Education in Benin: The struggles of some children to have access to education
A few weeks ago I was in my home country Benin and I went for the first time to Kouaba a small village in the Atakora Department of northwestern Benin. I was stunned to see that the only existing primary school cruelly lacks classroom and some children are being taught in open-air classrooms build with rudimentary materials. Benin has a 40% literacy rate.
“ Even though the canteen cost has been reviewed to the low, most parents cannot afford the required 18 cents for their children to eat at school weakly,” said the director of the school.
Through this fundraising, I hope to help build decent classrooms for those children so that they can have access to the most important thing education” . You can help make this possible by donating today at
Below is a breakdown of how your contribution may help us achieve our goals.
Books//Uniforms Donation
- $ 5 will help us purchase 2 activity books or school supplies for a child
- $ 10 will help us purchase 2 textbooks for a child
- $ 20 will help us purchase a uniform for a child
Feel free to also help us achieve our ongoing goals below
Literacy/Scholarships Programs
- $ 50 will help towards didactic materials purchase for our literacy programs
- $ 35 will provide yearly tuition for a secondary school student at a public school
- $ 100 will provide yearly tuition, books, and supplies for an elementary student at a private school
Libraries
- $ 10 will purchase a chair or dictionary or conjugation book for our library
- $ 40 will purchase a bookshelf or a table for our library
- $ 100 will fill 2 library bookshelves with books
Geography Now! Benin
ALRIGHT! Our first WEST AFRICAN country! BENIN
Become a patron! Donate anything and Get exclusive behind the scenes footage! All profits go towards helping me pay my rent so I can focus more of doing GN videos. Go to:
Benin
Benin (/bɨˈnɪn/; French: Bénin, formerly Dahomey), officially the Republic of Benin (French: République du Bénin), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, by Nigeria to the east and by Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. A majority of the population live on its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of approximately 115,000 square kilometers (42,000 sq mi), with a population of approximately 9.98 million. Benin is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming.
The official language of Benin is French. However, indigenous languages such as Fon and Yoruba are commonly spoken. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, Vodun and Protestantism. Benin is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the African Petroleum Producers Association and the Niger Basin Authority.
This video is targeted to blind users.
Attribution:
Article text available under CC-BY-SA
Creative Commons image source in video
Benin | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:02:41 1 Etymology
00:03:55 2 History
00:04:03 2.1 Precolonial history
00:06:17 2.2 Portuguese Empire
00:08:04 2.3 Colonial period (1900 until 1958)
00:08:55 2.4 Post-colonial period
00:13:54 3 Politics
00:15:10 4 Departments and communes
00:15:42 5 Demographics
00:17:09 5.1 Largest cities
00:17:18 6 Religion
00:19:23 7 Geography
00:23:37 8 Economy
00:27:27 9 Education
00:29:18 10 Science and technology
00:29:27 10.1 National policy framework
00:32:31 10.2 Human and financial investment in research
00:35:12 10.3 Research output
00:36:22 11 Transportation
00:38:21 12 Health
00:39:56 13 Culture
00:40:05 13.1 Arts
00:41:36 13.2 Customary names
00:41:58 13.3 Language
00:43:11 13.4 Cuisine
00:44:56 13.5 Sports
00:45:14 14 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
Listen on Google Assistant through Extra Audio:
Other Wikipedia audio articles at:
Upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
Speaking Rate: 0.7545665950334437
Voice name: en-AU-Wavenet-D
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Benin ( (listen) beh-NEEN, bih-NEEN; French: Bénin [benɛ̃]), officially the Republic of Benin (French: République du Bénin) and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. The majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres (44,310 sq mi) and its population in 2016 was estimated to be approximately 10.87 million. Benin is a tropical nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming.The official language of Benin is French. However, indigenous languages such as Fon and Yoruba are commonly spoken. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, Vodun and Protestantism. Benin is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the African Petroleum Producers Association and the Niger Basin Authority.From the 17th to the 19th century, the main political entities in the area were the Kingdom of Dahomey, along with the city-state of Porto-Novo, and a large area with many different nations to the north. This region was referred to as the Slave Coast from as early as the 17th century due to the large number of enslaved people who were shipped to the New World during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. After enslavement was abolished, France took over the country and renamed it French Dahomey. In 1960, Dahomey gained full independence from France. The sovereign state has had a tumultuous history since then, with many different democratic governments, military coups, and military governments.
A Marxist–Leninist state called the People's Republic of Benin existed between 1975 and 1990. In 1991, it was replaced by the current multi-party Republic of Benin.
Benin | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Benin
00:02:20 1 Etymology
00:03:26 2 History
00:03:34 2.1 Precolonial history
00:05:33 2.2 Portuguese Empire
00:07:07 2.3 Colonial period (1900 until 1958)
00:07:53 2.4 Post-colonial period
00:12:17 3 Politics
00:13:25 4 Departments and communes
00:13:54 5 Demographics
00:15:11 5.1 Largest cities
00:15:20 6 Religion
00:17:14 7 Geography
00:20:58 8 Economy
00:24:22 9 Education
00:26:01 10 Science and technology
00:26:10 10.1 National policy framework
00:28:55 10.2 Human and financial investment in research
00:31:18 10.3 Research output
00:32:19 11 Transportation
00:34:05 12 Health
00:35:29 13 Culture
00:35:38 13.1 Arts
00:36:59 13.2 Customary names
00:37:20 13.3 Language
00:38:25 13.4 Cuisine
00:39:58 13.5 Sports
00:40:15 14 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Benin ( (listen) beh-NEEN, bih-NEEN; French: Bénin [benɛ̃]), officially the Republic of Benin (French: République du Bénin) and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. The majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres (44,310 sq mi) and its population in 2016 was estimated to be approximately 10.87 million. Benin is a tropical nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming.The official language of Benin is French. However, indigenous languages such as Fon and Yoruba are commonly spoken. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, Vodun and Protestantism. Benin is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the African Petroleum Producers Association and the Niger Basin Authority.From the 17th to the 19th century, the main political entities in the area were the Kingdom of Dahomey, along with the city-state of Porto-Novo, and a large area with many different tribes to the north. This region was referred to as the Slave Coast from as early as the 17th century due to the large number of slaves shipped to the New World during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. After slavery was abolished, France took over the country and renamed it French Dahomey. In 1960, Dahomey gained full independence from France. The sovereign state has had a tumultuous history since then, with many different democratic governments, military coups, and military governments.
A Marxist–Leninist state called the People's Republic of Benin existed between 1975 and 1990. In 1991, it was replaced by the current multi-party Republic of Benin.
Benin | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Benin
00:02:22 1 Etymology
00:03:27 2 History
00:03:36 2.1 Precolonial history
00:05:35 2.2 Portuguese Empire
00:07:10 2.3 Colonial period (1900 until 1958)
00:07:56 2.4 Post-colonial period
00:12:21 3 Politics
00:13:29 4 Departments and communes
00:13:58 5 Demographics
00:15:16 5.1 Largest cities
00:15:24 6 Religion
00:17:18 7 Geography
00:21:04 8 Economy
00:24:29 9 Education
00:26:08 10 Science and technology
00:26:18 10.1 National policy framework
00:29:03 10.2 Human and financial investment in research
00:31:26 10.3 Research output
00:32:28 11 Transportation
00:34:14 12 Health
00:35:39 13 Culture
00:35:48 13.1 Arts
00:37:09 13.2 Customary names
00:37:29 13.3 Language
00:38:35 13.4 Cuisine
00:40:09 13.5 Sports
00:40:26 14 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Benin ( (listen) beh-NEEN, bih-NEEN; French: Bénin [benɛ̃]), officially the Republic of Benin (French: République du Bénin) and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. The majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres (44,310 sq mi) and its population in 2016 was estimated to be approximately 10.87 million. Benin is a tropical nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming.The official language of Benin is French. However, indigenous languages such as Fon and Yoruba are commonly spoken. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, Vodun and Protestantism. Benin is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the African Petroleum Producers Association and the Niger Basin Authority.From the 17th to the 19th century, the main political entities in the area were the Kingdom of Dahomey, along with the city-state of Porto-Novo, and a large area with many different nations to the north. This region was referred to as the Slave Coast from as early as the 17th century due to the large number of enslaved people who were shipped to the New World during the Trans-Atlantic “slave trade”. After enslavement was abolished, France took over the country and renamed it French Dahomey. In 1960, Dahomey gained full independence from France. The sovereign state has had a tumultuous history since then, with many different democratic governments, military coups, and military governments.
A Marxist–Leninist state called the People's Republic of Benin existed between 1975 and 1990. In 1991, it was replaced by the current multi-party Republic of Benin.
Benin | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Benin
00:02:21 1 Etymology
00:03:27 2 History
00:03:36 2.1 Precolonial history
00:05:34 2.2 Portuguese Empire
00:07:08 2.3 Colonial period (1900 until 1958)
00:07:54 2.4 Post-colonial period
00:12:18 3 Politics
00:13:26 4 Departments and communes
00:13:55 5 Demographics
00:15:13 5.1 Largest cities
00:15:21 6 Religion
00:17:15 7 Geography
00:20:59 8 Economy
00:24:23 9 Education
00:26:02 10 Science and technology
00:26:11 10.1 National policy framework
00:28:56 10.2 Human and financial investment in research
00:31:19 10.3 Research output
00:32:20 11 Transportation
00:34:06 12 Health
00:35:30 13 Culture
00:35:39 13.1 Arts
00:37:00 13.2 Customary names
00:37:21 13.3 Language
00:38:26 13.4 Cuisine
00:39:59 13.5 Sports
00:40:16 14 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Benin ( (listen) beh-NEEN, bih-NEEN; French: Bénin [benɛ̃]), officially the Republic of Benin (French: République du Bénin) and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. The majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres (44,310 sq mi) and its population in 2016 was estimated to be approximately 10.87 million. Benin is a tropical nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming.The official language of Benin is French. However, indigenous languages such as Fon and Yoruba are commonly spoken. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, Vodun and Protestantism. Benin is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the African Petroleum Producers Association and the Niger Basin Authority.From the 17th to the 19th century, the main political entities in the area were the Kingdom of Dahomey, along with the city-state of Porto-Novo, and a large area with many different nations to the north. This region was referred to as the Slave Coast from as early as the 17th century due to the large number of enslaved people who were shipped to the New World during the Trans-Atlantic “slave trade”. After enslavement was abolished, France took over the country and renamed it French Dahomey. In 1960, Dahomey gained full independence from France. The sovereign state has had a tumultuous history since then, with many different democratic governments, military coups, and military governments.
A Marxist–Leninist state called the People's Republic of Benin existed between 1975 and 1990. In 1991, it was replaced by the current multi-party Republic of Benin.
Benin | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Benin
00:02:21 1 Etymology
00:03:27 2 History
00:03:36 2.1 Precolonial history
00:05:34 2.2 Portuguese Empire
00:07:08 2.3 Colonial period (1900 until 1958)
00:07:54 2.4 Post-colonial period
00:12:18 3 Politics
00:13:26 4 Departments and communes
00:13:55 5 Demographics
00:15:13 5.1 Largest cities
00:15:21 6 Religion
00:17:15 7 Geography
00:20:59 8 Economy
00:24:23 9 Education
00:26:02 10 Science and technology
00:26:11 10.1 National policy framework
00:28:56 10.2 Human and financial investment in research
00:31:19 10.3 Research output
00:32:20 11 Transportation
00:34:06 12 Health
00:35:30 13 Culture
00:35:39 13.1 Arts
00:37:00 13.2 Customary names
00:37:21 13.3 Language
00:38:26 13.4 Cuisine
00:39:59 13.5 Sports
00:40:16 14 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Benin ( (listen) beh-NEEN, bih-NEEN; French: Bénin [benɛ̃]), officially the Republic of Benin (French: République du Bénin) and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. The majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres (44,310 sq mi) and its population in 2016 was estimated to be approximately 10.87 million. Benin is a tropical nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming.The official language of Benin is French. However, indigenous languages such as Fon and Yoruba are commonly spoken. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, Vodun and Protestantism. Benin is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the African Petroleum Producers Association and the Niger Basin Authority.From the 17th to the 19th century, the main political entities in the area were the Kingdom of Dahomey, along with the city-state of Porto-Novo, and a large area with many different nations to the north. This region was referred to as the Slave Coast from as early as the 17th century due to the large number of enslaved people who were shipped to the New World during the Trans-Atlantic “slave trade”. After enslavement was abolished, France took over the country and renamed it French Dahomey. In 1960, Dahomey gained full independence from France. The sovereign state has had a tumultuous history since then, with many different democratic governments, military coups, and military governments.
A Marxist–Leninist state called the People's Republic of Benin existed between 1975 and 1990. In 1991, it was replaced by the current multi-party Republic of Benin.
Benin | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
00:02:22 1 Etymology
00:03:27 2 History
00:03:36 2.1 Precolonial history
00:05:35 2.2 Portuguese Empire
00:07:10 2.3 Colonial period (1900 until 1958)
00:07:56 2.4 Post-colonial period
00:12:21 3 Politics
00:13:29 4 Departments and communes
00:13:58 5 Demographics
00:15:16 5.1 Largest cities
00:15:24 6 Religion
00:17:18 7 Geography
00:21:04 8 Economy
00:24:29 9 Education
00:26:08 10 Science and technology
00:26:18 10.1 National policy framework
00:29:03 10.2 Human and financial investment in research
00:31:26 10.3 Research output
00:32:28 11 Transportation
00:34:14 12 Health
00:35:39 13 Culture
00:35:48 13.1 Arts
00:37:09 13.2 Customary names
00:37:29 13.3 Language
00:38:35 13.4 Cuisine
00:40:09 13.5 Sports
00:40:26 14 See also
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
Listen on Google Assistant through Extra Audio:
Other Wikipedia audio articles at:
Upload your own Wikipedia articles through:
There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
Benin ( (listen) beh-NEEN, bih-NEEN; French: Bénin [benɛ̃]), officially the Republic of Benin (French: République du Bénin) and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. The majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres (44,310 sq mi) and its population in 2016 was estimated to be approximately 10.87 million. Benin is a tropical nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming.The official language of Benin is French. However, indigenous languages such as Fon and Yoruba are commonly spoken. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, Vodun and Protestantism. Benin is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the African Petroleum Producers Association and the Niger Basin Authority.From the 17th to the 19th century, the main political entities in the area were the Kingdom of Dahomey, along with the city-state of Porto-Novo, and a large area with many different nations to the north. This region was referred to as the Slave Coast from as early as the 17th century due to the large number of enslaved people who were shipped to the New World during the Trans-Atlantic “slave trade”. After enslavement was abolished, France took over the country and renamed it French Dahomey. In 1960, Dahomey gained full independence from France. The sovereign state has had a tumultuous history since then, with many different democratic governments, military coups, and military governments.
A Marxist–Leninist state called the People's Republic of Benin existed between 1975 and 1990. In 1991, it was replaced by the current multi-party Republic of Benin.
Benin | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Benin
Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written
language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.
Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain
Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through
audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio
while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using
a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.
You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:
In case you don't find one that you were looking for, put a comment.
This video uses Google TTS en-US-Standard-D voice.
SUMMARY
=======
Benin ( ( listen) beh-NEEN, bih-NEEN; French: Bénin [benɛ̃]), officially the Republic of Benin (French: République du Bénin) and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. The majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometres (44,310 sq mi) and its population in 2016 was estimated to be approximately 10.87 million. Benin is a tropical nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming.Official language of Benin is French. However, indigenous languages such as Fon and Yoruba are commonly spoken. The largest religious group in Benin is Roman Catholicism, followed closely by Islam, Vodun and Protestantism. Benin is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie, the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the African Petroleum Producers Association and the Niger Basin Authority.From the 17th to the 19th century, the main political entities in the area were the Kingdom of Dahomey, along with the city-state of Porto-Novo, and a large area with many different tribes to the north. This region was referred to as the Slave Coast from as early as the 17th century due to the large number of slaves shipped to the New World during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. After slavery was abolished, France took over the country and renamed it French Dahomey. In 1960, Dahomey gained full independence from France. The sovereign state has had a tumultuous history since then, with many different democratic governments, military coups, and military governments.
A Marxist–Leninist state called the People's Republic of Benin existed between 1975 and 1990. In 1991, it was replaced by the current multi-party Republic of Benin.