Nigeria

The economic and cultural powerhouse of the country thanks to an influx of oil money, Lagos has an exploding arts and music scene that will keep your yansh engaged far past dawn. If you're headed to Nigeria, you'll have no choice but to jump right in.

Named after the Portuguese word for lagoon, Lagos has been a Yoruba port, a British political center and, until 1991, Nigeria's capital.

Lagos

Nigeria's made-to-measure capital, Abuja was founded during the boom years of the 1970s. After the divisive Biafran War, the decision was made to move the capital from Lagos to the ethnically neutral center of the country. Clean, quiet and with a good electricity supply. There's not much to do, but it's a good place to catch your breath and do some shopping.