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| Source: CIA World Factbook |
The Republic of Benin is a country in Western Africa formally known as Dahomey or Dahomania. It has a small coast line with the Bight of Benin in the south, borders Togo in the west, Nigeria in the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger in the North.
A range of mountains extends along the northwest border and into Togo; this is the Atacora with the highest point, Mount Sokbaro at 658 meters. Two types of landscape predominate in the south. Benin has fields of lying fallow, mangroves and remnants of large sacred forests.
In the rest of the country, savanna is covered with thorny scrubs and dotted with huge baobab trees. Some forests line the banks of rivers. In the north and the northwest of Benin the Reserve du W du Niger and Pendjari National Park attract tourists eager to see elephants, lions, antelopes, hippos and monkeys.
Benin's climate is hot and humid. Annual rainfall in the coastal area averages 36cm not particularly high for coastal West Africa. Benin has two rainy and two dry seasons. The principal rainy season is from April to late July, with a shorter less intense rainy period from late September to November. [more...] |
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