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CountryOnlineFind.com > Reception >
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Benign (BJ) |
| Continent: |
Africa |
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| Surface: |
122.622 km ² |
| Inhabitants: |
725.003 |
| Capital: |
Porto-Novo |
International banking code (ISO Codes): |
BJ |
| Official language: |
French |
Code: |
+229 |
| Currency: |
CFA-franc the French Community of Africa |
Number plate: |
RB |
| Routes of Benign: |
166 |
Routes towards Benign: |
150 |
| Preferred airports: |
Cotonou (COO) |
| Principal cities: |
Cotonou, Abomey-Calavi, Porto-Novo, Djougou, Parakou, Bohicon, Kandi, Lokossa, Ouidah, Abomey, Natitingou, Savé, Nikki, Dogbo, Cové |
| Bénin airline company based: |
Benign Golf Air, Afric' Air Charter, Benign Aero |
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Benign tourist guide (Africa) |
The Republic of Benign is located in equatorial Africa, in the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic. This small country has common borders with Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Geography: this country on the very fertile ground is stretched towards north on 700 km towards Niger and can be enorgueillir of immense sand beaches bordered of coconuts. Towards the interior of the country, it is a landscape of plains very fertile and favourable with the agriculture which dominates and which ends in the mountainous chain of Atacora. To the east of this solid mass, the landscape goes down soft inclined towards the Niger river.
Relief and river: it is in the solid mass of Atacora that highest draws up the top of the country, the Sagboroa mount with a height of 658 Mr. Ce are semi-arid mountains with the opulent vegetation which stretch the North-East in south-west, of Ghana while passing through Togo, to finish with the Benign one. One finds there splendid cascades like those of Kudou and Tanougou. The longest river of the country is the Ouémé river which extends on 500 km and takes its source in the solid mass of Atakora in the surroundings of Djougou and crosses all the country to the Gulf of Guinea where, in the surroundings of Oporto Novo, it is thrown in the Atlantic Ocean.
Climate and period of visit recommended: the best period to visit the Benign one is between December and April, for the dry period, even if in north, it reigns a southern climate sahélien and so between December and February, Harmattan, a dry and hot wind, originating in the Sahara is still felt. South of Benign, to 250 km of the east coasts subjected to him to a rather equatorial and subtropical climate with two rain seasons, the first between May and July, the second between September and December with a constant maximum temperature of about 29°C.
Official languages and spoken languages: the official language is French. Nevertheless, in all the country one can count up to 60 dialects. In north, one rather uses tribal languages such as the bariba and the fulani, while in the south, one rather speaks the fon and the yoruba. English is spoken only in the national parks, by the tradesmen, and the people who live tourism.
Health and vaccinations: generally one advises with the travellers to be made vaccinate against hepatitis has, typhus, the polio, the diphteria and tetanus. To prevent the viral diseases transmitted by the insects and the mosquitos, it is in general enough to cover well and apply products anti-insects available on the spot. For the Benign one, vaccination against the yellow fever is obligatory for any traveller, except for the young children of less than one year. The vaccine must be inoculated to the maximum eleven days before the departure, without what the entry on the Beninese territory will be refused. Because of the many stretches of water and the two periods of monsoon, the risk to contract the malaria exists throughout the year. A consultation near a doctor thus is essential to consider an effective preventive strategy.
The equipment of health is satisfactory only in the big cities and the tourist places. Certain treatments are not immediately délivrables and the majority of the hospitals and the doctors require an immediate payment and in liquid. This is why it is highly advised to contract an insurance travels including/understanding an insurance repatriation for the most serious cases. For more safety and to avoid risks of infection, it is recommended to consume only bottled water, to peel the fruits well and to make cook vegetables before consuming them. Lastly, think of providing you with a small first-aid kit of voyage. Moreover, made confidence with the indications of the indigenous population to choose a place of bathe. Indeed, in the Gulf of Guinea it circulates at certain places of the rather strong marine currents being able to involve a drowning.
Conditions of entry on the territory: a valid passport as well as a visa that you can obtain from the embassy of Benign are obligatory to enter on the Beninese territory. The minor travellers must be provided with an individual passport. As already mentioned in the heading health, a certificate of vaccination against the yellow fever is also required. He to you will be also sometimes requested documents justifying the reason of your stay from the Benign one.
To obtain further information concerning vaccinations, the conditions of entry and safety, you can for example consult the site of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Travel and transport: Air France (AF) is for the moment the only company to propose direct flights of Europe towards Cotonou (COO). The flights take off of Paris-Orly (ORY). All the other flights make at least a short stopover.
At the present time, the Benign one does not have a national company. For interior flights it is possible to hold a place on small private aircrafts which will take you along towards the international airports of Parakou (PKO), Natitingou (NAE) and Kandi (KDC).
The capital: in fact, the Beninese government at the present time settled in the second larger city of the country, Oporto Novo, which shelters approximately 250.000 inhabitants. However, the official capital is Cotonou, located at 50 km in the west and which shelters about a million inhabitants. It is it which is really the economic and cultural center country. Among the places which deserve a visit, one can quote, the Large international market which is held twice per week on Jonquet Strip in the district of daN Topka and which counts among largest of West Africa, as well as the artisanal market on which one can acquire traditional objects out of carved wooden, percussion instruments, basket making and objects of pottery. The beach of the Split offers a beautiful opportunity to bathe. In the surroundings, one should not deprive oneself of a visit at the village of Ganvie. This “Venice” African is like its homonym on a lagoon and was founded there is more than 250 years. Like Venice, she is traversed channels, bordered here of houses on pile. The best means of discovering this picturesque place is to rent a traditional dugout.
Tourist sites: the Benign one is certainly a small country on the surface, but it has a very rich culture and splendid landscapes with its green hills and its beaches of dream bordered of coconuts on the Atlantic coast. This area is also famous for its culture voodoo which takes its source here and was propagated through the slaves as far as America. Any person who is interested in this culture should imperatively go to Ouidah and try to tie contact with the local population. Perhaps in this manner it will be possible to witness some ritual ceremonies. Moreover, this city located on banks of the Gulf of Benign has many historic sites and cultural. Most interesting are old extremely Portuguese which dates from the colonial period, the crowned forest of Kpasse and the road of the slaves which leaves the old market to the slaves on the Place Cha Cha and which carries out towards the port, the Door of Non the Return, which since 1992 is classified place of memory by UNESCO. All the way that the slaves were to follow is now marked out of statues which all are used to perpetuate the memory of this historical period. If that is possible, it would be very interesting to be present at Ouidah on January 10th, because on this commemorative date, a king voodoo remakes the road of the slaves and proceeds to different ritual and ceremonies. Ouidah shelters also the Temple Voodoo of the Pythons. In the surroundings, in Possotome, on banks of the lake Aheme, mineral springs spout out.
A little more in north, but on same longitude is Abomey, formerly capital powerful kingdom of Dahomey which enters 17th and the 19th century dominated the trade of the slaves over the west coast of Africa. The ruins of the old palates are well preserved there and certain objects of this time are exposed in an contiguous museum. Unfortunately, this priceless heritage is now on the red list of UNESCO after in 1984 a tornado caused serious damage. More than 70% of the buildings are threatened today of total destruction. One can also visit the Temple Voodoo and, not far, the Artisanal Center where one can acquire traditional artisanal objects of good quality.
The travellers who go in the national park of Pendjari should take time to visit the province of Natitingou which is in the south of the solid mass of Atakora. This area of the North-East of the country is indeed the fatherland of the Somba people which gather several ethnos groups, populates famous for his houses of two clay floors, named Tata, at the origin built in height to be used as protection against the merchants of slaves and the wild animals and which since centuries are built in a traditional way. The best period to visit this area is towards the end of February, at which time Harmattan, wind of the desert, do not create any more swirls of sand hot also violent one.
National parks: the Benign one is rich of two important national parks, most important being the National park of Pendjari, which has a not very common animalist wealth of West Africa. One can admire there elephants, crocodiles, hippopotamuses, antelopes and a large colony of zebras in freedom. The park is classified reserve of biosphere by UNESCO and extends from the plate of Atacora to the natural border with Burkina Faso. The park is opened with the visits only for the dry period, from December to June, and it is only at this period that one can observe the animals gathered around the rivers to water itself.
The other large natural park is the National park of W of Niger, transborder park since which it extends on the territories from Niger, of Benign and of Burkina Faso. The park owes its original name with the Niger river whose course, seen plane, points out this letter. As its name also indicates it, the park, located at the North-East of that of Pendjari does not receive the greatest number of travellers in his Beninese part. The great attraction of the park are of course the cheetahs. One finds there also other species of mammals such as the elephants, the buffaloes of Africa, of many species of antelopes, hyenas, lions, hippopotamuses and primates. The birds are as well represented there. In addition to the species of West Africa, in winter one can admire migratory birds from Europe, such as geese, storks or of will hérons. The presence of the Niger river and many stretches of water generates a single biogeographic diversity. On its banks, parks with the crocodiles. Monitors also elected residence as well as many fish species there.
Religion: more than 50% of the Beninese population still practice traditional religions. The Christian religion and the Islamic religion are also represented there since respectively 30% and 20% of the population state to belong to these religions. However, even these populations practice the voodoo which remains very anchored in the Beninese culture.
Big cities and possibilities of lodging: Cotonou, Oporto Novo, Godomey, Parakou, Abomey-Calavi and Bohicon.
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Flights expensive not preferred towards and of Benign/BJ
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