Benin

Republic of Benin République du Bénin  (French)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  "Fraternité, Justice, Travail" (French) "Fraternity, Justice, Labour"
Anthem:  L'Aube Nouvelle  (French) The Dawn of a New Day
Location of  Benin  (dark blue) – in Africa  (light blue & dark grey) – in the African Union  (light blue)
Capital	Porto-Novoa
Largest city	Cotonou
Official languages	French
Vernacular languages	Fon Yoruba
Ethnic groups (2006)	39.2% Fon 17.6% Yoruba 15.2% Adja 9.2% Bariba 6.9% Fula 6.1% Ottamari 4.0% Yoa-Lokpa 2.5% Dendi
Demonym	Beninese
Government	Presidential republic
• President	Patrice Talon
• President of the National Assembly	Adrien Houngbédji
Legislature	National Assembly
Independence
• from France	1 August 1960
Area
• Total	114,763 km2 (44,310 sq mi) (100th)
• Water (%)	0.4%
Population
• July 2015 estimate	10,879,829 (82nd)
• 2013 census	10,008,749
• Density	94.8/km2 (245.5/sq mi) (120th)
GDP (PPP)	2016 estimate
• Total	$24.312 billion
• Per capita	$2,184
GDP (nominal)	2016 estimate
• Total	$8.930 billion
• Per capita	$802
Gini (2003)	36.5 medium
HDI (2014)	0.480 low · 166th
Currency	West African CFA franc (XOF)
Time zone	WAT (UTC+1)
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+229
ISO 3166 code	BJ
Internet TLD	.bj
Cotonou is the seat of government.

Coordinates: 6°28′N 2°36′E / 6.467°N 2.600°E / 6.467; 2.600

– in Africa  (light blue & dark grey)
– in the African Union  (light blue)

Benin (US /bᵻˈniːn, -ˈnɪn/ bǝ-NEEN or -NIN; UK /bɛˈniːn/ beh-NEEN; French: Bénin), officially the Republic of Benin (French: République du Bénin) and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. A majority of the population live on its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometers and its population in 2015 was estimated to be approximately 10.88 million. Benin is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming.