CHAPTER TWO: HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND CURRENT CHALLENGES __________________________________________________________________________ CHAPTER TWO 2. HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND CURRENT CHALLENGES 2.1 First kingdoms in independent Dahomey 46. The Republic of Benin is a West African country situated on the Gulf of Benin. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the south, Burkina Faso and Niger in the north, Togo in the west, and Nigeria in the east. It stretches 700 km from the Atlantic Ocean to the Niger River, and its widest point measures 325 km. According to the National Geographic Institute (IGN), Benin covers a surface area of 14,763 km². According to the last general census, held in 2002, Benin had a population of 6,753,060. This is estimated to have risen to 8,078,314 by 2007. Almost half the population of Benin is below 15 years old, while those between 15 and 35 years of age represent about 30% of the country’s population. Men comprise 48.6% of the population while women comprise 51.4%2. 47. Benin is not a mountainous country, although there are mountains of about 800 m high, together with plains and plateaus. With its three climatic zones (a humid tropical climate in the south, a semi-humid tropical climate in the centre and a dry tropical climate in the north), its geomorphology, numerous estuaries and fluvio-lagoon systems, Benin has great agricultural potential. It also boasts a great diversity of flora and fauna, as well as several sites that could contribute to the development of the tourist industry. Moreover, the pivotal position of Benin and its coastline are favourable for trade with, and travel between, Nigeria and landlocked countries like Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. 48. Before colonisation, Dahomey (present-day Benin) comprised three vast groups of kingdoms. The north was dominated by states founded by the Baatombu warrior dynasties (the Wasangari) from the east. They had settled in Nikki, Kouandé, Kandi and Parakou. A string of small Nago-Yoruba kingdoms (including those of Kétou and Sàbé) existed across southern Dahomey between the Ouémé River and the border of present-day Nigeria. These kingdoms were gradually subjected to the hegemony of their powerful neighbour, Abomey. Finally, the south was dominated by the great monarchies of the Adja-Fon era. These monarchies exerted the greatest influence over the country, with the two powerful kingdoms of Danxomé (spelt ‘Dahomey’ by the colonists) and Porto-Novo3. 49. According to oral tradition, at the beginning of the 16th Century the Adja left the town of Tado, situated on the banks of the Mono River in Togo, to settle in Savé and Allada in the south. In the 17th Century, a split between the heirs to 2 3 RGPH-INSAE, 2002. 1998. ‘The Republic of Benin’, Encyclopædia Universalis France S.A.. 44