parent_taxon telfairia
Lagos initially emerged as a port city which originated on a collection of islands , which are contained in the present day Local Government ___MASK43___ ( LGAs ) of Lagos Island , Eti - Osa , Amuwo - Odofin and Apapa ; the islands are separated by creeks , fringing the southwest mouth of Lagos Lagoon , while protected from the Atlantic Ocean by barrier islands and long sand spits such as Bar Beach , which stretch up to east and west of the mouth . Due to rapid urbanization , the city expanded to the west of the lagoon to include ___MASK43___ in the present day Lagos Mainland , Ajeromi - Ifelodun and Surulere . This led to the classification of Lagos into two main ___MASK43___ - the Island , which was the initial city of Lagos , before it expanded into the area known as the Mainland . This city area was governed directly by the Federal Government through 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 ___MASK43___ ( LGAs ), and an addition of other towns ( which now make up 13 LGAs ) from the then Western Region , to form the state . Chad ('), officially the Republic of Chad ('), is a landlocked country in Central Africa . It is bordered by Libya to the north , Sudan to the east , the Central African Republic to the south , Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest and Niger to the west . It is the fifth largest country in Africa in terms of ___MASK47___ . Port Harcourt ( Igbo : Ígú  cha ; Pidgin : " Po - ta - kot ") is the capital and largest city of Rivers State , Nigeria . It lies along the Bonny River and is located in the Niger ___MASK90___ . As of 2016 , the Port Harcourt urban area has an estimated population of 1 , 865 , 000 inhabitants , up from 1 , 382 , 592 as of 2006 . Benin ( or -; ), officially the Republic of Benin and formerly Dahomey , is a country in West Africa . It is bordered by Togo to the west , Nigeria to the east , and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north . A majority of the population live on its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin , part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean . The capital of Benin is Porto - Novo , but the seat of government is in Cotonou , the country ' s largest city and economic capital . Benin covers an ___MASK47___ of 114 , 763 square kilometers and its population in 2015 was estimated to be approximately 10 . 88 million . Benin is a tropical , sub - Saharan nation , highly dependent on agriculture , with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming . The ___MASK14___ , also called cucurbits and the gourd family , are a plant family consisting of ca 965 species in around 95 genera , the most important of which are : Africa is the world ' s second - largest and second - most - populous continent . At about 30 . 3 million km² ( 11 . 7 million square miles ) including adjacent islands , it covers 6 % of Earth ' s total surface ___MASK47___ and 20 . 4 % of its total land ___MASK47___ . With 1 . 1 billion people as of 2013 , it accounts for about 15 % of the world ' s ___MASK17___ population . The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north , both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast , the Indian Ocean to the southeast , and the Atlantic Ocean to the west . The continent includes Madagascar and various archipelagos . It contains 54 fully recognized sovereign states ( countries ), nine territories and two " de facto " independent states with limited or no recognition . ___MASK19___ is a small genus of flowering plants in the squash family which are native to Africa . They include ___MASK19___ occidentalis , the fluted pumpkin , which is an important vegetable in Nigeria and other African nations . It is also known as the oyster nut , a common name it shares with its relative ___MASK19___ pedata . These are woody and herbaceous dioecious vines which bear squashlike fruits that contain large , nutritious oily seeds . The third species is ___MASK19___ batesii which is very rare and not cultivated . These vines grow quickly to lengths of 30 meters or more , using tendrils to scale trees . T . pedata is grown as an ornamental plant for its attractive foliage . The seeds of T . occidentalis and T . pedata are over 25 % protein and 55 % oil , making them a good source of nutrition . They are used as a traditional food source for nursing mothers , the seed flour is fermented to make baby food , the leaves and shoots , especially of T . occidentalis , are eaten as vegetables . One recent concern has been the impact of ___MASK19___ mosaic virus , which , along with other problems , is a threat to the already low genetic diversity of plants of this genus . Species : ___MASK19___ batesii ___MASK19___ occidentalis - fluted pumpkin , oyster nut ___MASK19___ pedata ( syn . T . africana , Fevillea pedata , Joliffia africana ) - oyster nut , queen ' s nut , Zanzibar oil vine The genus was named for Irish naturalist Charles Telfair ( 1778 -- 1833 ) . ___MASK19___ occidentalis is a tropical vine grown in West Africa as a leaf vegetable and for its edible seeds . Common names for the plant include fluted gourd , fluted pumpkin , and ugu in the Igbo language . " T . occidentalis " is a member of the ___MASK14___ family and is indigenous to southern Nigeria . The fluted gourd grows in many nations of West Africa , but is mainly cultivated in [ Igboland | southeastern Nigeria ] and it is used primarily in soups and herbal medicines . Although the fruit is inedible , the seeds produced by the gourd are high in protein and fat , and can , therefore , contribute to a well - balanced diet . The plant is a drought - tolerant , dioecious perennial that is usually grown trellised . " T . occidentalis " is traditionally used by an estimated 30 to 35 million people indigenous people in Nigeria , including the Efik , Ibibio , and Urhobo . However , it is predominantly used by the Igbo ethnic group , who continue to cultivate the gourd for food sources and traditional medicines . A recurring subject in the Igbo  s folklore , the fluted gourd is noted to have healing properties and was used as a blood tonic , to be administered to the weak or ill . It is endemic to southern Nigeria , and was an asset to international food trades of the Igbo ethnic group . ___MASK15___ ( grapevines ) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae . The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern hemisphere . It is economically important as the source of grapes , both for direct consumption of the fruit and for fermentation to produce wine . The study and cultivation of grapevines is called viticulture . The Federal Republic of Nigeria , commonly referred to as Nigeria , is a federal republic in West Africa , bordering Benin in the west , Chad and Cameroon in the east , and Niger in the north . Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean . It comprises 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory , where the capital , Abuja is located . Its largest cities include : Lagos , Kano , Ibadan , Benin City and Port Harcourt . Nigeria is officially a democratic secular country . Niger ( or ), officially the Republic of Niger , is a landlocked country in Western Africa , named after the Niger River . Niger is bordered by Libya to the northeast , Chad to the east , Nigeria and Benin to the south , Burkina Faso and Mali to the west , and Algeria to the northwest . Niger covers a land ___MASK47___ of almost 1 , 270 , 000 km , making it the largest country in West Africa , with over 80 percent of its land ___MASK47___ covered by the Sahara Desert . The country ' s predominantly Islamic population of about 19 million is mostly clustered in the far south and west of the country . The capital city is Niamey , located in the far - southwest corner of Niger . Ibadan is the state capital of Oyo State . With a population of over 3 million , it is the most populous city in the state , and the third most populous city in Nigeria , after Lagos and Kano ; it is the country ' s largest city by geographical ___MASK47___ . At Nigerian independence , Ibadan was the largest and most populous city in the country , and the third in Africa after Cairo and Johannesburg . Leaf vegetables , also called potherbs , greens , vegetable greens , leafy greens , or salad greens , are ___MASK44___ leaves eaten as a vegetable , sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots . Although they come from a very wide variety of plants , most share a great deal with other leaf vegetables in nutrition and cooking methods . Kano is the state capital of Kano State in Northern West , Nigeria . It is situated in the Sahelian geographic region , south of the Sahara . Kano is the commercial nerve center of Northern Nigeria and is the second largest city in Nigeria , after Lagos . The Kano metropolis initially covered , and comprised six local government ___MASK43___ ( LGAs )  Kano Municipal , Fagge , Dala , Gwale , Tarauni and Nasarawa ; However , it now covers two additional LGAs  Ungogo and Kumbotso . The total area of Metropolitan Kano is now , with a population of 2 , 828 , 861 as of the 2006 Nigerian census . A vine ( Latin " vnea " " grapevine ", " vineyard ", from " vnum " " wine ") in the narrowest sense is the grapevine (" ___MASK15___ "), but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or ( that is , climbing ) stems or runners . The word also can refer to such stems or runners themselves , for instance when used in wicker work . Wicker is a material made of ___MASK44___ stalks , branches or shoots formed by a kind of weaving into a rigid material , most often used for baskets or furniture . Wicker is traditionally made of material of ___MASK44___ origin , but plastic fibers are now also used . Wicker is light yet sturdy , making it suitable for furniture that will be moved often like porch and patio furniture . A variety of plants are used such as reeds , grasses ( including ___MASK11___ ), creepers ( including rattan ), and thin tree branches ( especially willow ). Rushwork and wickerwork are terms used in England .