The West African Nation of Benin Formerly Known as Dahomey

The country formally known as the Republic of Benin, though often referred to as simply "Benin", is a small country located on the western side of the African continent. Benin is a former French colony that was formerly known as Dahomey, which was an important African kingdom composed of several regional tribes. Throughout much of the 14th and 15th centuries, Dahomey was a prosperous and thriving nation with a flourishing trade and a powerful people. Though the Dahomey nation was one of great strength, when faced with newly arriving European traders who retained modern weaponry, the empire was defeated and descended into turmoil. As centuries passed, the Dahomey population continued to dwindle, and were eventually "conquered" by the French empire. The nation officially became a French colony in 1872 and were under French colonial rule until they declared their independence as the Republic of Benin on August 1, 1960.

The Republic of Benin is a small nation in terms of both area and population, as the country is only 43,000 square miles, and has a population of a mere seven and a half million. Though it is a small country geographically, it has a diverse climate and terrain, and has four distinct geographic regions: the coast, the highland region, mountains, and a more fertile marsh area. Benin is surrounding by other former French colonies: Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria. Much of the country's population lives in rural villages, though there are five populous cities in the nation. The largest city in Benin is Cotonou with a population of approximately 650,000 thousand people, though the city of Porto-Novo is the nation's capital.

The state of Benin's economy is largely undeveloped and much of the economy revolves around the agricultural sector, as there is little industry and modernization in the country. As one can infer, Benin doesn't have a great deal of exported products, as most of their farming and production is done to sustain themselves, not for trade. Some of the country's chief crops include: corn, cotton, beans, rice, peanuts, palm oil, and cassava. Farmers also raise pigs, goats, and sheep, and there is also a noteworthy fishing industry along the coastline. Benin is fortunate in comparison to many other African nations, in that petroleum was discovered there in the late 1960s, and thus the petroleum industry contributes significantly to their economy. The GDP per-capita in Benin is a mere $1,200 annually, though the country's 8% projected economic growth rate should help increase that amount.

Unlike many other West African governments, Benin sports a stable, democratic government that has been in session without interruption since 1991. There is a national assembly to produce legislation, and there is a presidential office, and public officials are elected by the popular vote of the people. The former president and chief of state for the Republic of Benin is a gentleman by the name of Mathieu Kerekou. President Kerekou has held his presidential office for a total of twenty-nine years, from 1972 to 1991 and then again from 1996 to 2006. The Benin constitution introduced term limits as well as a maximum age requirement of 70, which disqualified Kerekou from campaigning for the presidential office for a third term, as he was born in 1933. The current president of Benin and Kerekou's successor, is Yayi Boni, a career diplomat and renowned economist.