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Benin

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Countries;
Countries

   SOS Children works in Benin. For more information see SOS Children in
   Benin, Africa
                          République du Bémmin
   Republic of Benin

   Flag of Benin Coat of arms of Benin
   Flag          Coat of arms
   Motto: Fraternité, Justice, Travail  (French)
   "Fellowship, Justice, Labour"
   Anthem: L'Aube Nouvelle  (French)
   "The Dawn of a New Day"
   Location of Benin
          Capital        Porto Novo^1
                         6°28′N 2°36′E
       Largest city      Cotonou
    Official languages   French
   Government            Multiparty democracy
    - President          Yayi Boni
       Independence      from France
    - Date               August 1, 1960
                                   Area
    - Total              112,622 km² ( 101st)
                         43,483 sq mi
    - Water (%)          1.8
                                Population
    - July 2005 estimate 8,439,000^2 ( 89th)
    - 2002 census        6,769,914
    - Density            75/km² ( 118th^3)
                         194/sq mi
        GDP ( PPP)       2005 estimate
    - Total              $8.75 billion ( 140th)
    - Per capita         $1,176 ( 165th)
        HDI  (2004)      0.428 (low) ( 163rd)
         Currency        CFA franc ( XOF)
         Time zone       WAT ( UTC+1)
    - Summer ( DST)      not observed ( UTC+1)
       Internet TLD      .bj
       Calling code      +229
   ^1 Cotonou is the seat of government.
   ^2 Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects
   of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life
   expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population
   and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age
   and sex than would otherwise be expected.
   ^3 Rank based on 2005 estimate.

          Not to be confused with the Kingdom of Benin, now the Benin
          region of Nigeria, or Benin City in that region.

   Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in Western
   Africa, formerly known as Dahomey (until 1975) or Dahomania. It borders
   Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the
   north; its short coastline to the south leads to the Bight of Benin.
   Its capital is Porto Novo, but the seat of government is Cotonou.

Name

   The name Benin has no proper connection to Kingdom of Benin (or Benin
   City). The name Dahomey was changed in 1975 to The Republic of Benin,
   named after the body of water on which the country lies, the Bight of
   Benin. This name was picked due to its neutrality, since the current
   political boundries of Benin encompass over 50 distinct linguistic
   groups and nearly as many individual ethnic groups. The name Dahomey
   was the name of the ancient Fon Kingdom, and was determined to be an
   inappropriate name for such a culturally diverse modern country.

History

   Celebration at Abomey, 1908.
   Enlarge
   Celebration at Abomey, 1908.

   The African kingdom of Dahomey was formed by a mixture of various local
   ethnic groups on the Abomey plain. Historian IA Akinjogbin theorized
   that the insecurity caused by the slave trade may have contributed to
   mass migrations of different groups, including a segment of the royal
   family of the city of Allada, to Abomey. These groups coalesced around
   a strict military culture aimed at securing and eventually expanding
   the borders of the small kingdom.

   Dahomey was known for its distinct culture and traditions. Boys were
   often apprenticed to older soldiers at a young age, and learned about
   the kingdom's military customs until they were old enough to join the
   army. Dahomey was also famous for instituing an elite female soldier
   corps, called "Ahosi" or "our mothers" in the Fongbe language, but
   better known as the Dahomean Amazons in English. This emphasis on
   military preparation and achievement earned Dahomey the nickname of
   "little black Sparta" from European observers and commentators like Sir
   Richard Burton. Human sacrifice was a common practice, according to
   contemporary sources; on holidays and special occasions, thousands of
   slaves and prisoners of war were beheaded in public. Some Dahomean
   religious beliefs maintained that decapitation enhanced the prestige
   and potency of the Dahomean throne and its warriors.

   Though the founders of Dahomey appear to have initially been against
   it, the slave trade was active in the region of Dahomey for almost
   three hundred years, leading to the area being named "the Slave Coast".
   The demands of court procedures, which demanded that a portion of war
   captives from the kingdom's many battles be decapitated, led to a
   decrease in the amount of enslaved people exported from the area. The
   number went from 20,000 at the end of the seventeenth century to 12,000
   in the beginning of the 1800's. The decline is partly due to many
   colonial countries declaring slave trade illegal. This decline
   continued until 1885, when the last Portuguese trade vessel with slaves
   departed from the coast of present day Benin.

   Along with the powerful Dahomean kingdom, a range of other nations
   inhabited the area that would become the Republic of Benin. Of note
   were the Ketu, Icha, Dassa, Anago, and other sub-groups of the
   Yoruba-speaking people. These groups were in close contact with related
   sub-groups in present-day Nigeria, and were often enemies of the
   Dahomeans. However, some were also citizens of Dahomey and in regions
   like present-day Porto Novo, both groups were intermarried.

   North of these people were the Borgu, Mahi, and several other ethnic
   groups that form the country's present population.

   By the middle of the 19th century, Dahomey started to lose its status
   as the regional power, enabling the 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 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 parliamentary capitalist system. He was defeated in 1991
   elections by Nicéphore Soglo, 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 some
   election irregularities.

   President Kérékou and former President Soglo did not run in the 2006
   elections, both being barred by the constitution of Benin from running
   again due to their age and President Kérékou's two recent terms as
   president. President Kérékou is widely praised for making no effort to
   change the constitution so that he could remain in office or run again,
   unlike some African leaders. An election, considered free and fair, was
   held on March 5, 2006, and resulted in a runoff between Yayi Boni and
   Adrien Houngbédji. The runoff election was held on March 19 and was won
   by Yayi Boni, who assumed office on April 6. The success of the fair
   multiparty elections in Benin won high praise, and Benin is widely
   considered a model democracy in Africa.

Politics

   Politics of Benin takes place in a framework of a presidential
   representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Benin is
   both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform
   multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government.
   Legislative power is vested in both the government and the legislature.
   The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The
   current political system is derived from the 1990 Constitution of Benin
   and the subsequent transition to democracy in 1991.

Administrative divisions

   For decades Benin was divided into six departments or provinces, each
   of which was split in two in 1999. The provinces are divided into 77
   communes.

   The twelve provinces of Benin are:
     * Alibori (from north Borgou)
     * Atakora
     * Atlantique
     * Borgou
     * Collines (from north Zou)
     * Donga (from south Atakora)
     * Kouffo (from north Mono)
     * Littoral (the region of Cotonou, split from Atlantique)
     * Mono
     * Ouémé
     * Plateau (from north Ouémé)
     * Zou

Geography

   Map of Benin
   Enlarge
   Map of Benin
   Satellite image of Benin, generated from raster graphics data supplied
   by The Map Library
   Enlarge
   Satellite image of Benin, generated from raster graphics data supplied
   by The Map Library

   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
   compared to other West African countries, although there are two rainy
   seasons (April-July and September-November). In the winter the dust
   winds of the harmattan can make the nights rather cold.

   The largest city and commercial capital is Cotonou. The name Cotonou is
   from the Fon phrase ku tɔ nu 'at the lake of the dead', from the
   adjacent lagoon. This is a reference to the belief that falling stars
   represent the souls of those who have just died falling to the
   underworld. It is said that when Cotonou was founded, the lights of the
   lacustrine village of Ganvié across the lagoon were reflected in the
   waters, suggesting fallen stars at the bottom. Ganvié is a fishing
   village sitting in the water on stilts at the western shore of the
   lagoon.

   The town of Ouidah is the spiritual capital of vodun, and is known
   locally as glexwe. It was a major slaving port under Portuguese
   occupation. The town of Abomey is the old capital of the Fon kingdom of
   Dahomey, and the Fon king continues to reside there.

   In Atakora province, Betamaribe settlements straddling the Togolese
   border are called tata somba 'Somba houses'; they are famous for their
   fortifications, with livestock housed inside and the people sleeping in
   huts among the granaries on the roofs.

Economy

   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

   Enlarge

   There are several dozen ethnolinguistic groups in Benin, representing
   three of Africa's language families: Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, and
   Afroasiatic. The later is represented by Hausa living mostly as
   merchants in the north, while Nilo-Saharan is represented by the Dɛndi,
   descending from the Songhai Empire. The Dɛndi language predominates
   along the Niger River in the far north, and is used as a lingua franca
   in Muslim areas throughout the north, in Alibori, Borgou, and Donga
   provinces. Of the Niger-Congo family, five branches are represented:
     * Mande by the Boko or Busa, now in the far eastern corner (southern
       Alibori-northern Borgou), but previously more widely spread before
       being largely absorbed by the Bariba
     * West Atlantic by the nomadic Fulbe scattered across the northeast
     * Benue-Congo by the Yoruba of Collines and Plateau provinces, such
       as the old kingdom of Sakete, and the capital city of Porto-Novo,
       having expanded west from Ɔyɔ and Ifɛ in the 12th to 19th centuries
     * Gur (Voltaic) languages predominate in the four northern provinces,
       with the Batɔmbu (Bariba) of the old Borgou (Bariba) Kingdom
       occupying most of the countryside in its successor provinces of
       Borgou and Alibori, as well as the provincial captital of Parakou;
       the Yom throughout much of Donga province and its capital Djougou;
       and several groups in the Atakora, including the Bɛtamaribɛ of the
       Otammari country around the provincial capital of Natitingou, the
       Biali, the Waama of Tanguiéta, and the Gulmàceba.
     * Kwa, especially the Gbe languages spoken by the Tado peoples in the
       southern and central provinces: the Aja who established themselves
       in Kouffo province from neighboring Togo and gave rise to the other
       Tado peoples of Benin, except for the Mina of Mono province, who
       arrived separately from Togo or Ghana: The Fɔn culture centered in
       Zou province around the old Fɔn capital of Abomey, but also
       dominant in Cotonou and southern Atlantique areas such as Ouidah;
       the Maxi in central Collines, especially around Savalou; the Ayizɔ
       of central Atlantique ( Allada); the Xwla and Xueda in the lagoons
       of the coast; the Tɔfin of Ouémé; and the Gun of Porto-Novo. Other
       Kwa languages are spoken by the Anii in southern Donga in the
       region of Bassila, and the Fooɖo in western Donga near the town of
       Ouaké.

   Numerically, the most important people are the Fon, with 1.7 million
   speakers of the Fon language (2001), followed by the various Yoruba
   groups (1.2 million), the Aja (600,000), the Bariba (460,000), the
   Ayizo (330,000), the Fulbe (310,000), and the Gun (240,000). Near the
   ports in the south can be found people of lighter skin who are
   descended from returned Brazilian slaves. There are also small numbers
   of Europeans, principly French, and Asians, principly Lebanon and
   Indians.

   Indigenous religions are followed by a majority of the people and
   include local animistic religions in the Atakora (Atakora and Donga
   provinces), and Vodun among the Yoruba and Tado peoples of the centre
   and south of the country. The town of Ouidah on the central coast is
   the spiritual centre of Beninese vodun.

   The Yoruba and Tado pantheons correspond closely:
     * The supreme deity Mawu (in the Fon language) or Olodumare (in
       Yoruba)
     * The god of the earth and smallpox, Sakpata or Cankpana
     * The god of thunder, Xevioso or Cango
     * The god of war and iron, Gu or Ogun

   The principal introduced religions are Islam, introduced by the Songhai
   Empire and Hausa merchants, and now followed throughout Alibori,
   Borgou, and Donga provinces, as well as among the Yoruba, by 10-15% of
   the population; and Christianity, followed nominally by another 10-15%
   throughout the south and centre of Benin and in Otammari country in the
   Atakora. Most Christians, however, continue to hold Vodun beliefs and
   have incorporated the Christian pantheon into the Vodun.

Culture

   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 is
   practiced by about 60% 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.

   Many Beninese in the south of the country have Akan-based names
   indicating the day of the week they were born on. Twins are important
   in south Beninese culture, and special names for twins are also used.

   Local languages are used as the languages of instruction in elementary
   schools, with French only introduced after several years. Beninese
   languages are generally transcribed with a separate letter for each
   speech sound ( phoneme), rather than using diacritics as in French or
   digraphs as in English. This includes Beninese Yoruba, which in Nigeria
   is written with both diacritics and digraphs. For instance, the mid
   vowels written é è, ô, o in French are written e, ɛ, o, ɔ in Beninese
   languages, whereas the consonants written ng and sh or ch in English
   are written ŋ and c. However, digraphs are used for nasal vowels and
   the labial-velar consonants kp and gb, as in the name of the Fon
   language Fon gbe /fõ ɡ͡be/, and diacritics are used as tone marks. In
   French-language publications, a mixture of French and Beninese
   orthographies may be seen.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
