Benin :: essays research papers

Benin, independent nation of W Africa, formerly c altogethered Dahomey. Once a French protectorate, it is a region of 40 ethnic tribal groups and a low-level economy.Land and EconomyLocated in the bulge on the S side of W Africa, Benin is bordered by Nigeria, Toga, Berkina Faso, and Niger, with 75 mi (121km) on the Gulf of Guinea. The edge is hot and humid, and there are two rainy and two run dry seasons average annual rainfall is 32in (813mm). Benin has three plateaus, one fertile, another of blunt rocks, and a third with streams flowing to the Volta and Niger rivers and including the Atakora range. The E section is a plain. Subsistence agribusiness is the economic base. Palm products and cotton account for half of export revenues.PeopleThe atomic number 82 class in Benin is composed of male-line descendants of the Aja (Fons, or Dahomey) who had established the aboriginal kingdom. Trained for civil service by the French, they are the best enlightened literacy is 25% among sch ool-age children. In the N are the nomadic Fulani and the Somba tribe, hunters with no governmental organization E are Baribas. 90% of the population is rural, and 65% practices animistic religion. French is the common language.GovernmentBenin has been under army rule since 1970. The constitution of 1977 instituted a national assembly, whose members belong to the sole legal political party, the Benin Peoples Revolutionary Party.HistoryBenins annals dates back to three principalities-Allada, Porto-Novo, and Dahomey-in the S area who were being pushed by the N Kingdom of Abomey in the 16th century. Dahomey was the most aggressive, pushing N and sell slaves. In 1863 the king of Porto-Novo sought French protection. By 1892 France had subjugated all groups and made them protectorates as part of French West Africa. In 1960 the country became independent as Dahomey. The official name was changed to Benin in 1976. Economic and regional rivalries have caused numerous military coup dtats and changes of government since 1960. The Marxist-Leninist military government in power since 1972, led by Brig. Gen. Mathieu Kerekou, relaxed its authority more or less during the late 1970s and improved relations with France.