Benin

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Coordinates: 6°28′N 2°36′E / 6.467°N 2.600°E / 6.467; 2.600

Republic o Benin

République du Bénin  (French)
Banner o Benin
Banner
Coat o airms o Benin
Coat o airms
Motto: 
  • "Fraternité, Justice, Travail" (French)
  • "Fraternity, Juistice, Labour"
Anthem
Location o  Benin  (dark blue) – in Africae  (light blue & dark grey) – in the African Union  (light blue)
Location o  Benin  (dark blue)

– in Africae  (light blue & dark grey)
– in the African Union  (light blue)

CaipitalPorto-Novoa
Lairgest ceetyCotonou
Offeecial leidsFrench
Vernacular leids
Ethnic groups
(2006)
Demonym(s)
  • Beninese
GovrenmentPresidential republic
• Preses
Patrice Talon
Louis Vlavonou
LegislaturNaitional Assemmly
Unthirldom
• frae Fraunce
1 August 1960
Aurie
• Total
114,763 km2 (44,310 sq mi)[1] (100t)
• Water (%)
0.4%
Population
• 2016 estimate
10,872,298[2] (82nt)
• 2013 census
10,008,749[3]
• Density
94.8/km2 (245.5/sq mi) (120t)
GDP (PPP)2017 estimate
• Total
$26.177 billion[4]
• Per capita
$2,297[4]
GDP (nominal)2017 estimate
• Tot
$9.605 billion[4]
• Per capita
$842[4]
Gini (2003)36.5[5]
medium
HDI (2015)Increase 0.485[6]
law · 167t
CurrencyWast African CFA franc (XOF)
Time zoneUTC+1 (WAT)
Drivin sidericht
Cawin code+229
ISO 3166 codeBJ
Internet TLD.bj
  1. 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.[7]

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.[8]

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[eedit | eedit soorce]

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.

References[eedit | eedit soorce]

  1. Annuaire statistique 2010 (PDF) (Report) (in French). INSAE. 2012. p. 49. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  2. "World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision". ESA.UN.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  3. "BENIN en Chiffres" [BENIN in Figures]. INSAE (in French). Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  4. a b c d "Benin". International Monetary Fund.
  5. "Distribution of family income – Gini index". The World Factbook. CIA. Archived frae the original on 13 Juin 2007. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
  6. "2016 Human Development Report" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 2016. Retrieved 21 Mairch 2017.
  7. "Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations" Archived 2012-10-24 at the Wayback Machine. United Nations, June 29th, 2010
  8. "Benin – International Cooperation". Nation Encyclopedia, June 29th, 2010