The Republic of Benin

The Republic of Benin became independent from France on the 1st August, 1960

Benin is a narrow, key-shaped, north-south strip of land situated in West Africa; it’s officially the Republic of Benin and was formerly called Dahomey. Around it you would find Togo to the west, Bight of Benin to the south, by to the east and by Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Lately the country has turned out to be the most visited country by mostly Africans. This visit is based on tourism and most especially for business and other interesting facts. This country possess the true beauty of the African nature.

There’s a whole lot of interesting facts about the Republic of Benin to share with you.

• After slavery was abolished, France ruled over the country. It was known as French Dahomey.
• In 1960, Dahomey gained full independence from France. It was a rough and violent history.
• The color Green on the flag stands for hope and renewal, the Red stands for courage and the Yellow calls to mind the country’s richest treasures(Wealth).
• Benin is a tropical nation that’s highly dependent on agriculture. They grow cotton, yams, corn, cassava, beans, peanuts and cashews, rears livestock and produces palm oil.
• The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo. Its official language is French, however, indigenous languages such as Fon and Yoruba are common.
• People in Benin generally eat rice, vegetables and meat. A variety of fish is in the south while beef is more popular in the north.
• It is traditional to offer food and drink to visitors here, but beware, it is rude to refuse this kind hospitality so we hope you’re hungry!
• Eating with the left hand or offer another person something with it is bad.

One thing you are definitely going to love about this place is the fun of seeing women walking around selling food or serving freshly made street food. These Beninese have one of the healthiest African foods and they are quite delicious.