Benin


Formerly Dahomey. a republic in W Africa: formerly part of French West Africa; gained independence in 1960. 44,290 sq. mi. (114,711 sq. km).
Capital: Porto Novo.
Bight of, a bay in N Gulf of Guinea in W Africa.
a former native kingdom in W Africa: now incorporated into Nigeria.
a river in S Nigeria, flowing into the Bight of Benin.
Contemporary Examples

Bill Clinton, Loretta Claiborne: Best Moments From 2012 Clinton Global Initiative (Video) Nina Strochlic September 24, 2012

Historical Examples

Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 64, No. 397, November 1848 Various
The Guinea Voyage James Field Stanfield
Harper’s Young People, February 1, 1881 Various
Old French Fairy Tales Comtesse de Sgur
The Message Louis Tracy
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 5 Various
Celebrated Travels and Travellers Jules Verne
West African studies Mary Henrietta Kingsley
The World and Its People: Book VII Anna B. Badlam

noun
a republic in W Africa, on the Bight of Benin, a section of the Gulf of Guinea: in the early 19th century a powerful kingdom, famed for its women warriors; became a French colony in 1893, gaining independence in 1960. It consists chiefly of coastal lagoons and swamps in the south, a fertile plain and marshes in the centre, and the Atakora Mountains in the northwest. Official language: French. Religion: animist majority. Currency: franc. Capital: Porto Novo (the government is based in Cotonou). Pop: 9 877 292 (2013 est). Area: 112 622 sq km (43 474 sq miles) Former name (until 1975) Dahomey
a former kingdom of W Africa, powerful from the 14th to the 17th centuries: now a province of S Nigeria: noted for its bronzes

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    of or relating to the republic of Benin. a native or inhabitant of Benin. adjective of or relating to Benin or its people noun Also Beninois (ˌbɛniːˈnwɑː). a native or inhabitant of Benin

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