Africa

Benin

Benin has one of the hottest attractions in all of West Africa - the stilted fishing villages in the lagoon near Porto Novo. The towns however - and even Cotonou, the biggest - may seem unremarkable to the short-term visitor. It’s the kind of place that hides its best features.

You need to be patient and observant to glimpse many of its cultural highlights. Beninese food is possibly the best in the region. There are also the fascinating cultures associated with Voodooism and fetishism, and their strangely attractive artifacts...More Information on Benin

Full country name: Republic of Benin
Area: 110,620 sq km
Population: 6.7 million
Capital City: Porto Novo (pop. 231,000)
People: Fon and Adja (40%), Yoruba (12%), Bariba (9%), Betamaribe, Fulani (6%), and 37 smaller ethnic groups
Language: French, Fon, Yoruba
Religion: Animism (Voodoo) (65%), Muslim (15%), Christian (20%)
Government: democratic republic
Head of State: President Mathieu Kerekou

Also Read: A Short Background of Benin

History of Benin

The history of Benin is indistinguishable from that of the entire area of west Africa until the early part of the 17th century. Up until this time, the area had been divided into numerous principalities. It just takes one bad apple to spoil it for the rest of them, however, and in Benin’s case a chief had a row with his brother and moved to Abomey before conquering the neighbouring kingdom of Dan, which became known as Dahomey (Fon for 'in Dan’s belly')...More on Benin's History.

Overview of Algeria's Economy

GDP: US$8.2 billion
GDP per capita: US$1,440
Annual Growth:5.5%
Inflation:3.5%
Major Industries: Machinery, textiles, iron & steel, timber and tourism
Major Trading Partners: Brazil, Portugal, France
Member of EU: No

Also Read: A short note on Economy of Benin

Political System of Benin

- Government of Benin

Geography of Benin

Benin is located in West Africa and covers a land area Of 112,622 Sq. km. and constitutes a long stretch of hand perpendicular to the Coast of the Gulf of Guinea. It is bordered on the North by Burkina Faso and the Republic of Niger, on the East by the Federal Republic of Nigeria and on the West by the Republic of Togo. With a 124 kilometers long coastline, it stretches North to South some 672 kilometers while its breath extends 324 kilometers at the evident point. It is above two third the Size of Portugal... (more)


Envoirnment: Benin is located in West Africa, and covers a land area of 110,620 sq km...more.

Languages: Over half the people speak Fon. Yoruba, Mina, Bariba and Dendi are the other important languages...more.

Culture: The cultural history of Benin is rich, and for over a century the people’s...more.


Facts for the Traveler

Visas: All visitors require a visa. For applications or extensions, be sure to have a fistful of photos.
Health risks: malaria (This is a serious risk here), meningococcal meningitis (Benin is prone to frequent epidemics)
Time Zone: GMT+1
Dialling Code: 229
Electricity: 220V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric 220V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

Also Read: Money & Costs | Transportation in Benin | Public holidays in Benin

When to Go

Best Time To Visit In Benin is November to May.

Also Read: Getting Around in Benin | Getting There & Away

What to See in Benin

Other Tourist Attractions in Benin

more...

What to do in Benin

Benin is a perfect destination for those seeking a facinating glimpse into a complex culture. As far as organised tourist programs are concerned, though, it’s pretty light-on. For a low-key safari experience, head to the far-north to Pendjari Park and W Park. Pendjari is more developed for tourists than W, and is only open between mid-December and mid-May. The park contains elephants, hippos, buffalo and lions, but you’ll be lucky if you see more than a few forlorn-looking antelope, a couple of wart hogs and maybe a monkey or three.
The coastline is spectacular, and especially well suited to swimming. Four km (2.5mi) east from the centre of Cotonou is the best urban beach. It’s safe, clean and regularly crowded. Head west for 40km (25mi) and you’ll find the absolutely perfect beach at Ouidah (which just happens to be the voodoo capital of Benin). Just a little better than perfect, and a mere 40km (25mi) further along the road, is Grand Popo. The beaches are quite safe, the sand is a spectacular white and the water clear and clean.

Events of Benin:

The big celebrations in Benin occur on Martyr’s Day (16 January), which commemorates a mercenary attack on Cotonou, Independence Day (1 August) and Harvest Day (31 December). Travellers can also cathch the annual Voodoo Festival, held in Ouidah on 10 January.

The earliest inhabitants of the area were Khoisan hunter-gatherers. They were largely replaced by Bantu tribes during a series of migrations. The southern part of the country was named Matabeleland after the Ndebele tribe who occupied the area in the early 1800’s under a loose confederation of Ndebele-speaking tribes headed by the Khumalo tribe under [...]
Countries in Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Cote d’Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Republic of the Congo Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Religion in Africa Africans profess a wide variety of religious beliefs, with Christianity and Islam being the most widespread. Approximately 40% of all Africans are Christians and another 40% Muslims. Roughly 20% of Africans primarily follow indigenous African religions. A small number of Africans also have beliefs from the Judaic tradition, such as the Beta Israel [...]
Culture of Africa Africa has a number of overlapping cultures. The most conventional distinction is that between sub-Saharan Africa and the northern countries from Egypt to Morocco, who largely associate themselves with Arabic culture. In this comparison, the nations to the south of the Sahara are considered to consist of many cultural areas, in particular [...]
Demographics of Africa Africans may be grouped according to whether they live north or south of the Sahara Desert; these groups are called North Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans, respectively. Afro-Asiatic speaking peoples predominate in North Africa, while Sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by a number of disparate populations grouped according to their diverse languages–Niger-Congo predominantly in West [...]
Economy of Africa Africa is the world’s poorest inhabited continent: the United Nations’ Human Development Report 2003 (of 175 countries) found that positions 151 (Gambia) to 175 (Sierra Leone) were taken up entirely by African nations. It has had (and in some ways is still having) a shaky and uncertain transition from colonialism, with increases in corruption [...]
Politics in Africa Colonial Africa Colonialism had a destabilizing effect on what had been a number of ethnic groups that is still being felt in African politics. Prior to European influence, national borders were not much of a concern, with Africans generally following the practice of other areas of the world, such as the Arabian peninsula, where [...]
History of Africa Africa is home to the oldest inhabited territory on earth, with the human race originating from this continent. During the mid 20th century, anthropologists discovered many fossils and evidence of human occupation perhaps as early as 7 million years ago. The famous Leakey family, with ties to both Britain and Africa, discovered fossil [...]
Geography of Africa Africa is the largest of the three great southward projections from the main mass of the Earth’s surface. It includes within its remarkably regular outline an area, of c. 30,360,288 km² (11,722,173 mi²), including the islands. Separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, it is joined to Asia at its northeast extremity by the [...]
Etymology of Africa The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra - “land of the Afri” (plural, or “Afer” singular) - for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. The Afri were a tribe - possibly Berber [...]

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