Banikoara is a town,

arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements ...

and commune located in the

Alibori Department Alibori is the largest and northernmost department (French: ''département'') of Benin. Externally the department borders the countries of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria, and internally the departments of Atakora and Borgou. The department o ...

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

. It lies 69 kilometers west of Kandi at the heart of the most productive

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

-growing region in Benin. Its name is a Europeanized version of a Bariba phrase meaning "Bani's town," and honors its founder, Bani Gansé.

Administrative divisions

Banikoara is subdivided into 10 arrondissements; Banikoara,

Founougo Founougo is a town and arrondissement in the Alibori Department of northeastern Benin. It is an administrative division under the jurisdiction of the commune of Banikoara. According to the population census conducted by the Institut National de la ...

, Gomparou, Goumori, Kokey, Kokiborou,

Ounet Ounet is a town and arrondissement in the Alibori Department of northern Benin. It is an administrative division under the jurisdiction of the commune of Banikoara. According to the population census conducted by the Institut National de la Statis ...

, Sompérékou, Soroko and

Toura Toura is a town and arrondissement in the Alibori Department of northern Benin. It is an administrative division under the jurisdiction of the commune of Banikoara. According to the population census conducted by the Institut National de la Statis ...

. They contain 53 villages and 11 urban districts. The arrondissement of Banikoara contains the villages of

Arbonga Arbonga is a village in the commune of Banikoara in the Alibori Department of northern Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in ...

Demanou Demanou is a village in the commune of Banikoara in the Alibori Department of northern Benin. References External links

* Populated places in the Alibori Department Commune of Banikoara {{AliboriDepartment-geo-stub ...

Derou Garou Derou Garou is a village in the commune of Banikoara in the Alibori Department of northern Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a countr ...

Kokire Kokire is a village in the commune of Banikoara in the Alibori Department of northern Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in ...

Kommon Kommon is a village in the commune of Banikoara in the Alibori Department of northern Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in ...

Kori Ginguiri Kori Ginguiri is a village in the commune of Banikoara in the Alibori Department of northern Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a coun ...

Tokey Banta Tokey Banta or Toké-Banta is a village in the commune of Banikoara in the Alibori Department of northern Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Daho ...

Wagou Wagou is a village in the commune of Banikoara in the Alibori Department of northern Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in W ...

Weterou Weterou is a village in the commune of Banikoara in the Alibori Department of northern Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in ...

and

Yadikparou Yadikparou is a village in the commune of Banikoara in the Alibori Department of northern Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country ...

Demographics

The commune covers an area of 4383 square kilometres and as of 2002 had a population of 152,028 people. In 2008 there was an estimated 24,917 living in the main town.

Economy

Most of the population are engaged in agricultural activities followed by trade and handicrafts. 51 024,00 hectares of land are devoted to agriculture, accounting for 7.32% of the total land area. The main crops grown are

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American English, North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous ...

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many other ...

and

cowpea The cowpea (''Vigna unguiculata'') is an annual herbaceous legume from the genus ''Vigna''. Its tolerance for sandy soil and low rainfall have made it an important crop in the semiarid regions across Africa and Asia. It requires very few inputs, ...

s. Electricity used in Banikora often has to be produced by a generator due to a defective solar system and unreliable mains electricity. The telephone lines are in poor condition, which makes it difficult to maintain a regular and reliable connection for Internet access. Banikoara is 60 kilometres from the nearest hard road and its development is hampered by its isolation until infrastructure develops.

Media

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

has donated four computers and other equipment and provided an initial two-week training and been responsible for the establishment of a radio station in Banikoara in 1994. They had provided education to local people in basic IT and Internet skills since February 2002, text processing, photocopying, scanning, printing and photography.

References

Arrondissements of Benin Populated places in the Alibori Department {{AliboriDepartment-geo-stub