Benin{{otheruses}} '''The Republic of Benin''' is a nation of western Africa, formerly known as Dahomey. 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. {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+<big><big>'''République du Bénin '''</big></big> |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan="2" | {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" |- | align="center" width="140px" | image:Benin_flag_large.png|125px|Flag of Benin | align="center" width="140px" | Image:Benin.gif |- | align="center" width="140px" | (Flag of Benin|In Detail) | align="center" width="140px" | (Coat of Arms of Benin|Full size) |} |- | align="center" colspan=2 | ''National motto: Fraternité, Justice, Travail (French language|French: Fellowship, Justice, Labour)'' |- | align=center colspan=2 | image:LocationBenin.png|Location of Benin |- | '''Official language''' || French language|French |- | '''Capital''' | Porto Novo, Cotonou1 |- | '''President of Benin|President''' | Mathieu Kérékou |- | '''Area'''  - Total  - % water | List of countries by area|Ranked 99th 112,620 square kilometre|km² 1.8% |- | '''Population'''  - Total (Year)  - Population density|Density | List of countries by population|Ranked 94th 7,041,490 60/km² |- | '''Independence''' || August 1, 1960 |- | '''Currency''' || CFA franc |- | '''Time zone''' | Coordinated Universal Time|UTC + 1 |- | '''National anthem''' || L'Aube Nouvelle |- | '''Top-level domain|Internet TLD''' || .bj |- | '''List_of_country_calling_codes|Calling Code''' | 229 |- | colspan=2 | 1 Seat of government |} == History == ''Main article: History of Benin'' The 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, covered a large part of West-Africa. The kingdom was prosperous and established slave trading relations with the Europeans (mostly Portugal|Portuguese and Netherlands|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 France|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 marxism|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 parlimentary 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 election irregularities. == Politics == {{Politics of Benin}} The parliament of Benin is formed by the 83-seat National Assembly (''Assemblée Nationale''), for which election are held every four years. Head of the government and head of state is the president, who is chosen in separate presidential elections held every five years. The president appoints a council of ministers. According to the constitution of 1990, a president may serve a maximum of 2 five-year terms. There is also a 70-year age limit for presidential candidates. == Departments == ''Main article: Departments of Benin'' Benin is divided into twelve departments: *Alibori *Atakora *Atlantique *Borgou *Collines *Donga *Kouffo *Littoral Department|Littoral *Mono Department|Mono *Oueme *Plateau Department|Plateau *Zou == Geography == Image:Benin map.png|200px|thumb|Map of Benin|right| :''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). == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Benin'' The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged a stable 5% in the past six years, but rapid population rise has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order 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. The 2001 privatization policy should continue in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of initial government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, while pressing for speeded-up structural reforms. == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Benin'' There are about 40 different ethnic groups living in Benin, the largest being the Fon (people)|Fon who account for about 49% of Benin's population. Other ethnic groups include the Adja, Yoruba, Somba and Bariba. Most of these ethnic groups have their own languages, although French language|French is the official language, which is spoken mostly in the cities. Of the indigenous languages, the Fon and Yoruba languages are most common. Indigenous religions are predominant, although significant parts of the population are christianity|Christian, (chiefly Catholic Church in Benin|Roman Catholic) and Islam|Muslim. Local practices and traditions are often combined with those of the foreign religions. == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Benin'' It is believed that Vodun (or "Voodoo", as it is commonly known) originated in Benin and was introduced to Brazil, the Caribbean Islands, and parts of North America by slaves taken from this particular area of the Slave Coast. The indigenous religion of Benin, it is practiced by about 70% of the population. Since 1992 Vodun has been recognized as one of Benin's official religions, and a National Vodun Holiday is celebrated on January 10. ''See also'': List of Beninese writers == Miscellaneous topics == *Communications in Benin *Transportation in Benin *Military of Benin *List of cities in Benin *Foreign relations of Benin *Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2004: 27 out of 167 countries == External links == *[http://www.gouv.bj/ Benin Government Portal] {{Africa}} Category:African Union member states Category:Benin|* ar:بنين an:Benín bn:বেনিন ca:Benín da:Benin de:Benin et:Benin es:Benín eo:Benino fr:Bénin gd:Benin ko:베냉 io:Benin id:Benin ia:Benin it:Benin he:בנין la:Beninum lv:Benina lt:Beninas hu:Benin ms:Benin na:Benin nl:Benin nds:Benin ja:ベナン no:Benin pl:Benin pt:Benim ro:Benin ru:Бенин sk:Benin sl:Benin fi:Benin sv:Benin tl:Benin tr:Benin zh:贝宁 First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

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