend not to understand their mother tongues any longer, and refuse to eat Nigerian food, making constant reference to their life in America. From this understanding, it

6232-417: The word Lagos most often refers to the urban area, called "Metropolitan Lagos" in Nigeria, which includes both the islands of the former municipality of Lagos and the mainland suburbs. Lagos State government is responsible for some of the utilities including roads and transportation, power, water, health, and education. Metropolitan Lagos extends over 16 of the 20 LGAs of Lagos State and contains about 85% of

6314-486: Was connected to the Mainland like a peninsula. A huge population of Lagosians also live on the Lagos Mainland, and most industries are located there. The Mainland is known for its music and nightlife, which used to be located in areas around Yaba , Ikeja, and Surulere . However, in recent years more nightclubs have sprung up on the Island, making the Island (particularly Victoria Island, Ikate, and Lekki Phase 1)

6396-461: Was developed by the state government in conjunction with Fidelity Bank in 2017, is located under the bridge. Ikoyi housed the headquarters of the federal government of Nigeria and other buildings owned by the government, including the old federal secretariat complex. The complex today is on reestablishment. In Ikoyi there are military and police barracks, a top-security prison, and a federal high court of Nigeria. Ikoyi also has hotels , nightclubs ,

6478-544: Was developing a television miniseries based on the book, which she would produce and star in. It was announced on September 13, 2019, that HBO Max would air the miniseries in ten episodes, with actor and playwright Danai Gurira as writer and showrunner . On October 15, 2020, it was reported that the miniseries would not move forward due to scheduling conflicts. Lagos Lagos ( / ˈ l eɪ ɡ ɒ s / LAY -goss ; also US : / ˈ l ɑː ɡ oʊ s / LAH -gohss ; Yoruba : Èkó ), or Lagos City ,

6560-583: Was formerly the capital city of Nigeria , but it has since been replaced by Abuja . Abuja officially became the capital of Nigeria on December 12 1991, although the decision to move the federal capital had been made in Act No.6 of 1976. Lagos is also home to the High Court of the Lagos State Judiciary , housed in an old colonial building on Lagos Island. In terms of administration, Lagos

6642-506: Was lower than anticipated and has created controversy in Nigeria. Lagos Island, the central Local Government Area and historic center of Metropolitan Lagos, had a population of 212,700 at the 2006 Census. Authorities of Lagos State have disputed the results of the 2006 census, accusing the Nigerian National Population Commission of undercounting the population of the state. This accusation is denied by

6724-637: Was previously headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina . Kurt Vonnegut also weighed in on one of the earlier issues; the September/October 2003 issue, which featured a profile on Vonnegut's life and works, prompted him to describe Bookmarks as "the first publication to summarize my career as a writer." "I am beguiled by your physical beauty," he continued, "and I am moved by how head-over-heels in love with books you are. And nowhere else have I found such thoughtful and literate reportage on

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