Porto Novo, UNESCO, Benin
Porto-Novo is the capital of Benin, and was the capital of French Dahomey. The commune covers an area of 110 square kilometers and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people.
As the name suggests, Porto-Novo was originally developed as a port for the slave trade led by the Portuguese Empire.
Porto-Novo is a port on an inlet of the Gulf of Guinea, in the southeastern portion of the country. It is Benin’s second-largest city, and although Porto-Novo is the official capital, where the national legislature sits, the larger city of Cotonou is the seat of government, where most of the government buildings are situated and government departments operate. The region around Porto-Novo produces palm oil, cotton and kapok. Petroleum was discovered off the coast of the city in the 1990s, and has since then become an important export.
Epic Benin Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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