Kouffo or Couffo 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 ...

. Kouffo borders the country of

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 ...

and the departments of

Mono Mono may refer to: Common meanings * Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease" * Monaural, monophonic sound reproduction, often shortened to mono * Mono-, a numerical prefix representing anything single Music Performers * Mono (Japanese b ...

, Zou and Atlantique. Since 2008, the department's capital has been

Aplahoué Aplahoué is a town and arrondissement in Benin, and is the capital of the Kouffo Department Kouffo or Couffo is one of the twelve departments of Benin. Kouffo borders the country of Togo and the departments of Mono, Zou and Atlantique. Since ...

. The department of Kouffo was created in 1999 when it was split off from

Mono Department Mono is one of the twelve departments of Benin, with its capital at Lokossa. It is named for the Mono River which forms much of the border with Togo. The northern areas of the department were split off to create the newly formed Kouffo Department ...

. , the total population of the department was 745,328, with 348,574 males and 396,754 females. The proportion of women was 53.20%. The total rural population was 72.20%, while the urban population was 27.80%. The total labour force in the department was 208,974, of which 52.60% were women. The proportion of households with no level of education was 68.60%.

Geography

Kouffo Department border

Zou Department Zou is one of the twelve departments of Benin, named for the Zou River which travels through the department before emptying into the Atlantic in the south of the country. The department of Zou was split in two in 1999, with the northern territor ...

to the north,

Atlantique Department Atlantique is one of the twelve departments in Benin. The department is located in south-central Benin along the Atlantic coast, between Mono and Kouffo Department in the west, Zou in the north, and Ouémé in the east. The department of Atlant ...

to the east,

to the south, and

to the west. The department is characterised by plateaus ranging from above the mean sea level, which are split by valleys running from north to south created by the Sahoua River and

Couffo River The Couffo or Kouffo is a river of West Africa. It rises in Togo but runs for much of its 125-kilometer course through Benin, draining into Lake Ahémé. It forms part of the Togo–Benin border and also serves as the border between Kouffo and Zo ...

. Couffo river plateaus contains quaternary, tertiary and cretaceous sediments formed with a crystalline basement complex. The layers of sediments have clay-like soil and accumulated iron oxide beneath them. The southern regions of Benin receive two seasons of rainfall from March to July and September to November, while the northern regions of the country receive one season of rainfall from May to September. The country receives an average annual rainfall of around .

Settlements

is the departmental capital; other major settlements include Djakotomey,

Dogbo-Tota Dogbo-Tota (or Dogbo) is a city located in the Kouffo Department of 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 ...

, Klouékanmè, Lalo and Toviklin.

Demographics

According to Benin's 2013 census, the total population of the department was 745,328, with 348,574 males and 396,754 females. The proportion of women was 53.20%. The total rural population was 72.20%, while the urban population was 27.80%. The proportion of women of childbearing age (15 to 49 years old) was 24.30%. The foreign population was 2,167, representing 0.30% 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 43.00%. The proportion of women among the foreign population constituted 62.50%. The number of households in the department was 140,444 and the average household size was 5.3. The intercensal growth rate of the population was 3.20%. Among women, the average age at first marriage was 21.4 and the average age at maternity was 29. The synthetic index of fertility of women was 5.4. The average number of families in a house was 1.3 and the average number of persons per room was 2.0. The total labour force in the department was 208,974, of which 52.60% were women. The proportion of households with no level of education was 68.60% and the proportion of households with children attending school was 60.20%. The crude birth rate was 40.1, the general rate of fertility was 165.30 and the gross reproduction rate was 2.70. The main ethnolinguistic groups in the department are the Fon, Aja, Mina, Kotafon, Ayizo, and Saxwe.

Administrative divisions

The

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of Kouffo was created in 1999 when it was split off from

. Its capital is

. Kouffo is subdivided into six

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:

, Djakotomey, Klouékanmè, Lalo, Toviklin and

. 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 1999 establishments in Benin