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Donga is one of the twelve
departments of Benin Benin is divided into 12 departments (French: ''départements''), and subdivided into 77 communes (see Communes of Benin). In 1999, the previous six departments were each split into two halves, forming the current 12. Each of the six new depa ...
; its capital is
Djougou Djougou is the largest city in northwestern Benin. It is an important market town. The commune covers an area of 3,966 square kilometres and as of 2002 had a population of 181,895 people. Djougou is home to a constituent monarchy. General infor ...
, the fourth largest city in the country. The department of Donga was created in 1999 when it was split off from
Atakora Department Atakora is the northwesternmost department of Benin. Externally it borders Togo to the west and Burkina Faso to the north; internally it borders the departments of Alibori, Borgou and Donga. Major towns in the Atakora include Natitingou and Tan ...
. Donga is subdivided into five communes, each centered at one of the principal towns:
Bassila Bassila is a town, arrondissement, and commune located in the Donga Department of Benin. The commune covers an area of 120 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 130,770 people. The RNIE 3 highway of Benin passes through the town o ...
,
Copargo Copargo is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Donga Department of western Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in We ...
,
Djougou Rural Djougou Rural is a municipality located in the department of Donga in the State of Benin . It includes the territory outside the city of Djougou Djougou is the largest city in northwestern Benin. It is an important market town. The commune c ...
, Djougou Urban and
Ouaké Ouaké is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Donga Department of western Benin. The commune covers an area of 663 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 74,289 people. Ethnic Groups The Lokpa (or Lukpa) are the predomina ...
. , the total population of the department was 543,130, with 270,754 males and 272,376 females. The proportion of women was 50.10%. The total rural population was 57.90%, while the urban population was 42.10%. The total labour force in the department was 120,021, of which 24.20% were women. The proportion of households with no level of education was 72.50%.


Geography

Donga Department, with an area of , is located in north-central Benin, bordering
Atakora Department Atakora is the northwesternmost department of Benin. Externally it borders Togo to the west and Burkina Faso to the north; internally it borders the departments of Alibori, Borgou and Donga. Major towns in the Atakora include Natitingou and Tan ...
to the north,
Borgou Department Borgou is one of the twelve departments of Benin. Borgou borders the country of Nigeria and the departments of Alibori, Atakora, Collines and Donga. The capital of Borgou is Parakou. The department of Borgou was bifurcated in 1999, with its ...
to the east,
Collines Department Collines is one of the twelve departments of Benin, located in the centre of the country; its name means "''hills''" in French. The department of Collines was created in 1999 when it was split off from Zou Department. In 2016, the city of Dassa-Z ...
to the south, and
Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
to the west. The northwest region of Benin consists mostly of forested mountains, from which two tributaries of the
Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through ...
, the
Mékrou River The Mékrou River is a river of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger. It flows through the W National Park. A tributary of the Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in ...
and the Pendjari River, originate.
Mont Sokbaro Mont Sokbaro (also spelled as SagbaraoTchaboue, B.I. (2015) ''Tourisme et developpement socio-economique dans la commune de Bassila (Benin)''. Université d'Abomey-Calavi) is a hill that is mostly cited as the highest point of Benin, with an eleva ...
, widely cited as the highest point of Benin, lies on the border of Donga Department with
Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
. The northern regions of Benin receive one season of rainfall from May to September, while the southern regions receive two spells of rain from March to July and September to November. The country receives an average annual rainfall of around .


Settlements

Djougou Djougou is the largest city in northwestern Benin. It is an important market town. The commune covers an area of 3,966 square kilometres and as of 2002 had a population of 181,895 people. Djougou is home to a constituent monarchy. General infor ...
is the departmental capital; other major settlements include
Aledjo-Koura Aledjo-Koura is a village and arrondissement in the commune of Bassila in the Donga Department of western Benin. It is located near the border with Togo, close to Mont Sokbaro Mont Sokbaro (also spelled as SagbaraoTchaboue, B.I. (2015) ''Tourism ...
,
Aworo Aworo is a village in the commune of Bassila in the Donga Department of western Benin. It is located near the border with Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is borde ...
,
Bassila Bassila is a town, arrondissement, and commune located in the Donga Department of Benin. The commune covers an area of 120 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 130,770 people. The RNIE 3 highway of Benin passes through the town o ...
, Bodi,
Copargo Copargo is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Donga Department of western Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in We ...
,
Kolokondé Kolokondé is an arrondissement in the Donga department of Benin. It is an administrative division under the jurisdiction of the commune of Djougou. According to the population census conducted by the Institut National de la Statistique Benin ...
,
Ouaké Ouaké is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Donga Department of western Benin. The commune covers an area of 663 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 74,289 people. Ethnic Groups The Lokpa (or Lukpa) are the predomina ...
,
Patargo Patargo is an arrondissement in the Donga department of Benin. It is an administrative division under the jurisdiction of the commune of Djougou. According to the population census conducted by the Institut National de la Statistique Benin An ...
,
Pélébina Pélébina is an arrondissement in the Donga department of Benin. It is an administrative division under the jurisdiction of the commune of Djougou. According to the population census conducted by the Institut National de la Statistique Benin ...
,
Pénéssoulou Pénéssoulou is a village and arrondissement in the commune of Bassila in the Donga Department of western Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahom ...
and
Prekete Prekete is a village in the commune of Bassila in the Donga Department of western Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in Wes ...
.


Demographics

According to Benin's 2013 census, the total population of the department was 543,130, with 270,754 males and 272,376 females. The proportion of women was 50.10%. The total rural population was 57.90%, while the urban population was 42.10%. The proportion of women of childbearing age (15 to 49 years old) was 23.30%. The foreign population was 7,760, representing 1.40% of the total population in the department. The
labour force participation rate Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the referen ...
among foreigners aged 15–64 years was 30.70%. The proportion of women among the foreign population constituted 50.50%. The number of households in the department was 66,433 and the average household size was 8.2. The intercensal growth rate of the population was 4.00%. Among women, the average age at first marriage was 20.5 and the average age at maternity was 28. The synthetic index of fertility of women was 4.6. The average number of families in a house was 1.8 and the average number of persons per room was 1.8. The total labour force in the department was 120,021, of which 24.20% were women. The proportion of households with no level of education was 72.50% and the proportion of households with children attending school was 51.40%. The crude birth rate was 34.6, the general rate of fertility was 148.70 and the gross reproduction rate was 2.30. The main ethnolinguistic groups in the department are the Dendi and
Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
. Other groups include the Anii, Bariba, Ede, Foodo, Kabiye,
Lama Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hi ...
, Lukpa, Tammari (also known as the Betammaribe, or Somba),
Miyobe Miyobe or Soruba is an unclassified Niger-Congo language of Benin and Togo. Güldemann (2018) notes that Miyobe cannot be securely classified within Gur, and leaves it out as unclassified within Niger-Congo. Unlike the Gur languages, which are ...
and
Yom Yom ( he, יום) is a Biblical Hebrew word which occurs in the Hebrew Bible. The word means day in both Modern and Biblical Hebrew. Overview Although ''yom'' is commonly rendered as day in English translations, the word yom can be used in differ ...
.


Administrative divisions

The department of Donga was created in 1999 when it was split off from
Atakora Department Atakora is the northwesternmost department of Benin. Externally it borders Togo to the west and Burkina Faso to the north; internally it borders the departments of Alibori, Borgou and Donga. Major towns in the Atakora include Natitingou and Tan ...
. Its capital is
Djougou Djougou is the largest city in northwestern Benin. It is an important market town. The commune covers an area of 3,966 square kilometres and as of 2002 had a population of 181,895 people. Djougou is home to a constituent monarchy. General infor ...
. Donga is subdivided into five
communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...
, each centered at one of the principal towns:
Bassila Bassila is a town, arrondissement, and commune located in the Donga Department of Benin. The commune covers an area of 120 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 130,770 people. The RNIE 3 highway of Benin passes through the town o ...
,
Copargo Copargo is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Donga Department of western Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in We ...
,
Djougou Rural Djougou Rural is a municipality located in the department of Donga in the State of Benin . It includes the territory outside the city of Djougou Djougou is the largest city in northwestern Benin. It is an important market town. The commune c ...
, Djougou Urban and
Ouaké Ouaké is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Donga Department of western Benin. The commune covers an area of 663 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 74,289 people. Ethnic Groups The Lokpa (or Lukpa) are the predomina ...
. Benin originally had six administrative regions (''départements''), which have now been bifurcated to make 12. Each of the deconcentrated administrative services (''directions départementales'') of the sectoral ministries takes care of two administrative regions. A law passed in 1999 transformed the ''sous-prefectures'', the lowest level of territorial administration, into local governments. Municipalities and communal councils have elected representatives who manage the administration of the regions. The latest elections of the municipal and communal councils were held in June 2015.


References


External links

{{Authority control Departments of Benin States and territories established in 1999