Country Profile

The area is over 112,000 square kilometers. It is located in south-central West Africa, with Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso and Niger to the northwest and northeast, Togo to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The coastline is 125 kilometers long. The whole territory is long and narrow from north to south, narrow in the south and wide in the north. The southern coast is a plain about 100 kilometers wide. The central part is an undulating plateau with an altitude of 200-400 meters. Atacola Mountain in the northwest is 641 meters above sea level, the highest point in the country. Weimei River is the largest river in the country. The coastal plain has a tropical rain forest climate, and the central and northern regions have a tropical grassland climate with high temperature and rain.

Portonovo has a population of nearly 6.6 million (2002). A total of more than 60 tribes. Mainly from Fang, Yoruba, Aja, Baliba, Pall and Sumba. The official language is French. The languages ​​spoken widely throughout the country are Fang, Yoruba, and Paliba. 65% of residents believe in traditional religions, 15% believe in Islam, and about 20% believe in Christianity.

National flag

    The national flag of Benin is rectangular, with a length to width ratio of about 3:2. The left side of the flag is a green vertical rectangle, and the right side is two parallel and equal horizontal rectangles with upper yellow and lower red. Green symbolizes prosperity, yellow represents the land, and red represents the sun. Green, yellow, and red are also pan-African colors.

Benin is one of the least developed countries announced by the United Nations. The economy is backward and the industrial foundation is weak. Agriculture and re-export trade are the two pillars of the national economy. Poor resources. The mineral deposits mainly include oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphate, marble, and gold. The natural gas reserves are 91 billion cubic meters. The iron ore reserves are about 506 million tons. The fishery resources are rich, and there are about 257 species of marine fish. The forest area is 3 million hectares, accounting for 26.6% of the country's land area. The industrial base is weak, the equipment is outdated, and the production capacity is low. Mainly include food processing, textile and building materials industries. There are 8.3 million hectares of arable land, and the actual cultivated area is less than 17%. The rural population accounts for 80% of the national population. Food is basically self-sufficient. The main food crops are cassava, yam, corn, millet, etc.; the cash crops are cotton, cashew nuts, palm, coffee, etc. Tourism is a new industry in Benin, and the government's investment in tourism is increasing. The main tourist attractions are Gangweier Water Village, Vida Ancient City, Vida History Museum, Ancient Capital of Abome, Wildlife Park, Evie Tourist Park, beaches, etc.

Main cities

Portonovo: As the capital of Benin, it is also the seat of the National Assembly of Benin. Benin has a long history, Portonovo is one of the oldest cities in the country, and it still retains a very strong style of ancient African cities. Its outer port, Cotonou, is 35 kilometers away from Portonovo and is the seat of the central government of Benin. Portonovo is a cultural capital. It borders the Gulf of Guinea and is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Nuoqui, a coastal lagoon in southern Benin.

Portonovo’s annual average temperature is 26-27°C, and the annual precipitation in this area is about 1,000 mm, mainly due to tropical ocean air masses accompanied by a large amount of rainfall brought by the southwest monsoon. Due to the 8 months of rainy season in the capital area, the oil palm forests here are extremely dense, with an average of 430-550 trees per hectare and a maximum of 1,000 trees. Looking down from the sky, it looks like a green sea. Oil palm is an important wealth of this country, and the dense oil palm forests have brought Portonovo the reputation of "Oil Palm City".

There are ancient African palaces, colonial buildings and Portuguese cathedrals in Portonovo. The Presidential Palace of the Republic of Benin is located in Portonovo. The city has 8 main avenues, the longest is the outer avenue, which surrounds the east, west and north sides, followed by Lakeside Avenue, No. 6 Avenue, Victor Barlow Avenue, Mericionu Road and so on. In addition, there are cultural facilities and institutions such as squares, stadiums, schools, and several concentrated residential areas.

Benin has always been a culturally developed country in West Africa. Portonovo still retains some ancient buildings, such as the Ethnographic Museum, the Folklore Museum, the National Library, and the National Archives. The handicrafts produced in the city and its surrounding areas, such as bronzes, wood carvings, bone carvings, weaving and other unique styles, are well-known at home and abroad.

Portonovo has roads leading to major cities and towns across the country. These roads go west through Cotonou to Lome, the capital of Togo, and go east to Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, and to the north. To Niger and Burkina Faso respectively. Portonovo and Cotonou are not only connected by road, but also by a section of railway. Materials in and out of Portonovo and its surrounding areas are generally transferred from the outer port of the capital, Cotonou.

Fun fact:

The history of the northern part of Benin before the 16th century is still unknown. Yes, this country’s first contact with Europeans was in 1500. At that time, some Europeans arrived in Vader City. After that, they established a relationship with the Kingdom of Dahomey. Realizing the importance of trade with Europeans, the king of the kingdom tried his best to extend the border to the south in order to have a passage to the sea, which was realized in 1727 in the time of his heir. At that time, Europeans exchanged cloth, alcohol, tools and weapons for slaves sold in the western and northern regions of Dahomey. In the middle of the 18th century, the Yoruba from the eastern region ruled Dahomey and forced the Kingdom of Dahomey to pay a 100-year poll tax. In the mid-nineteenth century, Dahomey got rid of the Yoruba rule and established formal relations with France, and the two countries signed a friendly trade treaty.