Benin flag

Benin

History

The Kingdom of Dahomey rose at Abomey and became a major regional power.
Ouidah served as one of the busiest slave-trading ports on the Bight of Benin.
France completed its conquest and made Dahomey a colony.
Independence came on 1 August.
The country was governed as a Marxist-Leninist state and renamed Benin.
A national conference led to multi-party elections and a peaceful transfer of power.
Africa thumbnailPart ofAfricaMore countries, cities and routes.
CapitalPorto-Novo
Population13.2M
Area113k km2
CurrencyWest African CFA franc

Short facts

RegionWest Africa
LanguageFrench
Time zoneWAT (UTC+1)
Drives onRight

Worth seeing

  • Royal Palaces of Abomey: The earthen palaces of the Dahomey kings, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
  • Ganvie: A lake village on Lake Nokoue built on stilts and reached by pirogue.
  • Ouidah: The Door of No Return and the slave route running from town to the beach.

Find a city in Benin

Showing all cities

Porto-Novo thumbnailPorto-NovoCity

Planning questions

What is Benin known for?Royal Palaces of Abomey, Ganvie, Ouidah.
What is the capital?Porto-Novo.
Which language is useful?French.
When is the national day?1 August.
How should I browse it here?Start with the facts, jump to linked cities, then check events and topics.

Upcoming events

Use Porto-Novo as the first planning anchor for Benin, then compare the city, food and worth-seeing notes on this page.

Food & drink

Street food thumbnailStreet foodSignature dishCoffee thumbnailCoffeeLocal drink

Known for

Royal Palaces of AbomeyGanvieOuidahPorto-NovoStreet foodCoffee
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