TOP 40 BIGGEST CITIES IN YORUBALAND
The Yoruba are a people with a historical propensity for living in large urban centres. Yoruba cities have always been among the most populous in Africa. Today, around 11.5% of all West Africans are ethnic Yoruba while Yorubaland contains more than 30% of all Nigerian cities with over 100,000 people. They have been described as the most Urban African ethnic group by various ethnologists, sociologists and anthropologic writers.
Archaeological findings show that Òyó-Ilé, the capital of the Oyo empire, had a population of over 100,000. For a long time also, Ibadan, a major Yoruba city founded in the 1800s was the largest city in Sub-Saharan Africa. Today, Lagos (Yoruba: Èkó), another major Yoruba city, with a population of over 20 million, remains the largest in Africa.
Below is a list of the top largest cities in Yorubaland by population based on the latest available NASA Landsat satellite imagery technology.
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Lagos Megalopolis (Lagos)- 23,437,435
Ibadan Metropolis (Oyo)- 3,875,000
Ilorin Metropolis (Kwara)- 2,086,186
Otta Metropolis (Ogun)- 1,872,465
Ikorodu Metropolis (Lagos)- 1,747,447
Ifo (E4) Metropolis (Ogun)- 1,439,400
Abeokuta Metropolis (Ogun)- 1,104,459
Akure Metropolis (Ondo)- 1,076,227
Osogbo Metropolis (Osun)- 1,012,469
Ile Ife (Osun)- 663,332
Ibafo-Magboro Urban (Ogun)- 625,961
Ado Ekiti (Ekiti)- 602,886
Ogbomoso – 628,682
Oyo (Oyo)- 614,483
Ijebu Ode (Ogun)- 502,199
Ilesha (Osun)- 497,073
Ode Ondo (Ondo)- 446,132
Shaki (Oyo)- 439,328
Offa (Kwara)- 370,667
Iwo (Osun)- 340,418
Ede (Osun)- 324,706
Ikirun-Iree-Iragbiji (Osun)- 323,941
Shagamu (Ogun)- 258,532
Badagry (lagos)- 247,307
Iseyin (Oyo)- 235,165
Okitipupa (Ondo)- 230,078
Ore – Odigbo (Ondo)- 224,624
Owo (Ondo)- 224,276
Ikire-Apomu (Osun)- 215,694
Kabba (Kogi)- 191,064
Epe (Lagos)- 183,107
Idi Iroko (Ogun)- 162,257
Ikare Akoko (Ondo)- 137,820
Kishi (Oyo)- 124,962
Ejigbo (Osun)- 120,933
Ikere Ekiti (Ekiti)- 114,914
Omu Aran (Kwara)- 114,658
Oka – Akungba Akoko (Ondo)- 102,687
Ilaro (Ogun)- 100,424
Ila Orangun (Osun)- 92,391
Ijebu Igbo (Ogun)- 88,223
Igbo Ora (Oyo)- 82,557
Gbongan (Osun)- 82,422
Ago Iwoye (Ogun)- 64,777
Igboho (Oyo)- 63,992
