Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa, formerly known as Dahomey. It consists of a narrow wedge of territory extending northward for about 420 miles (675 kilometres) from the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean, on which it has a 75-mile seacoast, to the Niger River, which forms part of Benin’s northern border with Niger.
Benin is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the northwest, and Niger to the northeast. The official capital is Porto-Novo, but Cotonou is Benin’s largest city, its chief port, and its de facto administrative capital.
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Map of Benin showing its regions and departments. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Historical Context
Prior to 1600, present-day Benin comprised a variety of areas with different political systems and ethnicities. These included city-states along the coast and tribal regions inland. From the 17th to the 19th century, political entities in the area included the Kingdom of Dahomey, the city-state of Porto Novo, and other states to the north. This region was referred to as the Slave Coast of West Africa from the early 17th century due to the high number of people who were sold and trafficked during the Atlantic slave trade to the New World.
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By 1727, King Agaja of the Kingdom of Dahomey had conquered the coastal cities of Allada and Whydah. The kings of Dahomey sold their war captives into transatlantic slavery or killed them ritually in a ceremony known as the Annual Customs. The area was named the "Slave Coast" because of a flourishing slave trade.
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. The country's name was officially changed to the Republic of Benin on 1 March 1990, after the newly formed government's constitution was completed.
Geography and Climate
Benin consists of five natural regions. The coastal region is low, flat, and sandy, backed by tidal marshes and lagoons. Behind the coastal region extends the barre country-the word being a French adaptation of the Portuguese word barro (“clay”). A fertile plateau, the barre region contains the Lama Marsh, a vast swampy area stretching from Abomey to Allada. The Benin plateaus, four in number, are to be found in the environs of Abomey, Kétou, Aplahoué, and Zagnanado. The Atakora Mountains, in the northwest of the country, form a continuation of the Togo Mountains to the south. The Niger plains, in the northeast of Benin, slope down to the Niger River valley.
Apart from the Niger River, the three principal rivers in Benin are the Mono, the Couffo, and the Ouémé. The Mono, which rises in Togo, forms the frontier between Togo and Benin near the coast. The Ouémé rises in the Atakora Mountains and flows southward for 280 miles; near its mouth it divides into two branches, one draining to the east into Porto-Novo Lagoon and the other to the west into Nokoué Lake.
Two climatic zones may be distinguished-a southern and a northern. The southern zone has an equatorial type of climate with four seasons-two wet and two dry. The northern climatic zone has only two seasons, one dry and one rainy. In the dry season the harmattan, a hot, dry wind, blows from the northeast from December to March.
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Politics and Administration
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. Benin is divided into twelve departments which are subdivided into 77 communes.
Key Political Figures
- Mathieu Kérékou: Overthrew the ruling triumvirate in 1972 and became president.
- Nicéphore Soglo: Defeated Kérékou in 1991, marking the first time an African mainland president lost power through an election.
- Thomas Boni Yayi: Won the 2006 presidential election and assumed office on 6 April.
- Patrice Talon: Won the second round of the March 2016 presidential elections and was sworn in on 6 April 2016.
Demographics, Language and Religion
The majority of Benin's inhabitants live in the south of the country. The official language of Benin is French, with indigenous languages such as Fon, Bariba, Yoruba and Dendi also spoken.
The two main religions in Benin are Christianity, followed mostly in the south and center, and Islam, followed in Alibori, Borgou, and Donga provinces, as well as among the Yoruba. Traditional religions include local animistic religions in the Atakora region and Vodun and Orisha veneration among the Yoruba and Tado peoples in the center and south of the nation.
Economy and Infrastructure
The economy is dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. A source of revenue is the Port of Cotonou, and the government is seeking to expand its revenue base. To raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology.
Cotonou has the country's only seaport and international airport. Benin is connected by 2-lane asphalted roads to its neighboring countries (Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria). Mobile telephone service is available across the country through operators. ADSL connections are available in some areas. Benin is connected to the Internet by way of satellite connections and a single submarine cable SAT-3/WASC.
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Benin's overall macroeconomic conditions were "positive" in 2017, with a growth rate of around 5.6%. Economic growth was mostly driven by the cotton industry and other cash crops, the Port of Cotonou, and telecommunications.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| GDP Growth Rate | 5.6% |
| Main Growth Drivers | Cotton industry, cash crops, Port of Cotonou, telecommunications |
| Main Imports | Rice, meat and poultry, alcoholic beverages, fuel, plastic materials |
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