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Benin

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Details

With a population of just 8½ million, Benin is situated in West Africa on the northern coast of the Gulf of Guinea, possessing land borders to the north by Niger, on the west by Togo, and on the northwest by Burkina Faso.

Originally known as ‘the slave coast’, Benin was transformed into a French Colony in the late 1800s, finally gaining its full independence in 1960.

Although the main contribution to Benin’s economy remains its cotton crop, its economy is growing and tourism is on the increase, especially along the coastal areas, and in the wildlife national parks of the north.

Politically stable, and regarded as a model democracy, this is one small African country that we can see steadily developing into a (specialist) tourist destination.

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Useful links

www.gouv.bj: The official government website

AllAfrica.com: A news website aggregating information from over 300 sources, together with specially commissioned articles and commentaries.

AfricaGuide.com: Exhaustive resource website covering the whole of Africa – climate, travel and medical advice, visas and money, public holidays, getting around, people and culture, shopping and forums.

The Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor websites may also provide useful information.