Benin country

Benin country

Benin / or formally the Republic of Benin is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered to the west by Togo, to the east by Nigeria and to the north by Burkina Faso and Niger. As for the south overlooking the Gulf of Benin, where the majority of the population is located. The capital of Benin is Porto Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city

The official language in Benin is French, yet it is commonly used for indigenous languages ​​such as the Fon and Yoruba. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, the Vodon and Protestants. Benin is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic and la Francophonie, and brings together the Sahel and Sahara countries, the Association of African Oil Producers and the Authority of the Niger Basin

The capital of Benin is Porto Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city. Benin covers an area of ​​about 110,000 square kilometers (42,000 square miles), and has a population of about 8,800,000. Benin is a tropical sub-Saharan country that relies heavily on agriculture, as it employs a large amount of labor and income in subsistence farming

The majority of Benin's population lives in the south. Most of the population is young, with a life expectancy of about 59 years. About 42 African ethnic groups live in this country, as these different groups settled in Benin at different times and also migrated inside the country. Ethnic groups include the yeruba in the southeast of the country (migrated from Nigeria in the twelfth century), Dendi in the north-central region (they came from Mali in the sixteenth century), Paribas and the Volubi (Biol) in the northeast of the country, and Betamaribe and Sumba in the range of Atacora; Fon In the area around Abomey in the south center, Mina, Zuweida, and Aga (who came from Togo) are on the coast

Recent migrations have brought other African citizens to Benin from Nigeria, Togo and Mali. The foreign community also includes many Lebanese and Indians who work in trade. While the staff of embassies, European missions, humanitarian and non-governmental organizations and various missionary groups make up about 5500 people in the country. A small portion of Europeans are citizens of Benin who are of French origin, as their ancestors ruled Benin and left after independence

Benin's economy is still in its development stage and depends on agriculture, cotton production and regional trade. Cotton imports account for 40% of GDP and about 80% of official export earnings. Real output growth has averaged about 5% in the past seven years, but rapid population growth is not commensurate with the country's income and with this increase. Inflation has declined over the past several years. It uses the boys CFA franc as the official currency, and is linked to the euro

Benin plans to attract more foreign investment for more growth. There is an increased focus on tourism, facilitating the development of new systems for processing food and agricultural products, and encouraging new information and communication technology. Projects to improve the business climate have emerged through reforms to the land tenure system and the commercial justice system. The United States provided Benin with $ 307 million in the Millennium Challenge Account grant signed in February 2006

Paris Club and other creditors cut Benin's external debt and were announced in July 2005, while pressure is underway to speed up structural reforms. Benin complains of insufficient electrical supplies that continue to negatively affect economic growth, although the government has recently taken steps to increase domestic energy production

Although trade unions in Benin account for up to 75% of the formal labor force, the ITUC has noted that there are many persistent problems, including wage inequality for women, the use of child labor, and the issue of continued forced labor

Benin is a member of the Africa Business Law Coordination Organization (OHADA).

Cotonou harbor is the only port in the country and the only international airport. A new port is currently under construction between Cotonou and Puerto Novo. Benin is a link to the roads leading between neighboring countries (Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria). Mobile phone service is available all over the country through various operators. Communications are available in some areas. Benin is connected to the Internet via telecommunications satellites (since 1998) and one submarine cable (since 2001), which has raised the price of these connections. The Africa-Europe coast cable is expected to start in 2011

Currently, nearly a third of the population lives below the poverty line, which is around US $ 1.25 per day

Benin is a country in the form of a narrow strip that stretches from north to south in West Africa, located between the equator and the orbit of cancer. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Burkina Faso and Niger to the north, Nigeria to the east and Benin Bay to the south

Benin is one of the smallest countries in West Africa, and is eight times smaller than its eastern neighbor Nigeria. However, it is two times larger than its western neighbor, Togo

There is a slight difference in land height from the sea level in the country, and it can be divided into four regions from south to north. It begins with the coastal sandy depression (the highest elevation 10 meters (32.8 feet)) which is at most 10 km (6.2 mi) wide. Interspersed with swamps and lakes associated with the ocean. Beyond the coast are the savannah forests and the covered plateau mosaic (height between 20 and 200 m (66 and 656 ft)) divided by valleys that extend from north to south along the rivers of Kufu, Zou and Ume

This is followed by an area of ​​flat land that also contains rocky hills that rarely reach a height of 400 meters (1,312 feet) extending around Nikki and Saif. Finally, a group of mountains stretches along the northwestern border and within Togo. These are the Atakura Mountains and the highest point is found on Mount Sukbaro, 658 meters (2,159 feet) high

Benin contains fallow lands, mangroves, and the remains of some large forests. The rest of the country is covered with savannah with thorny bush and is covered with huge baobab trees. Some forests extend along the banks of rivers. In the north and northwest of Benin there are some nature reserves and a national park that attracts tourists eager to see elephants, lions, antelopes, hippos and apes

Benin's climate is hot and humid. The average annual rainfall for coastal areas is 360 mm (14.2 in) and is not high compared to coastal West African countries. In Benin there are two rainy seasons and two droughts every year. The main rainy season is between April to July. With a shorter period less dense than rain from late September to November. The main dry season is from December to April. With cold weather and drought for another short period from late July to September. Temperatures and humidity are high along the tropical coast. In Cotonou, the maximum average temperature is 31 ° C (87.8 ° F) and the minimum is 24 ° C (75.2 ° F)