Republic of Benin
Western Africa
Vodou · Vibrant · Historic
Benin (officially Republic of Benin) is a country located in Western Africa. Its capital city is Porto-Novo, with other major cities including Cotonou and Parakou. With a population of approximately 13.0M, the main language spoken is French. The country covers an area of 112,622 km². The official currency is the West African CFA franc (Fr). Traffic drives on the right side.
The Kingdom of Dahomey in what is now Benin fielded an elite all-female military corps called the Agojie (Dahomey Amazons) who were active warriors from the 17th through the 19th century.
Porto-Novo serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Benin, positioned in Western Africa. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Cotonou, Parakou — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Porto-Novo, Benin's official capital, sits in the shadow of Cotonou, the far larger commercial city — the city's 19th-century Brazilian-style architecture, built by returning former slaves, gives it a distinctive streetscape unlike any other West African capital.
With a population of approximately 13.0M, Benin is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is French, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Benin is reached via the dialling code +229. Benin is the birthplace of Vodoun — the original Fon and Ewe animist tradition of communicating with intermediary spirits that was carried across the Atlantic by enslaved people and transformed in the Americas — and the annual Vodoun Festival in Ouidah, held each January, draws practitioners from Brazil, Cuba and Haiti back to the source.
Benin spans 112,622 km², in the Western Africa subregion of Africa. Geographically centred around 9.5°N, 2.3°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Africa convention.
The official currency is the West African CFA franc (Fr), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Benin's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+01:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Football holds a special place in the heart of Benin's national identity. Benin's football development has been shaped by the Squirrels' qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 — eliminating Morocco in the process — a result that generated the country's most significant football celebration since independence.
The highest point in Benin is Mont Sokbaro, rising to 658 metres above sea level. The Pendjari National Park in northern Benin is part of the W-Arli-Pendjari transboundary complex, one of West Africa's last intact large mammal ecosystems, home to elephants, lions, hippopotamuses and West African cheetahs — a wildlife conservation area whose continued viability depends on cross-border management agreements between Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger.