Donga Department

Last updated
Donga
Department
Extensive Landwirtschaft im Norden Benins bei Djougou.jpg
Agriculture near Djougou, the department capital
Benin - Donga.svg
Map highlighting the Donga Department
Coordinates: 9°42′N1°40′E / 9.700°N 1.667°E / 9.700; 1.667 Coordinates: 9°42′N1°40′E / 9.700°N 1.667°E / 9.700; 1.667
Country Flag of Benin.svg  Benin
Capital Djougou
Area
[1]
 • Total11,126 km2 (4,296 sq mi)
Population
 (2013 census)
 • Total542,605
 • Density49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (WAT)

Donga is one of the twelve departments of Benin; its capital is Djougou, the fourth largest city in the country. The department of Donga was created in 1999 when it was split off from Atakora Department. Donga is subdivided into five communes, each centered at one of the principal towns: Bassila, Copargo, Djougou Rural, Djougou Urban and Ouaké.

Contents

As of 2013, the total population of the department was 543,130, with 270,754 males and 272,376 females. The proportion of women was 50.10%. The total rural population was 57.90%, while the urban population was 42.10%. The total labour force in the department was 120,021, of which 24.20% were women. The proportion of households with no level of education was 72.50%.

Geography

Road in Copargo, Benin Ortseingang Copargo.JPG
Road in Copargo, Benin

Donga Department, with an area of 10,691 square kilometres (4,128 sq mi), is located in north-central Benin, bordering Atakora Department to the north, Borgou Department to the east, Collines Department to the south, and Togo to the west. The northwest region of Benin consists mostly of forested mountains, from which two tributaries of the Niger River, the Mékrou River and the Pendjari River, originate. [2] Mont Sokbaro, widely cited as the highest point of Benin, lies on the border of Donga Department with Togo. The northern regions of Benin receive one season of rainfall from May to September, while the southern regions receive two spells of rain from March to July and September to November. The country receives an average annual rainfall of around 1,200 mm (47 in). [3]

Settlements

Djougou is the departmental capital; other major settlements include Aledjo-Koura, Aworo, Bassila, Bodi, Copargo, Kolokondé, Ouaké, Patargo, Pélébina, Pénéssoulou and Prekete.

Demographics

Religious census [4]
ReligionPercent(%)
Muslim
 
77.9%
Methodist
 
1%
Vodoun
 
0.4%
Catholic
 
11.9%
Celestial
 
0.2%
Other Christian
 
1.8%
Other Traditional
 
1.8%
Other
 
0.5%
Other Protestant
 
1.1%

According to Benin's 2013 census, the total population of the department was 543,130, with 270,754 males and 272,376 females. The proportion of women was 50.10%. The total rural population was 57.90%, while the urban population was 42.10%. The proportion of women of childbearing age (15 to 49 years old) was 23.30%. The foreign population was 7,760, representing 1.40% of the total population in the department. The labour force participation rate among foreigners aged 15–64 years was 30.70%. The proportion of women among the foreign population constituted 50.50%. The number of households in the department was 66,433 and the average household size was 8.2. The intercensal growth rate of the population was 4.00%. [5]

Among women, the average age at first marriage was 20.5 and the average age at maternity was 28. The synthetic index of fertility of women was 4.6. The average number of families in a house was 1.8 and the average number of persons per room was 1.8. The total labour force in the department was 120,021, of which 24.20% were women. The proportion of households with no level of education was 72.50% and the proportion of households with children attending school was 51.40%. The crude birth rate was 34.6, the general rate of fertility was 148.70 and the gross reproduction rate was 2.30. [4]

The main ethnolinguistic groups in the department are the Dendi and Yoruba. Other groups include the Anii, Bariba, Ede, Foodo, Kabiye, Lama, Lukpa, Tammari (also known as the Betammaribe, or Somba), Miyobe and Yom. [6]

Administrative divisions

Communes of Donga Donga communes.png
Communes of Donga

The department of Donga was created in 1999 when it was split off from Atakora Department. Its capital is Djougou. [7] Donga is subdivided into five communes, each centered at one of the principal towns: Bassila, Copargo, Djougou Rural, Djougou Urban and Ouaké. [8]

Benin originally had six administrative regions (départements), which have now been bifurcated to make 12. Each of the deconcentrated administrative services (directions départementales) of the sectoral ministries takes care of two administrative regions. A law passed in 1999 transformed the sous-prefectures, the lowest level of territorial administration, into local governments. [8] Municipalities and communal councils have elected representatives who manage the administration of the regions. The latest elections of the municipal and communal councils were held in June 2015. [9]

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Borgou is one of the twelve departments of Benin. Borgou borders the country of Nigeria and the departments of Alibori, Atakora, Collines and Donga. The capital of Borgou is Parakou. The department of Borgou was bifurcated in 1999, with its northern territory transferred to the newly created Alibori Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bassila</span> Commune in Donga Department, Benin

Bassila is a town, arrondissement, and commune located in the Donga Department of Benin. The commune covers an area of 120 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 130,770 people.

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The Lambas are an ethnic and linguistic group of people living in the Kéran and Doufelgou Districts (Préfecture) of the Kara Region in Northern Togo and in the Atakora and Donga Departments of Bénin, West Africa. The capital of the Kéran District is Kanté and the capital of the Doufelgou District is Niamtougou.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Benin</span> Religion in the country

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Biguina is a community or village in the commune of Bassila in the Donga Department of northwestern Benin. It is located near the border with Togo and it sits on Benin's Route Nationale 3, one of the two main north-south highways in the country.

Mont Sokbaro is a hill that is mostly cited as the highest point of Benin, with an elevation of 658 metres (2,159 ft). This designation is contested, as SRTM readings at coordinates 10°17′22″N1°32′38″E give an elevation of 672 metres (2,205 ft). This is a location 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) southeast of Kotoponga.

Djougou I is an arrondissement in the Donga department of Benin. It is an administrative division under the jurisdiction of the commune of Djougou. According to the population census conducted by the Institut National de la Statistique Benin on February 15, 2002, the arrondissement had a total population of 27,334.

Djougou III is an arrondissement in the Donga department of Benin. It is an administrative division under the jurisdiction of the commune of Djougou. According to the population census conducted by the Institut National de la Statistique Benin on February 15, 2002, the arrondissement had a total population of 17,713.

References

  1. ↑ "Benin". Geohive. Archived from the original on 2017-02-01. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  2. ↑ McColl, R. W. (2014). Encyclopedia of World Geography, Volume 1. Infobase Publishing. pp. 92–93. ISBN   9780816072293.
  3. ↑ Haggett, Peter, ed. (2002). Encyclopedia of World Geography, Volume 17. Marshall Cavendish. p. 2325. ISBN   9780761473060.
  4. 1 2 "Socio economic data of Benin, 2013". Institut National de la Statistique et de l’Analyse Economique (INSAE) du Benin. 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "Census of Benin, 2013". Institut National de la Statistique et de l’Analyse Economique (INSAE) du Benin. 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Languages of Benin". Ethnologue . Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  7. ↑ Houngnikpo, Mathurin C.; Decalo, Samuel (2013). Historical Dictionary of Benin. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 143–4. ISBN   9780810871717.
  8. 1 2 Republic of Benin, Public Administration and Country profile (PDF) (Report). Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), United Nations. 2004. p. 8. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "Local elections in Benin, 2015". African Elections Database. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
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