Parakou

Parakou
Commune and city
City of Parakou.
Parakou Location in Benin
Coordinates: 9°21′N 2°37′E / 9.350°N 2.617°E / 9.350; 2.617
Country	Benin
Department	Borgou Department
Area
• Total	441 km2 (170 sq mi)
Elevation	324 m (1,063 ft)
Population (2012)
• Total	206,667
• Density	470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zone	WAT (UTC+1)

Parakou is the largest city in eastern Benin, with an estimated population of around 206,667 people, and capital of the Borgou Department. The mayor as of 2008 was Samou Seidou Adambi and administratively the commune of Parakou makes up one of Benin's 77 communes. Since 2015, the mayor is Souradjou Adamou Karimou.

Parakou lies on the main north-south highway RNIE 2 and at the end of a railway to Cotonou. This has made it an important market town, with major industries in cotton and textiles, peanut oil manufacture and brewing. The town grew initially from revenue generated from passing merchants that took goods from the region across the Sahara and the Mediterranean to Europe. It also served as an important stop over in the distribution of goods around Africa. As a result, Parakou became well known in the slave trade. Later traders concentrated on cotton and Parakou remains the hub of the Beninese cotton trade to this day, with considerable interest from Europe.

There are several markets trading, notably the largest, "Grand Marché Arzeke" which one of the largest in Benin, an international market spanning over a block. The Grand Marché Azeke has a large covered hall overlapping onto the streets with stalls, with 500 and 1000 vendors. The market sells an enormous range of goods from items of pottery including vases and bowls, to cotton textiles, cassettes and CD's of local and international artists, local spices, fruits and Gasaru or wagasi (cow's milk cheese) and even food and kitchen utensils. Another market, located several blocks north, is called the "Marché Kobo Kobo", which lies across the street from the French Cultural Centre. Marché Kobo Kobo is known for its clothing retailing, primarily second hand goods and in one section of it, sells livestock. The Marché Depot is located near Parakou Railway Station around numerous hotels and sells mostly food but also calabashes and baskets. There is also the Marché Guema, located next to Guema Church on the northern road to Malanville in the Albarika quarter of the city. The market was founded by the Somba tribe of the Atacora, and takes place every Sunday at 10 am. The market consists of a collection of grass huts, and specialises in beef and pork and local millet beer known as choukachou or simply "chouk".