Benin

République du Bénin

(Banner) (Coat o airms)
Motto: "Fraternité, Justice, Travail"  (French) "Fraternity, Juistice, Labour"
Offeecial leid	French
Caipital	Porto-Novo
Lairgest ceety	Cotonou
Govrenment   - Preses	Multipairty democracy Yayi Boni
Aurie  - Tot  - % watter	112,622 km² 0.02%
Population  - 2009  - Density	8,791,832 78.1/km²
Foondin  -	1 August 1960
Siller	West African CFA franc
Time zone	UTC +1
Naitional anthem	L'Aube Nouvelle  (French) The Dawn o a New Day
Internet TLD	.bj
Cawin code	229

Benin (Inglis pronunciation: /bɨˈniːn/), offeecially the Republic o Benin, is a kintra in Wast Africae. It borders Togo tae the wast, Nigerie tae the east an Burkina Faso an Niger tae the north. Its sma soothren coastline on the Bight o Benin is whaur a majority o the population is locatit. The caipital o Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat o govrenment is locatit in the kintra's lairgest ceety o Cotonou. Benin covers an aurie o approximately 110,000 square kilometers (42,000 sq mi), wi a population o approximately 9.05 million. Benin is a tropical, sub-Saharan naition, heichlie dependent on agricultur, wi substantial employment an income arisin frae subsistence farmin.

The offeecial leid o Benin is French, housomeivver, indigenous leids such as Fon an Yoruba are commonly spoken. The lairgest releegious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, follaed closely bi Muslims, Vodun, an Protestants. Benin is a member o the Unitit Naitions, the African Union, the Organisation o the Islamic Conference, Sooth Atlantic Peace an Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie, the Community o Sahel-Saharan States, the African Petroleum Producers Association an the Niger Basin Authority.

Frae the 17t century tae the 19t century, the land o current-day Benin wis ruled bi the Kinrick o Dahomey. The region became kent as the Slave Coast durin the early 17t century due tae the prevalence o the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In 1892, wi the slave trade banned an regional pouer diminishin, Fraunce teuk ower the aurie an renamed it French Dahomey. In 1960, Dahomey gained full unthirldom frae Fraunce, bringin in a democratic govrenment for the next 12 years.

Atween 1972 an 1990, a sel-proclaimed Marxist-Leninist dictatorship cried the Fowkrepublic o Benin existit, usherin in a period o repression which ultimately led tae an economic collapse. Formation o the Republic o Benin occurred in 1991, bringin in multipairty elections.

Name

Durin the colonial period an at unthirldom, the kintra wis kent as Dahomey. It wis renamed on November 30, 1975, tae Benin efter the body o water on which the kintra lies - the Bicht o Benin - which, in turn, haed been named efter the Benin Empire. The kintra o Benin haes nae direct connection to Benin Ceety in modren Nigerie, nor to the Benin bronzes.

The new name, Benin, wis chosen for its neutrality. Dahomey wis the name o the umwhile Kinrick o Dahomey, which covered anerlie the soothren third o the present kintra an therefore did no represent the northwastren sector Atakora nor the kinrick o Borgu, which covered the northeastren third.