Benin

BJ / BEN 8.8°, 2.2°

Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, formerly known as Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the northwest, and Niger to the northeast. The majority of its population lives on the southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital is Porto-Novo, and the seat of government is in Cotonou, the most populous city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 112,622 km2 (43,484 sq mi), and its population in 2026 was estimated to be approximately 15 million. It is a tropical country with an economy heavily dependent on agriculture and the exports of palm oil and cotton.

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Capital

Cotonou, Porto-Novo

Population

14,111,034

Area

114,763 km2

Climate

Tropical

Government

Presidential republic

Currency

West African CFA franc

Languages

Including Bariba and Fulfulde

Sells

gold, cotton, coconuts/brazil nuts/cashews, soybeans

Sells to

UAE 42%, Bangladesh 20%, India 11%

Land borders

4: Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Togo

Drives on the

right

Calling code

+229

Founded

1960

Hemisphere

Northern

Where it is

Languages

Share of the population that speaks each. Click one to see every country that speaks it.

Including Bariba and Fulfulde

—

What it sells, and to whom

Every line is a thread: click a commodity or a partner to see who else trades in it.

Farms and fisheries

cassava
yams
maize
oil palm fruit
cotton
soybeans

Largest cities

Cotonou capital	679,012
Abomey-Calavi	385,755
Porto-Novo	264,320
Parakou	255,478
Godomè	253,262

Form of government

Presidential republic.

republic

Money, belief and alliances

Money

West African CFA franc

Belongs to

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie United Nations World Meteorological Organization International Civil Defence Organisation International Development Association Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes African Union Conseil de l'Entente Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency International Bank for Reconstruction and Development UNESCO Economic Community of West African States World Health Organization Interpol

Climate and geography

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Climate zone

Tropical

Highest point

Mont Sokbaro

Landmarks and landscapes

Royal Palaces of Abomey Ganvie

Northern hemisphere.

Land borders (4)

Burkina Faso

Niger

Nigeria

Togo

In charge right now

Patrice Talon Head of government

Romuald Wadagni Head of state

Figures from its history

Behanzin Last independent king of Dahomey Gbehanzin, also known as Béhanzin, is considered the eleventh King of Dahomey, modern-day Republic of Benin.

Mathieu Kerekou Marxist ruler, then elected president Mathieu Kérékou was a Beninese politician and revolutionary who served as president of the People's Republic of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and the Republic of Benin from 1996 to 2006.