Benin
Benin: population and cities
Population
Population
According to
Countryaah website, Benin has about 12 million people.
Ethnic composition
The population of Benin is made up of approximately: 40% Fon, 12% Yoruba, 15%
Adja, 7% Batonou (formerly Bariba), 6% Somba and 23% members of other peoples
such as Dindi, Peul, Ewe, Datcha, Goun, Holli (forest people from Nigeria),
Ganvié and Toffi.
Religious affiliation
About 50% of the population of Benin are followers of natural
religions (voodoo). About 30% of the population are Christians (mostly Roman
Catholics and a minority Methodists) and about 20% are Muslims.
But many of those who officially profess one of the monotheistic religions also
use voodoo and the like. practiced.
National languages
The official language in Benin is French. In addition, around 60 African
languages are used as colloquial languages, predominantly Fon in the south and
Batanou and Fulani in the north.
Capital and other cities
The capital of Benin is Porto Novo with a population of
around 225,000. However, the seat of government is in Cotonou,
which has around 1 million residents.
Other cities are:
- Parakou with around 175,000 residents
- Djougou with around 134,000 residents.
Benin: geography, map
Defined by DigoPaul, Benin covers an area of 112,622 km². Thereof:
- Forest
Around 30% of the country is forested.
- Meadow and pasture land
Around 4% of the land is used as meadow or pasture land.
- Fields and fields
Around 12% of the land is used as arable land or fields, especially for
growing cotton, peanuts, coffee and oil palms.
The country has a common border with a total of four states:
- Nigeria with a length of around 775 km,
- Niger with a length of 265 km,
- Burkina Faso with a length of 305 km and
- Togo with a length of 645 km.
Benin has a coast to the Gulf of Guinea as part of the Atlantic Ocean with a
length of around 120 km.
Longitude and latitude
Benin extends over the following geographical latitude (abbreviation Δφ) and
geographical longitude (abbreviation Δλ):
| Δφ = from 06 ° 25 'to 12 ° 30' north latitude
Δλ = from 000 ° 45 'to 004 ° east longitude |
You can find detailed information on this subject under Longitude and
Latitude.
Time
For Benin, the following value applies to Central European Time (CET), i.e.
the time (without summer time). A minus sign means that it is earlier there, a
plus sign that it is later than CET:
Further and detailed explanations of the time can be found under Time zones,
time.
The highest point of the sun in Porto Novo
Porto Novo, the capital of the country, lies at a north
latitude of around φ = 06.5 ° (06 ° 30 '). If the declination δ of the sun has
the value 06 ° 30 'North, and so the image point of the sun is exactly above the
city, the sun is vertically above the city. This happens exactly twice a year,
roughly 25 days after March 21st and 25 days before September 21st (for details
see position of the sun).
Attention
If the image point of the sun and thus the declination δ is north of the
latitude of Porto Novo, the sun is not in the south at noon, as in our
latitudes, but in the north. In this case, the sun moves from east to north to
west, where, like us, it sets.
Mountains, feet, lakes
The highest point in the country is Mont Sokbaro with a
height of 658 m. Another elevation is the Atakora with a height
of 641 m.
The longest river in the country is the Ouéme with a length of
around 400 km.
The country includes numerous smaller and larger lakes. The largest lake is Lac
Nokoué.
Gulf of Guinea, Atlantic
In the south of the country, Benin borders with a length of around 120 km
directly on the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic.
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