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 | |  | | About Benin: |
 | Location: Africa
Status: UN Country
Capital City: Porto-Novo
Main Cities: Cotonou
Population: 5,235,000
Area: 112,620 km2
Currency: 1 CFA franc = 100 centimes (no longer used)
Languages: French, local dialects
Religions: Animist, Muslim, Roman Catholic |
| More about Benin: a republic in W Africa, on the Bight of Benin, a section of the Gulf of Guinea: in the early 19th century a powerful kingdom, famed for its women warriors; became a French colony in 1893, gaining independence in 1960. It consists chiefly of coastal lagoons and swamps in the south, a fertile plain and marshes in the centre, and the Atakora Mountains in the northwest. Official language: French. Religion: animist majority. Currency: franc. Capital: Porto Novo (the government is based in Cotonou). Pop.: 6 918 000 (2004 est.). Area: 112 622 sq. km (43 474 sq. miles) Former name (until 1975): Dahomey |
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