Benin is a country in Africa located on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea. It occupies a relatively small territory of 112.6 thousand square kilometers. It was once a powerful empire, known as the Kingdom of Dahomey. And in our time, you can find a large number of ruins left over from once majestic palaces and temples. About where the country of Benin is, the history and people of this region will be discussed in this article.
Location
The state is located in West Africa. In the east, it borders with Nigeria, in the north - with Niger and Burkina Faso, in the west - adjacent to Togo, and the southern coast is washed by the Gulf of Guinea. The country of Benin (photo) has five natural areas:
● coastal area;
● plateau zone;
● a fertile plain located in the northeast;
● lands covered with wooded savannah;
● a hilly area in the northwest.
Climatic conditions
The territory of the country is in two zones: in the southern regions it is equatorial, and in the northern - subequatorial. In the south, the rainy season happens twice a year: the first - from April to mid-July, and the second - from mid-September to the end of October. In the northern part of the country, intense rainfall occurs in March - October.
In the south, the air temperature ranges from + 24-27 ⁰C, and in the north - 25-32 ⁰C. The most comfortable thing here is from November to February, inclusive. At this time, there is a relatively low humidity and moderate air temperature.
History
By the 15th century, the territory of the modern country of Benin was inhabited by several nationalities at once, among which the most numerous were the gourmet, barba, aja and von tribes. With the arrival of the Portuguese on the African continent, an active slave trade unfolded here. Following them on the banks of Benin began to appear trading posts of the British, French and Dutch. Soon, with the support of the local Von tribe, this land began to turn into one of the largest slave markets in all of Africa. Together with the Portuguese, they actively traded people from neighboring tribes, selling them as slaves to European merchants.
With the support of the colonialists, the von tribe formed the state of Dahomey, the coastal part of which became known as the Slave Coast. Then the first cities of the country, Uida and Porto Novo, were founded, and Abomey became its capital. According to some reports, every year at least 10-20 thousand people were taken out of Dahomey into slavery.
As you know, by the middle of the XIX century, almost all European countries officially banned slavery in their territories. By the end of the same century, the French already completely controlled the state of Dahomey, turning it into their colony. Most of the local leaders adopted the new government, which subsequently made them large officials.
Independent republic
Until 1960, Dahomey was still a French colony, and after independence it became a presidential republic. This led to the fact that the country began to shake numerous military coups. From 1960 to 1972, power changed nine times. As a result of the last, fourth military coup, Major Mathieu Kereku took over the leadership of the country, who began to form a socialist state on the Chinese principle. In 1975, instead of Dahomey, a new country appeared on the world map - the People's Republic of Benin.
At the end of the 80s of the last century, the French managed to convince the government to move away from the socialist concept of building a society in exchange for their financial support. After that, a multi-party system was introduced in the country of Benin, and two years later, free elections were held here for the first time. As a result of the popular will, Nisephor Soglo came to power. His policy has led to a significant deterioration in the economy and the devaluation of the national currency. In the 1996 elections, the victory was won by former head of state Mathieu Kerekou, who ruled for the next ten years. Despite the scandals and allegations of corruption, order and stability reigned in Benin’s country under him. Since 2006, President Yai Boni has been in power.
Population
About sixty African tribes live here. The most numerous of them are considered to be background (40%), then Aja (15%) and, finally, Yoruba (12%). The bulk of the country's population professes Christianity (43%). Muslims make up only 24%.
Regarding religion, it is worth noting one very important detail. The peculiarity of the country of Benin is that here 18% of believers are fans of the voodoo cult. The fact is that this belief arose here, and from here it spread throughout the world with the help of slaves exported from the Kingdom of Dahomey. The official state language is French, but local languages are used along with it.
Heart of the country
The capital of Benin is the city of Porto Novo with a population of no more than 270 thousand people. Here is the presidential palace, as well as the building where the National Assembly sits. In addition, the capital has a botanical garden, several museums and research institutes.
Porto Novo has a beautiful royal palace. Now it is called the Honme Museum, and once it was the residence of Roy Toffa - King of Benin. This is a great place to see with your own eyes how the African monarchs used to live. The Ethnographic Museum of the capital has an excellent collection of values that once belonged to various nationalities living in the territory of Benin. It consists of ancient musical instruments, ancient amulets, masks, clothes and other items telling about the rich history of this state.