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Benin
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The Republic of Benin is a country in West Africa,
formerly known as Dahomey or Dahomania. It has a small coast
line with the Bight of Benin in the south, borders Togo in
the west, Nigeria in the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger in
the north.
Main article: History of Benin
Celebration at Abomey, 1908The African kingdom of Dahomey
originated in Benin. By the 17th century, the kingdom, ruled
by an oba, stretched beyond the borders of present-day
Benin, covering a large part of West-Africa. The kingdom was
prosperous and established slave trading relations with the
Europeans (mostly Portuguese and Dutch) who first arrived in
the late 15th century. The coastal part of the kingdom
became known as the Slave Coast.
By the 18th century, Dahomey started to fall apart, enabling
the French to take over the area in 1892. In 1899, the land
became part of the French West Africa colony, still as
Dahomey. In 1958, it was granted autonomy as the Republic of
Dahomey, and full independence started on August 1, 1960.
For the next 12 years, ethnic strife contributed to a period
of turbulence. There were several coups and regime changes,
with three main figures dominating - Sourou Apithy, Hubert
Maga, and Justin Ahomadegbé - each of them representing a
different area of the country. These three agreed to form a
presidential council after violence had marred the 1970
elections. In 1972, a military coup led by Mathieu Kérékou
overthrew the council. He established a Marxist government
under the control of Military Council of the Revolution (CNR),
and the country was renamed to the People's Republic of
Benin in 1975. In 1979, the CNR was dissolved and elections
took place. By the late 1980s, Kérékou abandoned Marxism
after an economic crisis and decided to re-establish a
parliamentary capitalist system. He was defeated in 1991
elections, becoming the first black African president to
step down after an election. He returned to power after
winning the 1996 vote. In 2001, a closely fought election
resulted in Kérékou winning another term. His opponents
claimed there were some election irregularities.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Benin
Stretched between the Niger River in the north and the Bight
of Benin in the south, Benin's elevation is about the same
for the entire country. Most of the population lives in the
southern coastal plains, where Benin's largest cities are
also located, including Porto Novo and Cotonou. The north of
the country consists mostly of savanna and semi-arid
highlands.
The climate in Benin is hot and humid with relatively little
rain, although there are two rainy seasons (April-July and
September-November).
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Background:
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Dahomey gained its independence from France in 1960;
the name was changed to Benin in 1975. From 1974 to
1989 the country was a socialist state; free
elections were reestablished in 1991. |
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Location:
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Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Nigeria and Togo |
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Geographic coordinates:
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9 30
N, 2 15 E
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 112,620 sq km
water: 2,000 sq km
land: 110,620 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Pennsylvania |
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Climate:
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tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
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Terrain:
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mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low
mountains |
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Ethnic groups:
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African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being
Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
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Religions:
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indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
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Languages:
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French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common
vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least
six major ones in north) |
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Currency:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -
responsible authority is the Central Bank of the
West African States |
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Currency code:
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XOF
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Exchange rates:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US
dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001),
711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67
(1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is
pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro
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