 Benin
Facts and Figures
Source: CIA World Factbook |
| Coordinates |
9 30 N, 2 15 E |
| Area |
total: 112,620 sq km land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km |
| Climate |
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north |
| Terrain |
mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains |
| Population |
8,078,314 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) |
| Languages |
French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) |
| Imports |
foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products |
| Exports |
cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood |
| Hazards |
hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March |
| Resources |
small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber |
| Geography |
sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands |
| Nationality |
noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese |
| Capital |
name: Porto-Novo (official capital) geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cotonou (seat of government) |
| Internet Country Code |
.bj |
| Internet Users |
425,000 (2005) |
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