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___ Benin

A virtual guide to Benin. This page aims to give you a broad overview of Benin's art, culture, people, environment, geography, history, economy and government.
Beside a country profile with facts and figures, the page contains links to sources which provide you with all the information you need to know about this African nation, e.g.: official web sites of Benin, addresses of Benin and foreign embassies, domestic airlines, city- and country guides with extensive travel and tourism information on accommodation, tourist attractions, events and more like weather information, maps, statistics and local newspapers from Benin.

Presidential Palais
In front of Presidential Palais
© ambassade-benin
  

Republic of Benin | Republique du Bénin

Country Profile



Flag of Benin

Flag of Benin


Background:
Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged.


border countries: Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria
related countries: France, Haiti (Most Haitians trace their ancestry to Benin.)
 
where in Africa is Benin

Official Name:
Republique du Bénin
short form: Bénin
int'l long form: Republic of Benin
int'l short form: Benin
formerly: Dahomey

ISO Country Code: bj

Time:
Local Time = UTC +1h
Actual Time: Sat-July-4  04:09

Capital City: Porto-Novo (pop. 295 000)
Political and economic capital: Cotonou (pop. 2 million)

Other Cities: Abomey, Gavié, Kandi, Ouidah

Government:
Type: Republic under multiparty democratic rule.
Independence: 1 August 1960 (fom France).
Constitution: 10 December 1990.

Geography:
Location: Western Africa
Area: 115 828 sq. km. (44 721 sq. mi.).
Terrain: Mostly flat plains of 200 meters average elevation, but the Atacora Mountains with the highest points being Mont Sokbaro 658 m, Mont Tanekas 641 m.

Climate: Tropical, average temperatures between 24 and 31 C. Humid in south; semiarid in north.

People:
Nationality: Beninese
Population: 7 million.
Ethnic groups: 42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, and Bariba.
Religions: Indigenous beliefs (animist) 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%.
Languages: French (official), Fon and Yoruba in the south; Nagot, Bariba and Dendi in the north.
Literacy: Total population 39%; men 53%, women 25%.

Natural resources: Small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber.

Agriculture products: Cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)

Industries: Textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001)

Exports partners: China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%, Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004)

Imports partners: China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004)

Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF)


Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Official Sites of Benin

Gouvernement de la République du Bénin
The official government of Benin portal site.

Assemblée nationale du Bénin
Site of the National Parliament of Benin.


Diplomatic Missions
Ambassade du Bénin en France
Beninese embassy in France (in French).
List of Benin Embassies abroad
Adress list of Benin's Diplomatic Missions abroad.



Maps
Map of Benin
Political map of Benin.
Google Earth Google Earth Benin
Zoomable satellite view of Benin.
Google Earth Google Earth Porto-Novo
Zoomable satellite view of Benin's capital city.
to Map of Africa
Political Map of Africa.



Cotonou
Street Scene Cotonou © ambassade-benin.org



 

News

La Montagne
Recent news from Benin (in French)
L'araignée
News and cyber portal site (in French)
BeninInfo
Benin community website with recent news (in French)
 

 

Arts & Culture

Abomey Historical Museum
Created by the French colonial administration in 1943, situated on the palatial site and comprises the palaces of King Guézo and King Glèlè.


Music
Angélique Kidjo
SIte about the Benin born singer.
 

 

Business & Economy

Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO)
Central Bank of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.

Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA)
West African Economic and Monetary Union (in French)
IZF.net, le portail de la Zone Franc CFA
Information about business and investment in the African countries within the monetary system of the Franc Zone - CFA. (in French)

Benin Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Provides information about the chamber and business and investment in Benin.

 
 

Destination Benin - Travel and Tour Guides

Discover Benin: Ganvie, Ouidah, Cotonou, Abomey, Parakou, Port-Novo, Natitingou, Pendjari National Park.
Links to accommodation, hotels, attractions, festivals, events, tourist boards, tours and much more.


Discover Benin
Official website of tourism in Benin with extensive information about the country.


Being In Benin
Some information on the People's Republic of Benin.

Benin Guide
Martine's travel guide to Benin.

Destination: Benin
A Voyage to the Source, Benin seen through the eyes of a Haitian.

Fon is Fun!  
Discover Benin (A Five Episode Documentary) includes also Fon language greetings, basic phrases and vocabulary.

Mon Voyage au Benin et au Togo
Private site about travelling Benin and Togo with photos (in French).
 
 Books about Travel in Benin

US books 

Travel Guides Benin
   Travel Guides Benin
   Guide de tourisme et voyages en Bénin (in French)
UK books  Benin Travel Guides
fr books  Guide de tourisme et voyages en Bénin
German books  German Books: Reiseführer Benin

Tata Sombe
Ouidah, Tata Sombe  © ambassade-benin

Education

Ecole du Patrimoine Africain
School of African Heritage, an institution for vocational training in heritage conservation in Benin.
 
 

Environment

L'Organisation Béninoise pour la Promotion de l'Agriculture Biologique OBEPAB
Beninois Organisation for the Promotion of Organic Agriculture (in French)

Atlas of natural and agronomic resources of Niger and Benin
The "Atlas of Natural and Agronomic Resources of Niger and Benin" wants to summarise spatial data related to these subjects collected within the successful 15 years lasting Special Research Programme.
 
 

History

Archives Nationale du Benin
The not well maintained page provides some general informations on Benin and offers collections, publications and some photos. (in French)

Benin History
History timeline from the Benin's governmnt site.

History of Benin
Benin's history from Pre-Colonial (1600-1900) time until today.

La route de l'esclave - The Slave Route
An UNESCO documentation about four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. (pdf format)
 
Door of no return
"Door Of No Return", a memorial to slavery at the beach of Ouidah, one of the large slave-trade ports in Africa, a main departure point for those sold into slavery between the 15th and 19th centuries.

Search

Beninensis
Index of Benin related internet resouces.


Additional Information on Benin

Africa South of the Sahara: Benin
Stanford University.
BBC News Country Profile: Benin
Governments on the WWW: Benin
Index on Africa: Benin
MBendi Profile: Benin
Including economic overviews and directories of companies.
Open Directory Project: Benin
Wikipedia: Benin
The World Factbook -- Benin
 
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 International Airlines
 
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The Benin page was last modified on: Friday, 03-Apr-2009 09:08:48 CEST


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