Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, and also 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 north-west, and Niger to the north-east. 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 114,763 km2 (44,310 sq mi), and its population in 2021 was estimated to be approximately 13 million. It is a small, tropical country. It is one of the least developed, with an economy heavily dependent on agriculture, and is an exporter of palm oil and cotton. Some employment and income arise from subsistence agriculture.
Cotonou is the largest city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area.
The demographics of Benin include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The Catholic Church in Benin is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Parakou is the largest city in northern Benin, and the third-largest city in the country, with an estimated population of around 206,667 people, and capital of the Borgou Department. Administratively the commune of Parakou makes up one of Benin's 77 communes. Since 2015, its mayor is Souradjou Adamou Karimou.
Savalou is a city located in the Collines Department of Benin. The commune covers an area of 2,674 square kilometres and as of 2012 had a population of 35,433 people. It is the birthplace of Olympic Beninese hurdler Odile Ahouanwanou.
The Benin Premier League, also called Championnat National du Bénin in French, is the highest football division in Benin. The league was held in 1969 for the first time. Currently, the initial round is a double round-robin tournament, with 36 clubs being divided in 4 groups, and 9 clubs in each. The last 5 teams of each group, goes to the relegation round, which consists on 2 groups of 10 teams. The first 4 teams of each group goes to the final stage with 16 clubs playing a single round-robin tournament. The winner of this round earns a place in the CAF Champions League.
The University of Abomey-Calavi(French: Université d'Abomey-Calavi) is the principal public university in the west African country of Benin. The university is located in the city of Abomey-Calavi in the south of the country.
Christians in Benin constitute approximately 48.5 of the country's population.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Benin:
Christianity is the largest religion in Benin, with substantial populations of Muslims and adherents of traditional faiths. According to the most recent 2020 estimate, the population of Benin is 52.2% Christian, 24.6% Muslim, 17.9% traditionalist and 5.3% follows other faiths or has no religion.
Benin has abolished school fees and is carrying out the recommendations of its 2007 Educational Forum. In 2018, the net primary enrollment rate was 97 percent. Gross enrollment rate in secondary education has greatly increased in the last two decades, from 21.8 percent in 2000 to 59 percent in 2016, 67.1 percent in the case of males and 50.7 percent for females. Because of a rapid increase in the enrollment rate, the student/teacher ratio rose from 36:1 in 1990 to 53:1 in 1997 but has dropped again in the last years to 39:1 (2018). In 2018, the gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education was 12.5%.
The Tammari people, also known as Batammariba, Tamberma, Somba, Otamari or Ottamari, are an Oti–Volta-speaking people of the Atakora Department of Benin where they are also known as Somba and neighboring areas of Togo, where they are officially known as Ta(m)berma. They are famous for their two-story fortified houses, known as Tata Somba, in which the ground floor houses livestock at night, internal alcoves are used for cooking, and the upper floor contains a rooftop courtyard that is used for drying grain, as well as containing sleeping quarters and granaries. These evolved by adding an enclosing roof to the clusters of huts, joined by a connecting wall that is typical of Gur-speaking areas of West Africa.
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in Western Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north; its short coastline to the south leads to the Bight of Benin. Its size is just over 110000 km2 with a population of almost 8500000. Its capital is the Yoruba founded city of Porto Novo, but the seat of government is the Fon city of Cotonou. About half the population live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per day.
Vicentia Boco is a Beninese radiologist, professor, politician, and women's rights activist. A trained doctor who served as professor of medical imaging at the University of Abomey-Calavi and head of radiology at the Centre National Hospitalier Universitaire in Cotonou until her retirement in 2014, politically she was the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research between 2007 and 2008 and president of the Institut national pour la promotion de la femme (INPF) between 2009 and 2021.
The University of New Technologies and Sciences (UNTS) is a public university in Benin, established in 2016 and placed under the authority of the Ministry of Higher Education. It is a public institution of higher education with legal personality and administrative and financial autonomy.
The National University of Agriculture (UNA) is a public university in Benin. It was established in 2016 following decree no. 2016-638 of October 13, 2016, which created four national universities in the Republic of Benin.
