Abidjan is the economic capital of Ivory Coast and is the most populous French-speaking city in West Africa. Its population at the 2014 Ivory Coast census was 4,707,404, which is 20 percent of the overall population of the country. Only Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria, surpasses it within West Africa in population. Considered the cultural crossroads of West Africa, Abidjan is characterized by a high level of industrialization and urbanization.