Zagnanado or Zangnanado 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 in the
Zou Department of southern-central
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 north ...
. It is located 47 kilometres from
Abomey
Abomey is the capital of the Zou Department of Benin. The commune of Abomey covers an area of 142 square kilometres and, as of 2012, had a population of 90,195 people.
Abomey houses the Royal Palaces of Abomey, a collection of small traditional ...
and 165 kilometres north of
Cotonou
Cotonou (; fon, Kútɔ̀nú) is a city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area.
The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The ci ...
. The commune covers an area of 750 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 132,401 people.
[http://www.geohive.com/cntry/benin.aspx ]
History
The territorial entity that is today the municipality of Zagnanado has undergone several administrative changes since the colonial period until today. Since the early eighteenth century, the region depended on the kingdom of
Abomey
Abomey is the capital of the Zou Department of Benin. The commune of Abomey covers an area of 142 square kilometres and, as of 2012, had a population of 90,195 people.
Abomey houses the Royal Palaces of Abomey, a collection of small traditional ...
. Guézo made the area headquarters of the army during his campaigns against the
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 ...
and Kétou of Abeokuta.
By the Act of June 21, 1895, King
Agoli-Agbo
Agoli-agbo is considered to have been the twelfth and final King of Dahomey. He was in power from 1894 to 1900.
Biography
He took the throne after the previous king, Béhanzin, went into exile after being defeated in the invasion of Dahomey by ...
, he authorised full authority over the
Agonlin region. In the early twentieth century, Zagnanado and surrounding villages were visited by many missionaries who spread
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
. During the colonial period and into the 1970s, Agonlin remained a single administrative entity.
However, in 1978 it was divided into three communes, Zagnanado,
Covè and
Ouinhi
Ouinhi is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Zou Department of south-western Benin. The commune covers an area of 483 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 59,381 people.
It is bounded on the north-west by the commune of ...
.
Geography
3 rivers flow through the commune, the longest flows through for 93 kilometers. Zagnanado is bordered by
Dassa-Zoumè to the north,
Ouinhi
Ouinhi is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Zou Department of south-western Benin. The commune covers an area of 483 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 59,381 people.
It is bounded on the north-west by the commune of ...
and
Zogbodomè to the south,
Covè,
Za-Kpota
Za-Kpota or Zakpota is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Zou Department of south-western Benin. It is located 153 kilometres north of Cotonou and 33 kilometres east of Abomey (Bohicon is even closer).
History
Za-Kpota dates back to 1 ...
and
Djidja
Djidja is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Zou Department of south-western Benin. The commune covers an area of 2184 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 123,542 people.
Geography
Djidja (Djomla) is located 24 kilomet ...
to the west and
Adja-Ouèrè
Adja-Ouèrè is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Plateau Department of south-eastern Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a c ...
and
Kétou to the east.
Administrative divisions
Zagnanado is subdivided into six arrondissements,
Agonlin-Houégbo,
Banami,
Don Tan,
Dovi,
Kpedekpo and Zagnanado. They contain 27 villages and 7 city districts.
Demographics
The population of Zagnanado is dominated by two major ethnic groups;
Mahi representing 90.5% and Yoruba representing 8.1% and the rest minorities.
The main religions are
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
(47.2%),
animism
Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—Animal, animals, Plant, plants, Ro ...
(30.5%) and
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
(2.8%).
The population of the commune of Zagnanado, according to the 2002 census is 36,756 people, which is 6.1% of the population of the Zou Department.
Data from the last census shows that from 1992 to 2002, the population Zagnanado experienced a small increase of 0.7% per year while between 1979 and 1992 growth was about 2.2% per year.
References
External links
Communes du Benin
{{Authority control
Communes of Benin
Arrondissements of Benin
Populated places in the Zou Department