What does abomey mean? Definitions for abomeyˌæb əˈmeɪ, əˈboʊ mi This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word abomey Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Abomey(ProperNoun) A major city in southern Benin. Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Abomey Abomey is a city in the Zou Department of Benin, formerly the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dahomey, including the Republic of Dahomey which became modern-day Benin. The kingdom was established about 1625. The commune covers an area of 142 square kilometres and as of 2012 had a population of 90,195 people.

Numerology The numerical value of abomey in Chaldean Numerology is: 2 Pythagorean Numerology Nations Online: Administrative Map of Benin - Nations Online Project Administrative Map of Benin ___ Administrative Map of Benin Map is showing the West African country Benin with surrounding nations, states borders, the national capital Porto-Novo , provincial boundaries, province capitals, and main cities. Click on the map to enlarge for a detailed map of Benin. Administrative Map of Benin Benin is divided into 12 departments (French: départements), and subdivided into 77 communes. Benin's departments are: In north east Alibori Department with its capital Kandi, a market place and farming center. The department borders three countries, the Mékrou River, a tributary of the Niger River forms part of the border between Alibori and Burkina Faso and between the department and Niger , the Niger River itself forms the other part, in east Alibori is bordered by Nigeria . In north west, in the mountainous region of Benin situated, is Atakora Department with its capital Natitingou, the department borders the Republic of Togo in west.

It is home to the Pendjari National Park, known for its wildlife of big game like elephants, lions, hippopotamuses, African buffalo and various antelopes. The Borgou Department is in central east, capital is Parakou, the largest city in eastern Benin, with a population of more than 180,000 people. The commercial town is the hub of Benin's cotton trade. Parakou Railway Station is the northern terminus of the Cotonou-Parakou railway. Donga Department resides in central west of the country, its capital is Djougou, largest city in north west Benin, the city with a population of nearly 200,000 inhabitants is the commercial capital of the Atacora-Donga region and there a major hub of transportation and communication. Collines Department with its capital Savalou, the department in Central Benin is bordered in west by Togo and in east by Nigeria, the Parakou-Cotonou railway runs through it.

In October 2010 the normally dry country suffered from a flood, the most devastating in half a century, all regions in south of the country but especially Collines Department has been hit hard by floodwaters triggered by unseasonably heavy rains that caused the Oueme and Mono rivers to overflow. The small Plateau Department with Sakété as its capital town, another main town in the department is Pobè (Ipobe) the small city is the branch railhead of the Eastern Line, of the Cotonou-Pobè railway. Zou Department with Abomey, the "Royal Capital" as its seat of the provincial government. Abomey was formerly the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dahomey (Kingdom of Abomey), including the Republic of Dahomey (1960–1975). The Royal Palaces of Abomey are until now Benin's only UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kouffo Department, since 2008 the small city of Aplahoué is seat of the regional government, before 2008 the capital of Kouffo was Dogbo-Tota or short Dogbo, a major town and marketplace with about 80,000 inhabitants of mainly Aja (Adja) people, who are native to south-western Benin and south-eastern Togo. Mono Department located in the south western corner of Benin, its capital is Lokossa near the border with Togo, a typical West African market town. Atlantique Department's capital is the city of Ouidah on the Atlantic coast, a city of about 90,000 inhabitants. The port city was one of the trading points for the slave trade, all the major colonial powers, who were in need for labor force in their colonial possessions, have built forts in the city to protect their interests in the trade of slaves. The Door of No Return is a memorial to the Atlantic slave trade in Ouidah.

In Ouémé Department lies Porto-Novo (also known as Hogbonou and Adjacé) the official capital of the West African nation, which before was the capital of French Dahomey (a French colony from 1904 to 1958). Porto-Novo (Portuguese: New Port) is Benin's second-largest city with a population of about 250,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the government. Littoral Department is the smallest of Benin's 12 departments, it is just around Benin's largest city Cotonou , cultural and political center of the country. Benin Benin SOS Children works in Benin.

For more information see SOS Children in Benin, Africa République du Bémmin "The Dawn of a New Day" Capital Porto Novo1 6°28′N 2°36′E Largest city Cotonou Official languages French Government Multiparty democracy - President Yayi Boni Independence from France - Date August 1, 1960 Area - Total 112,622 km² ( 101st) 43,483 sq mi - Water (%) 1.8 Population - July 2005 estimate 8,439,0002 ( 89th) - 2002 census 6,769,914 - Density 75/km² ( 118th3) 194/sq mi GDP ( PPP) 2005 estimate - Total $8.75 billion ( 140th) - Per capita $1,176 ( 165th) HDI (2004) 0.428 (low) ( 163rd) Currency CFA franc ( XOF) Time zone WAT

 ( UTC+1) - Summer ( DST) not observed ( UTC+1) Internet TLD .bj Calling code +229 1 Cotonou is the seat of government.

2 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. 3 Rank based on 2005 estimate. Not to be confused with the Kingdom of Benin, now the Benin region of Nigeria , or Benin City in that region. Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in Western Africa, formerly known as Dahomey (until 1975) or Dahomania. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north; its short coastline to the south leads to the Bight of Benin. Its capital is Porto Novo, but the seat of government is Cotonou. Name The name Benin has no proper connection to Kingdom of Benin (or Benin City). The name Dahomey was changed in 1975 to The Republic of Benin, named after the body of water on which the country lies, the Bight of Benin.

This name was picked due to its neutrality, since the current political boundries of Benin encompass over 50 distinct linguistic groups and nearly as many individual ethnic groups. The name Dahomey was the name of the ancient Fon Kingdom, and was determined to be an inappropriate name for such a culturally diverse modern country. History Celebration at Abomey, 1908. The African kingdom of Dahomey was formed by a mixture of various local ethnic groups on the Abomey plain. Historian IA Akinjogbin theorized that the insecurity caused by the slave trade may have contributed to mass migrations of different groups, including a segment of the royal family of the city of Allada, to Abomey. These groups coalesced around a strict military culture aimed at securing and eventually expanding the borders of the small kingdom. Dahomey was known for its distinct culture and traditions. Boys were often apprenticed to older soldiers at a young age, and learned about the kingdom's military customs until they were old enough to join the army.

Dahomey was also famous for instituing an elite female soldier corps, called "Ahosi" or "our mothers" in the Fongbe language, but better known as the Dahomean Amazons in English. This emphasis on military preparation and achievement earned Dahomey the nickname of "little black Sparta" from European observers and commentators like Sir Richard Burton. Human sacrifice was a common practice, according to contemporary sources; on holidays and special occasions, thousands of slaves and prisoners of war were beheaded in public. Some Dahomean religious beliefs maintained that decapitation enhanced the prestige and potency of the Dahomean throne and its warriors. Though the founders of Dahomey appear to have initially been against it, the slave trade was active in the region of Dahomey for almost three hundred years, leading to the area being named "the Slave Coast". The demands of court procedures, which demanded that a portion of war captives from the kingdom's many battles be decapitated, led to a decrease in the amount of enslaved people exported from the area.

The number went from 20,000 at the end of the seventeenth century to 12,000 in the beginning of the 1800's. The decline is partly due to many colonial countries declaring slave trade illegal. This decline continued until 1885, when the last Portuguese trade vessel with slaves departed from the coast of present day Benin. Along with the powerful Dahomean kingdom, a range of other nations inhabited the area that would become the Republic of Benin. Of note were the Ketu, Icha, Dassa, Anago, and other sub-groups of the Yoruba-speaking people. These groups were in close contact with related sub-groups in present-day Nigeria, and were often enemies of the Dahomeans. However, some were also citizens of Dahomey and in regions like present-day Porto Novo, both groups were intermarried. North of these people were the Borgu, Mahi, and several other ethnic groups that form the country's present population. By the middle of the 19th century , Dahomey started to lose its status as the regional power, enabling the French to take over the area in 1892.

In 1899, the land became part of the French West Africa colony, still as Dahomey. In 1958, it was granted autonomy as the Republic of Dahomey, and full independence started on August 1, 1960. For the next 12 years, ethnic strife contributed to a period of turbulence. There were several coups and regime changes, with three main figures dominating - Sourou Apithy, Hubert Maga, and Justin Ahomadegbé - each of them representing a different area of the country. These three agreed to form a presidential council after violence had marred the 1970 elections. In 1972, a military coup led by Mathieu Kérékou overthrew the council. He established a Marxist government under the control of Military Council of the Revolution (CNR), and the country was renamed to the People's Republic of Benin in 1975. In 1979, the CNR was dissolved and elections took place. By the late 1980s, Kérékou abandoned Marxism after an economic crisis and decided to re-establish a parliamentary capitalist system.

He was defeated in 1991 elections by Nicéphore Soglo, becoming the first black African president to step down after an election. He returned to power after winning the 1996 vote. In 2001, a closely fought election resulted in Kérékou winning another term. His opponents claimed there were some election irregularities. President Kérékou and former President Soglo did not run in the 2006 elections, both being barred by the constitution of Benin from running again due to their age and President Kérékou's two recent terms as president. President Kérékou is widely praised for making no effort to change the constitution so that he could remain in office or run again, unlike some African leaders. An election, considered free and fair, was held on March 5, 2006, and resulted in a runoff between Yayi Boni and Adrien Houngbédji. The runoff election was held on March 19 and was won by Yayi Boni, who assumed office on April 6. The success of the fair multiparty elections in Benin won high praise, and Benin is widely considered a model democracy in Africa.

Politics Politics of Benin takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Benin is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the legislature. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The current political system is derived from the 1990 Constitution of Benin and the subsequent transition to democracy in 1991. Administrative divisions For decades Benin was divided into six departments or provinces, each of which was split in two in 1999. The provinces are divided into 77 communes. The twelve provinces of Benin are: Alibori (from north Borgou) Littoral (the region of Cotonou, split from Atlantique) Mono Map of Benin Satellite image of Benin, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library Stretched between the Niger River in the north and the Bight of Benin in the south, Benin's elevation is about the same for the entire country.

Most of the population lives in the southern coastal plains, where Benin's largest cities are also located, including Porto Novo and Cotonou. The north of the country consists mostly of savanna and semi-arid highlands. The climate in Benin is hot and humid with relatively little rain compared to other West African countries, although there are two rainy seasons (April-July and September-November). In the winter the dust winds of the harmattan can make the nights rather cold. The largest city and commercial capital is Cotonou. The name Cotonou is from the Fon phrase ku tɔ nu 'at the lake of the dead', from the adjacent lagoon. This is a reference to the belief that falling stars represent the souls of those who have just died falling to the underworld. It is said that when Cotonou was founded, the lights of the lacustrine village of Ganvié across the lagoon were reflected in the waters, suggesting fallen stars at the bottom. Ganvié is a fishing village sitting in the water on stilts at the western shore of the lagoon. The town of Ouidah is the spiritual capital of vodun, and is known locally as glexwe.

It was a major slaving port under Portuguese occupation. The town of Abomey is the old capital of the Fon kingdom of Dahomey, and the Fon king continues to reside there. In Atakora province, Betamaribe settlements straddling the Togolese border are called tata somba 'Somba houses'; they are famous for their fortifications, with livestock housed inside and the people sleeping in huts among the granaries on the roofs. Economy The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged a stable 5% in the past six years, but rapid population rise has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism , facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. The 2001 privatization policy should continue in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of initial government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, while pressing for speeded-up structural reforms.

Demographics There are several dozen ethnolinguistic groups in Benin, representing three of Africa's language families: Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, and Afroasiatic. The later is represented by Hausa living mostly as merchants in the north, while Nilo-Saharan is represented by the Dɛndi, descending from the Songhai Empire. The Dɛndi language predominates along the Niger River in the far north, and is used as a lingua franca in Muslim areas throughout the north, in Alibori, Borgou, and Donga provinces.

Of the Niger-Congo family, five branches are represented: Mande by the Boko or Busa, now in the far eastern corner (southern Alibori-northern Borgou), but previously more widely spread before being largely absorbed by the Bariba West Atlantic by the nomadic Fulbe scattered across the northeast Benue-Congo by the Yoruba of Collines and Plateau provinces, such as the old kingdom of Sakete, and the capital city of Porto-Novo , having expanded west from Ɔyɔ and Ifɛ in the 12th to 19th centuries Gur (Voltaic) languages predominate in the four northern provinces, with the Batɔmbu (Bariba) of the old Borgou (Bariba) Kingdom occupying most of the countryside in its successor provinces of Borgou and Alibori, as well as the provincial captital of Parakou; the Yom throughout much of Donga province and its capital Djougou; and several groups in the Atakora, including the Bɛtamaribɛ of the Otammari country around the provincial capital of Natitingou, the Biali, the Waama of Tanguiéta, and the Gulmàce

ba.

Kwa, especially the Gbe languages spoken by the Tado peoples in the southern and central provinces: the Aja who established themselves in Kouffo province from neighboring Togo and gave rise to the other Tado peoples of Benin, except for the Mina of Mono province, who arrived separately from Togo or Ghana : The Fɔn culture centered in Zou province around the old Fɔn capital of Abomey, but also dominant in Cotonou and southern Atlantique areas such as Ouidah; the Maxi in central Collines, especially around Savalou; the Ayizɔ of central Atlantique ( Allada); the Xwla and Xueda in the lagoons of the coast; the Tɔfin of Ouémé; and the Gun of Porto-Novo. Other Kwa languages are spoken by the Anii in southern Donga in the region of Bassila, and the Fooɖo in western Donga near the town of Ouaké.

Numerically, the most important people are the Fon, with 1.7 million speakers of the Fon language (2001), followed by the various Yoruba groups (1.2 million), the Aja (600,000), the Bariba (460,000), the Ayizo (330,000), the Fulbe (310,000), and the Gun (240,000). Near the ports in the south can be found people of lighter skin who are descended from returned Brazilian slaves. There are also small numbers of Europeans, principly French, and Asians, principly Lebanon and Indians . Indigenous religions are followed by a majority of the people and include local animistic religions in the Atakora (Atakora and Donga provinces), and Vodun among the Yoruba and Tado peoples of the centre and south of the country. The town of Ouidah on the central coast is the spiritual centre of Beninese vodun.

The Yoruba and Tado pantheons correspond closely: The supreme deity Mawu (in the Fon language) or Olodumare (in Yoruba) The god of the earth and smallpox, Sakpata or Cankpana The god of thunder, Xevioso or Cango The god of war and iron, Gu or Ogun The principal introduced religions are Islam , introduced by the Songhai Empire and Hausa merchants, and now followed throughout Alibori, Borgou, and Donga provinces, as well as among the Yoruba, by 10-15% of the population; and Christianity , followed nominally by another 10-15% throughout the south and centre of Benin and in Otammari country in the Atakora. Most Christians, however, continue to hold Vodun beliefs and have incorporated the Christian pantheon into the Vodun. Culture It is believed that Vodun (or "Voodoo", as it is commonly known) originated in Benin and was introduced to Brazil , the Caribbean Islands, and parts of North America by slaves taken from this particular area of the Slave Coast.

The indigenous religion of Benin is practiced by about 60% of the population. Since 1992 Vodun has been recognized as one of Benin's official religions, and a National Vodun Holiday is celebrated on January 10. Many Beninese in the south of the country have Akan-based names indicating the day of the week they were born on. Twins are important in south Beninese culture, and special names for twins are also used. Local languages are used as the languages of instruction in elementary schools, with French only introduced after several years. Beninese languages are generally transcribed with a separate letter for each speech sound ( phoneme), rather than using diacritics as in French or digraphs as in English. This includes Beninese Yoruba, which in Nigeria is written with both diacritics and digraphs. For instance, the mid vowels written é è, ô, o in French are written e, ɛ, o, ɔ in Beninese languages, whereas the consonants written ng and sh or ch in English are written ŋ and c.

However, digraphs are used for nasal vowels and the labial-velar consonants kp and gb, as in the name of the Fon language Fon gbe /fõ ɡ͡be/, and diacritics are used as tone marks. In French-language publications, a mixture of French and Beninese orthographies may be seen. Retrieved from " " This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia with only minor checks and changes (see for details of authors and sources) and is available under the Facts About the Republic of Benin: Official Document Facts About the Republic of Benin: Official Document Geography Location Benin is located in West Africa and covers a land area Of 112,622 Sq. km. and constitutes a long stretch of hand perpendicular to the Coast of the Gulf of Guinea. It is bordered on the North by Burkina Faso and the Republic of Niger, on the East by the Federal Republic of Nigeria and on the West by the Republic of Togo. With a 124 kilometers long coastline, it stretches North to South some 672 kilometers while its breath extends 324 kilometers at the evident point. It is above two third the Size of Portugal.

Topography Benin can be divided into five natural regions: A coastal area, low, sandy and about 2 to 5 kilometers wide, bounded by lagoons; A plateau zone called "La terre de barre" made of iron clay cut with marshy dips; A silica clayey plateau with wooded savannah extending North of Abomey to the foothills of the Atakora hills; - A hilly region in the Northwest, the Atakora, with elevation ranging from 500 to 800 metres and constituting the water reservoir for Benin and Niger Republics. Niger plains which are vast fertile silica-clayey areas. Vegetation The forest thins out considerably in the center and gives way lo grassland. Elsewhere, cultivated crops predominate, including the immense palmgroves of lower Benin and the coconut plantations on the 124 kilometers long coastline and along the lagoons. Climatology Benin is characterized by unusually dry conditions. This is due primarily to two very important factors. First, the situation of the coast which is rather well protected from the western winds; second, the Atakora Barrier in the West and North West which decreases the amount of rainfall.

The great part of the country is under the influence of transitional tropical conditions. Rainfall is not as abundant as found in areas with the same latitude thereby giving rise to tropical conditions known as the BENIN variant. These conditions are marked by a dry season from November to the beginning of April and a rainy season from the latter part of April to October. The Southern portion of the Republic of Benin, i.e. the Coastal zone, is under the influence of a Northern transitional equatorial climate characterized by a long dry season from November to the end of March, a first rainy season from April to July, a small dry period in August and a second rainy season in September and October. The Northern portion of the country is subject to a true tropical climate. A long dry season in winter can be observed with a long rainy season in the summer. The mean temperature is between 77oF and 82oF (25o to 28oC). The best time to visit the Southern area is from December to March and July/August while visiting period for the Northern part of the Country is between December and April.

Communications The geographic setting of Benin serves to integrate the region and provides direct access to the bordering states by water, rail, airlines and railways. 5-seaters ply between Cotonou and Lome, Cotonou and Lagos to name the nearest other capital cities while buses and lorries are available for such long distance trips as Cotonou-Parakou, Parakou-Kandi, Parakou-Malanville, Parakou- Djougou . Roads: 8,000 kilometers will 1,000 km or bitumenized roads Railways: 570 kilometers in joint venture with the Republic of NIGER. Airport: Main airport is in Cotonou with many foreign air companies. Port: International harbor with modern facilities in Cotonou. Telecommunications: Infrastructures are performing more than 6,000 lines with direct contact with the external world. There is a full range of postal services in most towns and localities. Telex and Fax facilities are available in Cotonou.

The Constitution at a glance A multi-party system country President/ Head of State/ Head of Government A one-man-one-vote suffrage to elect the President/Head of Government who may be a member to a Party. His tenure of office is five (5) years and is renewed only once. He should be of Beninese nationality for at least ten (10) years. The vacancy (resignation, death...) of the presidency is filled by the Speaker of the National Assembly. The new Head of State is elected within forty (40) days. The President/ Head of State/ Head of Government addresses the Nation on the state of the Nation in the National Assembly Hall once in a year National Assembly A one-man-one-vote suffrage to elect the Members of Parliament (MP). His 4-year mandate is renewable. There is one MP for 70,000 inhabitants. The vacancy (resignation, death...) at the speakership is filled by his successor elected within fifteen (15) days when the House is in session or at an immediate meeting held in compliance with its rules of procedure. The vacancy of an MP is filled by his substitute also elected in the same manner.

There are two ordinary sessions starting within the first fortnight of April and the second fortnight of October respectively. Each session cannot exceed three (3) months. The decision is taken by a simple majority. The Flag The National Flag was, for the first time, hoisted formally on the independence day, August 1, 1960 to replace the French Flag. The colors are green, red and yellow. As explained in the second verse of the National Anthem, the green denotes hope for renewal, the red evokes the ancestors' courage while the yellow calls to mind the country's richest treasures. But when the country went red in 1975 after a military coup on October 26,1972 the then one-party regime, with its Marxist-Leninist ideology, decided to change the National Flag. It became a plain green flag with a red star on its upper left part. Fed up with a centrally governed State whose ideology had but retarded the country's development in all fields, a National Conference in which all walks of life participated from February 19 to 28, 1990 decided among other things to re-establish the above-mentioned flag of August 1,1960.

Demography and Languages Demography The population of BENIN is estimated at 4,500,000 inhabitants largely concentrated in Southern coastal region near the major port city of Cotonou (450,000 inhabitants) the chief town of the Atlantic Department, the capital city of Porto Novo (200,000 inhabitants) in the OUEME Department as well as the "Royal City" of Abomey (80,000 inhabitants) in the Central Department of ZOU. The annual growth rate is 3.1%. Other important towns are Ouidah, Allada, Abomey, Grand Popo, Lokossa, Save, Savalou, Parakou, Djougou, Natitingou, Malanville, Kandi. Languages Over half the people speak Fon. Yoruba, Mina, Bariba and Dendi are the other important languages. French is the official language. Beside the French language, English is necessarily one of the two foreign languages taught in secondary schools.

Greetings in Fon - Good morning: AH-FON Ghan-Jee-Ah - Good evening: Kou Do Bah Dah - How are you: Ah-Doh Ghan-Jee-Ah - Thank you: Ah-Wah-Nou - Bargu, Bariba, Bouko, Dendi; others are Dyerma, Fulfulde, Peul, Niendi. The MONO "department" - Adja, Guin, Mina, Nago; others are Popo, Saxwe, Waci, Xweda, Xwela. The OUEME "department" - Ayizo, Gun, Holi, Idaca, Ife; others are Nago, Weme, Yoruba. The Zou "department" - Fon, Idaca, Ife, Mahi; others are Nago, Seto. Places of Interest Ouidah: Spelt "WHYDAH" in history books written in English, it is the "Museum City". It is evocative of European penetration with its ancient Portuguese, English, Danish and French trading posts or strongholds. There can be seen the remains of the ancient port from which slaves were boarded and shipped to the Americas.

Abomey: Referred to as the "Royal City", it is the capital of Dan-Home, the ancient Kingdom. It has one of the most impressive museums of Africa. Its artists and craftsmen, be they weavers, jewelers, woodcarvers, iron and brass workers are famous far beyond the boundaries of the Republic of BENIN. Allada: It is the city, the cradle of "voodoos" in vogue in the Americas, namely in Brazil, West Indies, the Caribbean countries. Porto Novo: The "City with three Names" (Porto Novo,Hogbonou,Adjatche) . It is Benin's administrative capital, right in the middle of the Yoruba land. Nikki: The historic capital of the Baatonu people. Natitiogou: Its castle-type "TATA-Sombas" and the traditional huts of the Tanekas and other tribes in the North where there are the richly varied fauna of the National Parks of Pendjari and "W". Ganvie: AFRICA's unique floating villages built on stilts. A population of several thousand.

Motorboats or dugouts are available for the trips across the lake to the Ganvie. During the trip, there are Akadjas made of stakes and bushes in the shape of open circles or triangles driven into the bed of the plantless Lake. Seeking shelter among the foliage, the fish can thus be easily caught or kept for breeding. Visa Requirements - Central Bank of West Africa P.O. Box 325 Cotonou - Bank of Africa - Financial Bank - International Bank of Benin (B.I.B.) The currency is the CFA franc divided into 100 centimes; the parity with the French franc is fixed: 1 FF = 50 CFA francs. Working Time Business hours Monday - Friday: 8a.m. to 12:30 a.m 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Government Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. to 12:30 3 p.m. 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Public Holidays January 1: New Year's Day Easter Monday Ascension Day May 1: May Day Whitmonday August 1: National Day August 15: Assumption Day November 1: All Saints' Day December 25: Christmas Day Ramadan Ad-el-FlTR Maouloud The details regarding Muslim Holidays are but approximative since they are observed following the sightings of the moon. Hotel Industry Benin Sheraton Cotonou Hotel de L'etoile Cotonou P.O. Box 1901 Cotonou P.O. Box 1866 Telex: 511-5112 Tel. (229) 31-56-41 Tel. (229) 30-01-00 and Telex: 5340 (229) 30-12-56 PLM Aledjo Cotonou Hotel de France Cotonou P.O. Box 2292 P.O. Box 921 Telex: 5180 Tel.(229) 32-19-44 Tel.

(229) 33-05-61 and (229)33-05-62 Hotel de La Plage Cotonou Hotel Beaurivage Porto Novo P.O. Box 36 P.O. Box 387 Tel. (229) 33-25-60 and Tel. (229) 21-23-99 (229) 31-25-61 Hotel du Port Cotonou Hotel Dona Porto Novo P.O. Box 7067 P.O. Box 95 Tel. (229) 31-44-43 Tel. (229) 21-30-52 and Telex: 5377 (229) 21-30-38 Hotel du Golfe Cotonou Hotel Dako 1er Bohicon/Abomey P.O. Box 37 P.O. Box 218 Tel. (229) 33-09-55 Tel.

(229) 51-01-38 and Telex. 5321 (229) 51-02-38 El Dorado Cotonou Hotel Gbena Ouidah P.O. Box 37 P.O. Box 208 Tel. (229) 33-09-23 Tel (229) 34-12-15 Hotel G. L. Cotonou Etoile Rouge Hotel Lokossa P.O. Box 1226 P.O. Box 17 Tel. (229) 33-16-17 Tel. (229) 41-12-30 Telex: 5311 Hotel de L'Union Cotonou Le Relais des Routiers Parakou P.O. Box 921 P.O. Box 81 Tel. (229) 31-27-66 and Tel.

(229) 61-04-01 (229) 31-55-60 Croix du Sud Hotel Cotonou Hotel Tata Somba (PLM) P.O. Box 280 P.O. Box 82 Tel. (229) 30-09-54 and Tel. (229) 82-11-24 (229) 30-09-55 Village Club Aheme B.P. 2090 Cotonou Abomey : definition of Abomey and synonyms of Abomey (English) 7 External links The Royal Palaces of Abomey The royal palaces of Abomey are a group of earthen structures built by the Fon people between the mid-17th and late 19th Centuries. One of the most famous and historically significant traditional sites in West Africa, the palaces form one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites .

The town was surrounded by a mud wall with a circumference estimated at six miles (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911), pierced by six gates , and protected by a ditch five feet deep, filled with a dense growth of prickly acacia , the usual defence of West African strongholds. Within the walls were villages separated by fields, several royal palaces, a market-place and a large square containing the barracks. In November 1892, Behanzin , the last independent reigning king of Dahomey, being defeated by French colonial forces, set fire to Abomey and fled northward. The French colonial administration rebuilt the town and connected it with the coast by a railroad. Royal Palaces of Abomey * ** Region as classified by UNESCO When UNESCO designated the royal palaces of Abomey as a World Heritage Site in 1985 it stated From 1625 to 1900 twelve kings succeeded one another at the head of the powerful Kingdom of Abomey. With the exception of King Akaba, who used a separate enclosure, they each had their palaces built within the same cob-wall area, in keeping with previous palaces as regards the use of space and materials.

The royal palaces of Abomey are a unique reminder of this vanished kingdom. From 1993, 50 of the 56 bas-reliefs that formerly decorated the walls of King Glèlè (now termed the ' Salle des Bijoux ') have been located and replaced on the rebuilt structure. The bas-reliefs carry an iconographic program expressing the history and power of the Fon people. Today, the city is of less importance, but is still popular with tourists and as a centre for crafts . Threats As reported by UNESCO World Heritage News, the Royal Palaces of Abomey suffered from a fire on January 21, 2009, "which destroyed several buildings." [3] The fire was the most recent disaster which has plagued the site, coming after a powerful tornado damaged the site in 1984. [4] Demographics Dance of the Fon chiefs 1908 Young girl with wooden statue of mystic chair (1908) Abomey in 2006

Question: Which city in the Zou Department of The People's Republic of Benin was formerly the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dahomey?
Answer: Abomey