Benin

Guide to BENIN

BENIN which official name is Republic of Benin or Benin, is a country from Africa located at the Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo. BENIN with 1,989 km sq km, limits with: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km; and is divided in 12 department . BENIN's capital is Cotonou which is the most populated city with about 690,584 inhabitants.

History of BENIN

BENIN's government is republic; a Republic with a Executive government type, with President Yayi Boni as head of state.

Other symbols of BENIN are Beninese motto " Fraternité, Justice, Travail (French, Fellowship, Justice, Labour) Beninese anthem "L'Aube Nouvelle (The Dawn of a New Day) Beninese flag.Beninese flag is composed by two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side .

BENIN's history is quite long: 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. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent.

BENINs geography

Guide to travel to BENIN

If you are thinking on traveling to BENIN, you will have to take in consideration some points like BENIN's currency, BENIN's weather, BENIN's national holiday and BENIN's transports.

The first thing you need to know for your travels abroad is country's currency. BENIN`s currency is called franc ( CFAF), which is divided in 100 centimes. For your consideration, franc's exchange rate is about per dolar.416.3810798366.

BENIN's weather is characterized to be tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north. So be sure of choosing the proper date to travel to BENIN.

You can also consider to visit BENIN on it's national holiday to get in BENIN's culture. If you do so, BENIN's national holiday is called National Day, 1 August.

Also, if you like natural wonders, don't forget to visit the highest point of BENIN: Mont Sokbaro 658 m. And try also to get to BENIN's lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 mBut if you prefer the city, you must visit BENIN's tallest structure: ( ).

Don't be afraid to take a flight to BENIN, with more than 5 airports and 0 airlines, you will get to BENIN without problems. Once there, you can choose the transport type that better fits your needs. BENIN has about758 of railways, and also150 of roadways, so is a good place for a car trip.

Beninese Culture

BENIN is known by Benineses as Republique du Benin or Benin in the shortened way. Beninese, about 8,078,314 people, are composed by different ethnics: Fon and related 39.2%, Adja and related 15.2%, Yoruba and related 12.3%, Bariba and related 9.2%, Peulh and related 7%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4%, Dendi and related 2.5%, other 1.6% (includes Europeans), unspecified 2.9% (2002 census). And they also have different languages: French.

Another relevant point nowadays it's BENIN's religion. Benineses are divided in Christian 42.8% (Catholic 27.1%, Celestial 5%, Methodist 3.2%, other Protestant 2.2%, other 5.3%), Muslim 24.4%, Vodoun 17.3%, other 15.5% (2002 census).

But if want to know more about BENIN's culture, the best way is by reading the most famous Beninese novelists' books like Berte-Evelyne Agbo, also connected with Senegal, Flore Hazoume (1959– ), also connected with Congo-Brazzaville or Richard Dogbeh, also connected with Togo, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire (1932–2003).

Videos of Benin

See some viedos of Benin's places and tourism before choosing your vacations destination.

Latest News of Benin