 Situated
in western Africa, Benin whose capital is Porto Novo
borders with Niger, Burkina Faso and Togo. In the south,
the coast of Benin stretches for miles of sandy beaches
under the shade of coconut palm trees, while behind the
coastal areas, beyond the lagoons of Porto Novo a
plateau rises gradually reaching the heights of the
Atakora Mountains.
French is Benin's official language, but there are also
many ethnic groups who speak their own languages such as
the Bariba and Fulani, while English is rarely spoken.
In Porto Novo there are many examples of colonial and
pre-colonial buildings and the Ethnological Museum is
also an interesting site to visit. The museum of Abomey,
100 km from the capital features exhibits from the past
Aborney kingdoms, with an authentic throne of the period
made entirely of skulls.
Benin has a vast animal kingdom amongst which are
cheetahs, crocodiles and hippos, where one can admire at
the two national parks, the Pendjari and the W National
Park near the frontier with Benin's bordering countries.
Water activities are rather limited, although one can
find some good beaches at Ouidah and Grand Popo, it is
however advisable to be careful for there are strong
currents and tides. Nonetheless one can hire a yacht at
the Cotonou Yacht Club or go canoeing in the Nakoue
Lagoon.
The climate in Benin varies depending on the location,
with an equatorial climate in the south with four
distinct seasons, hot from April to January and August,
with the rainy seasons from May to July and September to
December. In the north the temperatures can get very
high with dry weather from November to June and the
rainy season from July to October.
The people from Benin are called Beninese.
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