Benin

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COAT OF ARMS
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AREA MAP
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INFORMATION

Capital: Porto-Novo

Government: Presidential Representative Democratic Republic

Current President: Patrice Talon

Economy:

  • Underdeveloped. Dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade.

Population: 11,340,504 (2018)

Land Size: 112,622 sq km (43,484 sq miles)

Major Ethnic Groups:

  • Fon and related: 39.2%
  • Adja and related: 15.2%
  • Yoruba and related: 17.3%
  • Bariba and related: 9.2%
  • Peulh and related: 7%
  • Ottamari and related: 6.1%
  • Yoa-Lokpa and related: 4%
  • Dendi and related: 2.5%
  • Other: 1.6% (includes Europeans)
  • Unspecified: 2.9%
 Religions:

  • Catholic: 27.1%
  • Muslim: 24.4%
  • Vodoun: 17.3%
  • Protestant: 10.4% (Celestial: 5%, Methodist: 3.2%, other Protestant: 2.2%)
  • Other Christian: 5.3%
  • Other: 15.5%

Language(s):

  • French (official)
  • Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south)

Links:

RECENT NEWS

  • Mon - Jan 20, 2020: Museum Celebrates Return of Precious Artifacts from France - AllAfrica News: Benin
    [VOA] More than two years after France promised to return colonial-era treasures to their African homes, Benin -- ostensibly the first recipient of the groundbreaking policy -- still awaits them. But on Friday, a small museum outside Cotonou celebrated the return of antique royal scepters gifted by a group of Paris gallery owners.
  • Tue - Jan 14, 2020: Beninese Reporter Jailed for Tweets, Quoted Official Accurately - AllAfrica News: Benin
    [RSF] Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate release of Ignace Sossou, a Beninese investigative journalist who has been held for more than two weeks because of his tweets about the comments that the Cotonou public prosecutor made at a media workshop.
  • Tue - Dec 24, 2019: Benin Authorities Arrest Journalist Ignace Sossou, Question Him About Facebook Posts - AllAfrica News: Benin
    [CPJ] Vancouver, Canada -Authorities in Benin should immediately release and halt efforts to intimidate journalist Ignace Sossou and drop any charges against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.