Benin

Quick Facts

[edit]

Capital

Porto Novo

Government

Republic

Nationality

Beninese

Population

6,590,000

Languages

French

Religions

Indigenous beliefs, Christianity, Islam

Currency

West African CFA Franc (XOF)

Calling Code

+229

Time Zone

UTC+1

Help contribute to this article to share the ad revenue.

Introduction

Several centuries ago, Benin was West Africa's leader in terms of slave trade, exporting over a million slaves to Brazil and the Caribbean. The Dahomey kingdom which sprung up around this time profited mightily from the trade. Later, when the French came along and took over most of West Africa, the Dahomey became an educated lot, eventually turning on their French teachers and demanding independence. Since independence, power has shifted hands about as many times as Hollywood's made a bad movie. After a stint with Marxism that drew to a close in 1990, the country looks to be on the road of progress.

Benin is a land where traditional culture thrives, though it has incorportated elements of modernity and other cultures. The food's a treat, local dance is great and the sight of houses built on stilts out above the water is picture-perfect.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

Benin is divided into 12 departments.

• Alibori
• Atakora
• Atlantique
• Borgou
• Collines
• Donga
• Kouffo
• Littoral
• Mono
• Ouémé
• Plateau
• Zou

Cities

• Porto-Novo - The capital
• Cotonou
• Kandi
• Natitingou
• Parakou
• Djougou
• Bohicon
• Abomey

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport (COO) near the capital Cotonou is where all international flights arrive and depart. Destinations to and from here include Abidjan, Bamako, Bangui, Brazzaville, Conakry, Cotonou, Douala, Kinshasa, Libreville, Lomé, Malabo and Pointe-Noire with Benin Golf Air. Most flights from here are within Africa, but Paris is served by Air France and Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Getting Around

By Plane

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Red Tape

Money

See also Money matters

Benin uses the CFA Franc as a currency. The CFA Franc is divided into 100 centimes. Coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500 francs while banknotes come in denominations of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 francs
The exchange range is fixed at aproximately 656 CFA Francs for one Euro.

In Benin the West African CFA Franc (XOF) is used which has the same vallue as the Central African CFA Franc (XAF), but it's not possible to use both currencies in the same country.

Fourteen countries in Africa use this currency, eight in West Africa and six in Central Africa. The West African CFA Franc can only be used in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, while the Central African CFA Franc can only be used in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

Post