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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 houses that were inhabited by the Kings of Dahomey from 1600 to 1900, and which were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.Butler, Stuart (2019) ''Bradt Travel Guide - Benin'', pgs. 135-45 History Abomey was founded in the 17th century as the capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey (1600–1904), on the site of the former village of Kana. Traditional legends state that the town was founded by Do-Aklin, a son of the king of Allada who ventured north to found his own kingdom; the name is thought to come from Danhomé, also spelled Danxomé, meaning "belly of Dan", Dan being the original chief of the village. Dahomey expanded rapidly in the 1700s, absorbing many of the surrounding kingdoms, and growing rich from the slave trade ...
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Royal Palaces Of Abomey
The Royal Palaces of Abomey are 12 palaces spread over an area of at the heart of the Abomey town in Benin, formerly the capital of the West African Kingdom of Dahomey. The Kingdom was founded in 1625 by the Fon people who developed it into a powerful military and commercial empire, which dominated trade with European slave traders on the Slave Coast until the late 19th century, to whom they sold their prisoners of war. At its peak the palaces could accommodate up to 8000 people. The King's palace included a two-story building known as the "cowrie house" or ''akuehue''. Under the twelve kings who succeeded from 1625 to 1900, the kingdom established itself as one of the most powerful of the western coast of Africa. UNESCO had inscribed the palaces on the List of World Heritage Sites in Africa. Following this, the site had to be included under the List of World Heritage in Danger since Abomey was hit by a tornado on 15 March 1984, when the royal enclosure and museums, particularl ...
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Dahomey
The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a regional power in the 18th century by expanding south to conquer key cities like Whydah belonging to the Kingdom of Whydah on the Atlantic coast which granted it unhindered access to the tricontinental triangular trade. For much of the middle 19th century, the Kingdom of Dahomey became a key regional state, after eventually ending tributary status to the Oyo Empire. European visitors extensively documented the kingdom, and it became one of the most familiar African nations to Europeans. The Kingdom of Dahomey was an important regional power that had an organized domestic economy built on conquest and slave labor, significant international trade and diplomatic relations with Europeans, a centralized administration, taxation systems, and an org ...
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Kingdom Of Dahomey
The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a regional power in the 18th century by expanding south to conquer key cities like Whydah belonging to the Kingdom of Whydah on the Atlantic coast which granted it unhindered access to the tricontinental triangular trade. For much of the middle 19th century, the Kingdom of Dahomey became a key regional state, after eventually ending tributary status to the Oyo Empire. European visitors extensively documented the kingdom, and it became one of the most familiar African nations to Europeans. The Kingdom of Dahomey was an important regional power that had an organized domestic economy built on conquest and slave labor, significant international trade and diplomatic relations with Europeans, a centralized administration, taxation systems, and an org ...
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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 territory transferred to the newly created Collines Department. The capital of Zou is Abomey. Zou is subdivided into nine communes, each centred at one of the principal towns: Abomey, Agbangnizoun, Bohicon, Cové, Djidja, Ouinhi, Za-Kpota, Zangnanado and Zogbodomey. , the total population of the department was 851,580, with 407,030 males and 444,550 females. The proportion of women was 52.20%. The total rural population was 67.00%, while the urban population was 33.00%. The total labour force in the department was 275,249, of which 50.10% were women. The proportion of households with no level of education was 60.70% and the proportion of households with children attending school was 72.90%. Geography Zou Department borders Collines Departm ...
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Fon People
The Fon people, also called Fon nu, Agadja or Dahomey, are a Gbe ethnic group.Fon people
Encyclopædia Britannica, undated, 1.7 million population, Retrieved June 29, 2019
They are the largest ethnic group in found particularly in its south region; they are also found in southwest and . Their total population is estimated to be about 3,500,000 people, and they speak the Fon language, a me ...
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Béhanzin
Béhanzin ( – 10 December 1906) is considered the eleventh (if Adandozan is not counted) King of Dahomey, modern-day Republic of Benin. Upon taking the throne, he changed his name from Kondo. Biography He succeeded his father, Glele, and ruled from 1889 to 1894. Béhanzin was Dahomey's last independent ruler established through traditional power structures. He led the resistance to French colonization of his kingdom, during the Dahomey Wars. Each of Dahomey's kings was represented in sculpture with images that referred to the proverbs, associations, and wordplay attached to his royal name. The images that symbolize Behanzin (or Gbehanzin) include an egg held by a hand, as the words for these in the Fon language form a rebus, or pun, of the royal name. As may be seen in the large wooden statue once displayed in the royal palace at Abomey (and now in the Musee Quai Branly in Paris), the shark is a metaphor for Behanzin; as does the shark, the king guards the coast of the ...
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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-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its population lives on the southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Porto-Novo, and the seat of government is in Cotonou, the most populous city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of and its population in was estimated to be approximately million. It is a tropical nation, dependent on agriculture, and is an exporter of palm oil and cotton. Some employment and income arise from subsistence farming. The official language of Benin is French, with indigenous languages such as Fon, Bariba, Yoruba and Dendi also spoken. The largest religious group in Benin is Sunni Islam ...
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Arrondissements Of Benin
Arrondissements are administrative units of Benin, after departments and communes. In turn they contain villages and may often have several ''quartiers'' or city districts/urban neighborhoods. There are currently 545 arrondissements. The arrondissements, ordered by department and commune, are as follows: Alibori Department Banikoara Banikoara, Founougo, Gomparou, Goumori, Kokey, Kokiborou, Ounet, Sompérékou, Soroko, Toura Gogounou Bagou, Gogounou, Gounarou, Ouara, Sori, Zoungou-Pantrossi Kandi Angaradébou, Bensékou, Donwari, Kandi I, Kandi II, Kandi III, Kassakou, Saah, Sam, Sonsoro Karimama Birni-Lafia, Bogo-Bogo, Karimama, Kompa, Monsey Malanville Garou, Guénè, Malanville, Mandécali, Tomboutou Ségbana Libantè, Liboussou, Lougou, Ségbana, Sokotindji Atakora Department Boukoumbé Boukoumbé, Dipoli, Korontière, Kossoucoingou, Manta, Natta, Tabota Cobly Cobly, Datori, Kountori, Tapoga Kérou Brignamaro, Firou, Kérou, Koabag ...
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List Of Cities In Benin
The following is a list of cities in Benin according to the 2013 census: List Largest cities #Cotonou - 679,012 #Porto-Novo - 264,320 # Parakou - 255,478 #Abomey - 117,824 #Djougou - 94,773 #Bohicon - 93,744 # Kandi - 56,043 # Natitingou - 53,284 #Ouidah - 47,616 #Lokossa - 47,246 Alphabetical list *Abomey * Abomey-Calavi *Athiémè * Banikoara *Bassila * Bembèrèkè *Bétérou *Bohicon * Bori *Boukoumbé * Comè *Cotonou * Cové *Dassa-Zoumé *Djougou *Dogbo-Tota *Founougo * Ganvie *Godomey * Grand-Popo *Guénè * Kandi * Kérou * Kétou * Kouandé *Lokossa *Malanville * Natitingou * Ndali * Nikki *Ouidah * Parakou * Péhonko *Pobè * Porga * Sakété * Sam *Savalou * Savé *Ségbana * Tanguiéta *Tchaourou * Toura References External links {{Africa in topic, List of cities in Benin, List of cities in Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in ...
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Communes Of Benin
The departments of Benin are subdivided into 77 communes, which in turn are divided into arrondissements and finally into villages or city districts. Prior to 1999 provinces were broken down into 84 districts, titled either urban or rural. Before independence, the six provinces were subdivided into Cercles, cantons, préfectures and villages or towns.statoids The communes are listed below, by department: __TOC__ Alibori # Banikoara #Gogounou # Kandi # Karimama #Malanville # Segbana Atakora #Boukoumbé # Cobly # Kérou # Kouandé # Matéri # Natitingou # Pehonko # Tanguiéta # Toucountouna Atlantique # Abomey-Calavi # Allada # Kpomassè #Ouidah #Sô-Ava # Toffo # Tori-Bossito # Zè Borgou # Bembèrèkè # Kalalé # N'Dali # Nikki # Parakou # Pèrèrè # Sinendé #Tchaourou Collines #Bantè # Dassa-Zoumè # Glazoué # Ouèssè #Savalou # Savé Donga #Bassila # Copargo # Djougou Rural # Djougou Urban # Ouaké Kouffo #Aplahoué #Djakotomey # ...
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Bohicon
Bohicon or Gbohikon is a city in Benin, and a conurbation of Abomey lying 9 kilometres east of the city on the railway line from Cotonou to Parakou and on Benin's main highway RNIE 2 which joins the RNIE 4. The commune covers an area of 139 square kilometres and as of 2012 had a population of 149,271 people. A speciality sold in the market is afitin (soy dawa-dawa/soy iru), which is traditionally and somewhat famously in Benin made by women in the region. It is a protein-rich fermented food widely used in West Africa as a seasoning. Climate Bohicon has a rather dry tropical savanna climate (Köppen ''Aw'') with a lengthy though moderate wet season from March to October and a short dry season from November to February. The wet season divides into two periods: a hotter first half from March to June and a cooler, foggy second half somewhat influenced by the northern extension of the Benguela Current. Administration Bohicon is one of the 77 official Communes of Benin. The c ...
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Departments Of Benin
Benin is divided into 12 departments 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, ... (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 departments was assigned a capital in 2008. See also * Communes of Benin * Arrondissements of Benin * ISO 3166-2:BJ, the ISO codes for the departments of Benin. References External links * * http://www.ambassade-benin.org/article20.html *Projections De La Population Du Benin Par Departement Subdivisions of Benin Benin, Departments Benin 1 Departments, Benin Benin geography-related lists {{Benin-stub ...
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