Benin

Republic o Benin République du Bénin  (French)
Banner Coat o airms
Motto:  "Fraternité, Justice, Travail" (French) "Fraternity, Juistice, Labour"
Anthem:  L'Aube Nouvelle  (French) The Dawn o a New Day
Location o  Benin  (dark blue) – in Africae  (light blue & dark grey) – in the African Union  (light blue)
Caipital	Porto-Novoa
Lairgest ceety	Cotonou
Offeecial leids	French
Vernacular leids	Fon Yoruba
Ethnic groups (2006)	39.2% Fon 17.6% Yoruba 15.2% Adja 9.2% Bariba 6.9% Fula 6.1% Ottamari 4.0% Yoa-Lokpa 2.5% Dendi
Demonym(s)	Beninese
Govrenment	Presidential republic
• Preses	Patrice Talon
• Preses o the Naitional Assemmly	Louis Vlavonou
Legislatur	Naitional Assemmly
Unthirldom
• frae Fraunce	1 August 1960
Aurie
• Total	114,763 km2 (44,310 sq mi) (100t)
• Water (%)	0.4%
Population
• 2016 estimate	10,872,298 (82nt)
• 2013 census	10,008,749
• Density	94.8/km2 (245.5/sq mi) (120t)
GDP (PPP)	2017 estimate
• Total	$26.177 billion
• Per capita	$2,297
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Tot	$9.605 billion
• Per capita	$842
Gini (2003)	36.5 medium
HDI (2015)	0.485 law · 167t
Currency	Wast African CFA franc (XOF)
Time zone	UTC+1 (WAT)
Drivin side	richt
Cawin code	+229
ISO 3166 code	BJ
Internet TLD	.bj
Cotonou is the seat o govrenment.

Territorial Organization

Benin (Inglis pronunciation: /bɨˈniːn/), offeecially the Republic o Benin, is a kintra in Wast Africae. It borders Togo tae the wast, Nigerie tae the east an Burkina Faso an Niger tae the north. Its sma soothren coastline on the Bicht o Benin is whaur a majority o the population is locatit. The caipital o Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat o govrenment is locatit in the kintra's lairgest ceety o Cotonou. Benin covers an aurie o approximately 110,000 square kilometers (42,000 sq mi), wi a population o approximately 9.05 million. Benin is a tropical, sub-Saharan naition, heichlie dependent on agricultur, wi substantial employment an income arisin frae subsistence farmin.

The offeecial leid o Benin is French, housomeivver, indigenous leids such as Fon an Yoruba are commonly spoken. The lairgest releegious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, follaed closely bi Muslims, Vodun, an Protestants. Benin is a member o the Unitit Naitions, the African Union, the Organisation o the Islamic Conference, Sooth Atlantic Peace an Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie, the Community o Sahel-Saharan States, the African Petroleum Producers Association an the Niger Basin Authority.

Frae the 17t century tae the 19t century, the laund o current-day Benin wis ruled bi the Kinrick o Dahomey. The region became kent as the Slave Coast durin the early 17t century due tae the prevalence o the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In 1892, wi the slave trade banned an regional pouer diminishin, Fraunce teuk ower the aurie an renamed it French Dahomey. In 1960, Dahomey gained full unthirldom frae Fraunce, bringin in a democratic govrenment for the next 12 years.

Atween 1972 an 1990, a sel-proclaimed Marxist-Leninist dictatorship cried the Fowkrepublic o Benin existit, usherin in a period o repression which ultimately led tae an economic collapse. Formation o the Republic o Benin occurred in 1991, bringin in multipairty elections.

Name

Durin the colonial period an at unthirldom, the kintra wis kent as Dahomey. It wis renamed on November 30, 1975, tae Benin efter the body o watter on which the kintra lies – the Bicht o Benin – which, in turn, haed been named efter the Benin Empire. The kintra o Benin haes nae direct connection tae Benin Ceety in modren Nigerie, nor to the Benin bronzes.

The new name, Benin, wis chosen for its neutrality. Dahomey wis the name o the umwhile Kinrick o Dahomey, which covered anerlie the soothren third o the present kintra an therefore did no represent the northwastren sector Atakora nor the kinrick o Borgu, which covered the northeastren third.