The African Community in Shanghai and China
Directories | Benin
Republic of Benin Benin embassy in Beijing, China
No. 38, Guang Hua Lu
Tel: +86-10-65322741, 65322302
Fax: +86-10-65325103
China embassy in Cotonou, Benin
NO.2, ROUTE DE L'AEROPORT, P.O. 01 B.P. 196 RECETTE PRINCIPALE, COTONOU, BENIN
Tel: 00229-301292, 300765
Fax: 00229-300841
Website: http://bj.china-embassy.org; http://bj.chineseembassy.org
E-mail: PRCBENIN@SERV.EIT.BJ
Introduction
Benin is situated in West Africa on the northern coast of the Gulf of Guinea. It has land borders to the north by Niger, on the west by Togo, and on the northwest by Burkina Faso.
The coast has no natural harbors, river mouths or islands, due to access difficulty because of sandbanks. Behind the coastline is a network of lagoons, from that of Grand Popo on the Togo border (navigable at all seasons) and joined to Lake Aheme, to that of Porto-Novo on the east, in which flows Benin's longest river, the Oueme, navigable for some 125 miles of its total of 285 miles. Beside Oueme, the only other major river in the south is Couffo, which flows into Lake Aheme. The Mono, serving from Parahoue to Grand Pope, has the boundary with Togo and is navigable for 50 miles but subject to torrential floods in the rainy season.
Benin's northern rivers, the Mekrou, Alibory and Sota, which are tributaries of the Niger, and the Pandjari, a tributary of the Volta, are torrential and broken by rocks. North of the narrow belt of coastal sand is a region of lateritic clay, the main oil palm area, intersected by a marshy depression between Allada and Abomey that stretches east to the Nigerian frontier. North of the hills of Dassa, the height ranges from 200 to 500 feet, broken only by the Atakora Mountains (1,500 - 2,400 ft), stretching in a southwesterly direction into Togo.
Other Information Capital City Porto-Novo (official); Cotonou (actual seat of government) Independence Day 1 August 1960 Government Type Republic Population 7,250,033 Total Area 112,620 sq km Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba in the south, and at least six major languages in the north Religions Local religions 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Life expectancy 50.81 Currency CFA Franc (XOF) GDP per capita (USD) 1,100 Industries textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials Disclaimer: Data provided above are for reference only; Afroshanghai.com does not guarantee their accuracy.
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