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10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT BENIN
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country located in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. Benin is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the northwest, and Niger to the northeast. The capital of Benin is Porto Novo but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the largest city and economic capital of the country. The country covers an area of 44,310 square miles and had a population of approximately 11.49 million as of 2018. French is the official language of Benin.
Benin is a largely rural society. Agriculture provides a livelihood for over 70% of its population. Agriculture contributes approximately 35% of the country's GDP and 80% of export earnings. Benin produces palm products, cocoa beans, and textiles for export. Rice, corn, beans, cassava, yams, pineapples, cashew nuts, peanuts and other tubers are grown for local consumption. Cotton accounts for 40% of Benin’s GDP and about 80% of official exports.
Cotton is the main cash crop. It is mainly exported in bales with only 3% of total production processed locally, mainly based on world prices. Seed cotton production is concentrated in northern and central Benin in an area called the cotton belt. It is also grown by small farmers who then sell it to ginning companies that process it into cotton lint and/or produce products such as oil, cottonseed and cakes.
Bilateral relations between Benin and China have improved. China has supported Benin in improving cotton production. This sector provides a source of income for half of the country’s population.
Although Cotonou is the largest city in Benin and has the seat of government - where government buildings are located and government services operate, Porto Novo is the capital of Benin. "Porto Novo" is of Portuguese origin and means "New Port". It remains untranslated and is in French which is the official language of Benin. The area covers 110 square kilometers and has a population of over 200,000 people.
Porto Novo is a city located on an inlet of the Gulf of Guinea in the southeastern part of the country. It is the second largest city in Benin and was originally developed as a port for the transatlantic trade carried out by the Portuguese Empire. The parliament of Benin is in Porto Novo. The area around Porto Novo produces kapok, palm oil and cotton. Porto Novo has a cement factory, a market called Ouando and a branch of the Banque Internationale du Bénin, a major bank in Benin.
The city is served by an extension of the Benirail railway network. Zemijan, private motorbikes, are also available to take you around the city. If you are flying into Benin, you will most likely land at Cotonou airport, 40 km away. The inhabitants of Porto Novo are mainly Yoruba and Gun, people from other parts of Benin and neighbouring Nigeria. Porto Novo has a tropical savannah climate and will therefore experience constant hot and humid conditions. The city is close to the equator but is drier than expected as it is located on the edge of the Dahomey Gap. Visit Porto Novo to enjoy Adjogan music, a style of music played on an Alounloun - a stick with metal rings attached that tink to the beat of the stick.
Ouidah, often spelled Whydah, is a trading hub in modern-day Benin and was one of the busiest ports for the transatlantic slave trade. Europeans referred to Ouidah's location on the Bight of Benin and its environs as the "Slave Coast" because of the region's importance in exporting laborers from Africa to American markets. Before it ceased trading in the 1860s, historians estimate that Ouidah alone exported more than a million Africans over the course of two centuries. There was only one other port in Africa that transported more slaves, and that was Luanda in Central Africa.
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Published Dec 2, 2024
