Benin
Capital: Porto-Novo · Western Africa
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, formerly known as Dahomey, is a country in West Africa.
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Place Bio Guerra, dans la ville de Parakou, dans le département du Borgou, au Nord du Bénin.
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Morceaux de granite superposé a à Parakou-Bénin. c'est sur le site de concassage a parakou. il continuer par subir la concassage jusqu’à être réduit en morceaux de…
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against wind, sun rain, this man does not give up to provide for his family
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From the 17th to the 19th centuries, political entities in the area included the Kingdom of Dahomey, the city-state of Porto Novo, and other states to the north. France took over the territory in 1894, incorporating it into French West Africa as French Dahomey. In 1960, Dahomey gained full independence from France. As a sovereign state, Benin has had democratic governments, military coups, and military governments. A self-described Marxist–Leninist state called the People's Republic of Benin existed between 1975 and 1990. In 1991, it was replaced by the multi-party Republic of Benin.
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Office du Tourisme d'Abomey et Région (Bénin).
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Hôpital de Adokandji à Lalo au Bénin
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Extensive Landwirtschaft im Norden Benis bei Djougou
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Etymology
During French colonial rule and after independence on 1 August 1960, the country was named Dahomey, after the Kingdom of Dahomey. On 30 November 1975, following a Marxist–Leninist military coup (the 1972 Dahomeyan coup d'état), the country was renamed Benin, after the Bight of Benin, which borders the country, since the name Dahomey is exclusively associated with the Fon who inhabited the southern half of the country. The bight takes its name from the Kingdom of Benin, located in present-day Nigeria.
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Cotton field, northern Benin.
Photo: Marco Schmidt, CC BY-SA 2.5 · source
Beninois school children.
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This is an image of Cultural Fashion or Adornment from
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History
Prior to 1600, present-day Benin comprised a variety of areas with different political systems and ethnicities. These included city-states along the coast (primarily of the Aja ethnic group and also including Yoruba and Gbe peoples) and tribal regions inland (composed of Bariba, Mahi, Gedevi, and Kabye peoples). The Oyo Empire, located primarily to the east of Benin, was a military force in the region, conducting raids and exacting tribute from the coastal kingdoms and tribal regions.
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Chemin de fer de l'OCBN à Tori-Bossito dans le département de l'Atlantique au Bénin
Photo: Fawaz.tairou, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Petits morceaux de granite un site de concassage à Parakou Bénin. ces morceaux sont obtenus après plusieurs travaux de concassage depuis les grands morceaux de granite.
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Vue de face du bâtiment abritant le Centre de recherche de la Villa Karo
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Geography
The north–south strip of land in West Africa lies between latitudes 6° and 13°N, and longitudes 0° and 4°E. It is bounded by Togo to the west, Burkina Faso and Niger to the north, Nigeria to the east, and the Bight of Benin to the south. The distance from the Niger River in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the south is about 650 km (404 mi). Although the coastline measures 121 km (75 mi), the country measures about 325 km (202 mi) at its widest point.
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Du granite sur un site de concassage à Parakou au Bénin
Photo: Adoscam, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Government and politics
Benin's politics take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic in which the President of Benin is both head of state and head of government, within a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the government and the legislature being a bicameral parliament. The judiciary is officially independent of the executive and the legislature, while in practice its independence has been gradually hollowed out by former president Talon. The political system is derived from the 1990 Constitution of Benin and the subsequent transition to democracy in 1991 with its latest amendment in 2025.
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Demographics
The majority of Benin's 11,485,000 inhabitants live in the south of the country. The life expectancy is 62 years. About 42 African ethnic groups live in this country, including the Yoruba in the southeast (migrated from Nigeria in the 12th century); the Dendi in the north-central area (who came from Mali in the 16th century); the Bariba and the Fula in the northeast; the Betammaribe and the Somba in the Atakora Mountains; the Fon in the area around Abomey in the South Central and the Mina, Xueda, and Aja (who came from Togo) on the coast.
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Economy
The economy is dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Cotton accounts for 40% of the GDP and roughly 80% of official export receipts.
Real GDP growth was estimated at 5.1% and 5.7% in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The main driver of growth is the agricultural sector, with cotton being the main export, while services continue to contribute the largest part of GDP mostly because of Benin's geographical location, enabling trade, transportation, transit and tourism activities with its neighboring states.
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Culture
Beninese literature had an oral tradition before French became the dominant language. Félix Couchoro wrote the first Beninese novel, L'Esclave (The Slave), in 1929.
Post-independence, native folk music was combined with Ghanaian highlife, French cabaret, American rock, funk and soul, and Congolese rumba.
Biennale Benin, continuing the projects of some organizations and artists, started in the country in 2010 as a collaborative event called "Regard Benin". In 2012, the project became a biennial coordinated by a federation of local associations. The international exhibition and artistic program of the 2012 Biennale Benin were curated by Abdellah Karroum.
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