Alibori is the largest and northernmost department (French: ''département'') 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 bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

. Externally the department borders the countries of

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana t ...

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesNigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, and internally the departments of Atakora and Borgou. The department of Alibori was created in 1999 when it was split off from

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 ...

and is named after the

Alibori River The Alibori River is a river in the northeastern part of Benin. It rises near the village of Tobré in Atakora Department and flows northeast, ultimately emptying into the Niger River near Birni-Lafia.Rand McNally, ''The New International Atlas ...

. , the total population of the department was 867,463, with 431,357 males and 436,106 females. The proportion of women was 50.30%. The total rural population was 75.70%, while the urban population was 24.30%. The total labour force in the department was 201,622, of which 25.40% were women. The proportion of households with no level of education was 83.70%.

Geography

Alibori borders

to the east,

to the south,

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 ...

to the west, and

to the north-west. Alibori is a fertile region consisting of highland and

savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

are the major crops grown. The northeast plains slope down to the valley 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 Mal ...

which, along with 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 are ...

, forms the

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

with Niger. Other major rivers include the

Sota River The Sota is a river of northern Benin flowing through the departments of Borgou and Alibori. It is a tributary of the Niger River and the Tassiné River is one of its tributaries. The river is approximately 250 km in length and covers a basi ...

and

Pako River The Pako River is a river in Alibori Department, 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 t ...

. The department contains the bulk of Benin's section of the trans-boundary W National Park. The climate is mostly humid and tropical. The northern regions of Benin, in general, receives one season of rainfall from May to September, compared to the southern regions which receive two spells from March to July and September to November.

Harmattan The Harmattan is a season in West Africa that occurs between the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty northeasterly trade wind, of the same name, which blows from the Sahara over West Africa into the ...

winds blow from the northeast from December through March. The average temperature from April to June is in Karimama, while the temperature ranges between between November and March. The average elevation of the department is above the mean sea level.

Settlements

Kandi is the departmental capital; other major settlements include

Banikoara Banikoara is a town, Arrondissements of Benin, arrondissement and Communes of Benin, commune located in the Alibori Department of Benin. It lies 69 kilometers west of Kandi, Benin, Kandi at the heart of the most productive cotton-growing region i ...

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

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

Malanville Malanville is a city, arrondissement and commune in the Alibori Department of northeastern Benin, located across the River Niger from Niger. It is known as a centre of cross-border trade and has a major market. Malanville is also a centre for ric ...

and

Ségbana Ségbana is a town, arrondissement and commune located in the Alibori Department of Benin. The commune covers an area of 4471 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 89,268 people. Geography The commune of Ségbana is located 722 kil ...

Demographics

According to Benin's 2013 census, the total population of the department was 867,463, with 431,357 males and 436,106 females. The proportion of women was 50.30%. The total rural population was 75.70%, while the urban population was 24.30%. The proportion of women of childbearing age (15 to 49 years old) was 22.00%. The foreign population was 28,636, representing 3.30% of the total population in the department. The labour force participation rate among foreigners aged 15–64 years was 26.40%. The proportion of women among the foreign population constituted 47.60%. The number of households in the department was 108,351 and the average household size was 8. The intercensal growth rate of the population was 4.60%. Among women, the average age of first marriage was 18.2 and the average age at maternity was 27.2. The synthetic index of fertility of women was 5.7. The average number of families in a house was 1.7 and the average number of persons per room was 2.0. The total labour force in the department was 201,622, of which 25.40% were women. The proportion of households with no level of education was 83.70% and the proportion of households with children attending school was 23.00%. The crude birth rate was 40.9, the general rate of fertility was 185.90 and the gross reproduction rate was 2.80. The main ethnolinguistic groups in the department are the Bariba, Dendi and

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

. Other groups include the Boko,

Gurma Gurma (also called Gourma or Gourmantché) is an ethnic group living mainly in northeastern Ghana, Burkina Faso, around Fada N'Gourma, and also in northern areas of Togo and Benin, as well as southwestern Niger. They number approximately 1,750 ...

, Kyenga and the Mokole

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 ...

Administrative divisions

The department of Alibori was created in 1999, when it was split off from

. Since 2008, the department's capital has been Kandi. Alibori 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:

Gogounou Gogounou is a town, arrondissement and commune in the Alibori Department of Benin, about 35 kilometres south of Kandi. The commune covers an area of 4910 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 117,793 people. Geography Gogounou i ...

, Kandi, Karimama,

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