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Cotonou

Coordinates: 6°22′N 2°26′E / 6.367°N 2.433°E / 6.367; 2.433
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Cotonou
View of Cotonou in 2019
View of Cotonou in 2019
Flag of Cotonou
Flag
Coat of arms of Cotonou
Coat of arms
Cotonou is located in Benin
Cotonou
Cotonou
Location of Cotonou in yellow
Coordinates: 6°22′N 2°26′E / 6.367°N 2.433°E / 6.367; 2.433
Country Benin
DepartmentLittoral Department
Government
 • MayorLuc Atrokpo [fr]
Area
 • Total79 km2 (31 sq mi)
Elevation
51 m (167 ft)
Population
 (2013 census)[1]
 • Total679,012
 • Density8,600/km2 (22,000/sq mi)

Cotonou (French pronunciation: [kɔtɔnu]; Fon: Kútɔ̀nú)[2] is the largest city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area.[3]

The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The city lies in the southeast of the country, between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Nokoué.[4]

Cotonou is the seat of government in Benin, although Porto-Novo is the official capital.

History

Fort of Cotonou in 1900
See also: Timeline of Cotonou

The name "Cotonou" means "by the river of death" in the Fon language.[5] At the beginning of the 19th century, Cotonou (then spelled "Kutonou") was a small fishing village, and is thought to have been formally founded by King Ghezo of Dahomey in 1830.[5] It grew as a centre for the slave trade, and later palm oil and cotton.[5] In 1851 the French Second Republic made a treaty with King Ghezo that allowed them to establish a trading post at Cotonou.[6] During the reign of King Glele (1858–89), the territory was ceded to the Second French Empire by a treaty signed in 1878.[7] In 1883, the French Navy occupied the city to prevent British conquest of the area.

After Glele's death in 1889, King Béhanzin unsuccessfully tried to challenge the treaty. The town grew rapidly following the building of the harbour in 1908.[5]

The population in 1960 was only 70,000.[8]

Geography

The Ouémé River as it flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Cotonou

Cotonou is on the coastal strip between Lake Nokoué and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is cut in two by a canal, the lagoon of Cotonou, dug by the French in 1855. Three bridges are in this area. The Ouémé River flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Cotonou.

Bridge in Cotonou

The city has established transportation infrastructure including air, sea, river (to Porto Novo), and land routes that facilitate trade with its neighbors Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and Togo.

Coastal erosion has been noted for several decades. It worsened in 1961 following construction of the Nangbeto Dam and deep-water port of Cotonou. A pilot project funded by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) revealed that in 40 years, the coast to the east of Cotonou had retreated by 400 meters.[9] This erosion has led many people to leave their homes along the coast.[10]

Climate

Under Köppen's climate classification, Cotonou features a tropical wet and dry climate, alternating with two rainy seasons (April-July and September–October, totalling 800 to 1,200 mm (31 to 47 in) of rain per year) and two dry seasons. In December and January, the city is affected by harmattan winds. Temperatures are relatively constant throughout the year, with the average high temperatures hovering around 30 °C (86 °F), and average low temperatures at around 25 °C (77 °F).[11]

Climate data for Cotonou (1991–2020, extremes 1910–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 36.1
(97.0) 		38.6
(101.5) 		36.0
(96.8) 		35.4
(95.7) 		39.0
(102.2) 		33.0
(91.4) 		33.5
(92.3) 		31.8
(89.2) 		31.6
(88.9) 		33.4
(92.1) 		35.4
(95.7) 		36.6
(97.9) 		39.0
(102.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 31.6
(88.9) 		32.2
(90.0) 		32.3
(90.1) 		32.0
(89.6) 		31.3
(88.3) 		29.6
(85.3) 		28.5
(83.3) 		28.2
(82.8) 		29.0
(84.2) 		30.1
(86.2) 		31.6
(88.9) 		31.9
(89.4) 		30.7
(87.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 28.0
(82.4) 		29.2
(84.6) 		29.6
(85.3) 		29.2
(84.6) 		28.4
(83.1) 		27.1
(80.8) 		26.5
(79.7) 		26.2
(79.2) 		26.7
(80.1) 		27.3
(81.1) 		28.4
(83.1) 		28.4
(83.1) 		27.9
(82.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 24.4
(75.9) 		26.0
(78.8) 		26.8
(80.2) 		26.3
(79.3) 		25.4
(77.7) 		24.5
(76.1) 		24.4
(75.9) 		24.1
(75.4) 		24.3
(75.7) 		24.5
(76.1) 		25.3
(77.5) 		24.9
(76.8) 		25.1
(77.2)
Record low °C (°F) 17.0
(62.6) 		17.9
(64.2) 		18.5
(65.3) 		20.7
(69.3) 		19.6
(67.3) 		20.0
(68.0) 		18.8
(65.8) 		19.8
(67.6) 		20.0
(68.0) 		19.1
(66.4) 		21.0
(69.8) 		17.9
(64.2) 		17.0
(62.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 19.4
(0.76) 		38.2
(1.50) 		80.5
(3.17) 		126.1
(4.96) 		213.0
(8.39) 		333.2
(13.12) 		135.2
(5.32) 		39.0
(1.54) 		134.9
(5.31) 		165.1
(6.50) 		43.9
(1.73) 		12.1
(0.48) 		1,340.6
(52.78)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 2 3 6 9 14 18 11 9 14 13 5 1 105
Average relative humidity (%) 75.5 77.3 78.2 79.8 81.3 84.1 84.2 83.7 83.8 83.1 80.6 77.9 80.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 188.8 188.3 213.5 209.7 196.5 137.7 141.3 150.8 155.1 200.9 233.0 219.1 2,234.7
Source 1: NOAA[12]
Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[13]

Demographics

Red Star Square
  • 1979: 320,348 (census count)
  • 1992: 536,827 (census count)
  • 2002: 665,100 (census count)
  • 2013: 679,012 (census count)

French is the official language of Benin. Other languages spoken in Cotonou include Fon, Aja and Yoruba.[14]

Transport

Further information: Transport in Benin and Cotonou Lighthouse
Autonomous Port of Cotonou

The Autonomous Port of Cotonou is one of the largest in West Africa. The city is connected to Parakou in the north by the Benin-Niger railway. Cotonou International Airport provides service to the capitals of the region and to France, as well as the major cities of Benin: Parakou, Kandi, Natitingou, Djougou, and Savé. There are road connections to neighboring countries: Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Togo. A prevalent mode of transport in the city is the motorcycle-taxi, known locally as zémidjan.[5]

In 2015 a suburban passenger railway line was being developed between Cotonou and Pahou.[15]

Economy

Downtown of Cotonou
Congress Palace of Cotonou
BCEAO Tower Cotonou

Important manufactured goods include palm oil, brewing, textiles, and cement.[16] Motor vehicles and bicycles are assembled, and there are sawmills in the city. Petroleum products, bauxite, and iron are major exports.[17] There are offshore platforms drilling for oil.[18] The city is a centre for the automotive trade, with European brands being sold from vast open-air parking lots. In the past, Citroën assembled cars (for instance, the Citroën 2CV and Ami 8) locally.[19]

By 2012, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea had significantly decreased trade at the port of Cotonou.[20]

In the Missebo [fr] area is a textile market [fr] of African prints mainly handled by Indian wholesalers and retailers.[21]

Places of worship

Among the places of worship, Christian churches are predominant: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cotonou (Catholic Church), Protestant Methodist Church in Benin (World Methodist Council), Union of Baptist Churches of Benin (Baptist World Alliance), Living Faith Church Worldwide, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Assemblies of God.[22] There are also Muslim mosques.

Education

Benin University of Science and Technology

The city has a campus of the:

Cotonou is a home to African University Institute Foundation (AUi Foundation) one of the biggest educational philanthropic foundations in Africa.

It also hosts some of the most prestigious private universities in Africa which includes:

  • African University of Benin(AUB)
  • Ecole Superieure de Gestion de Technologie (ESGT UNIVERSITY BENIN)
  • Ecole Supérieure D’Administration, D’Economie, De Journalisme Et Des Métiers De L’Audiovisuel (ESAE UNIVERSITY BENIN)
  • Institut Superieur de Communication d’Organisation et de Management
  • Iscom University Benin
Further information on the digital school: École 229

Media

The Office de Radiodiffusion et Télévision du Bénin (ORTB) — the national television and radio operator — is based in Cotonou.[23]

Sister cities and twin towns

See also

References

  1. ^ "Bénin • Fiche pays • PopulationData.net".
  2. ^ Spelt Kotonu in Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abomey" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 67.
  3. ^ "cotonou population 2.4 million - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  4. ^ "GNS: Country Files". Earth-info.nga.mil. 12 June 2004. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Butler, Stuart (2019) Bradt Travel Guide - Benin, pgs. 74-91
  6. ^ "Benin - History". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  7. ^ Mathurin C. Houngnikpo, Samuel Decalo, Historical Dictionary of Benin, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2013, p. 117
  8. ^ "Benin Population (2021) - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  9. ^ IRIN Humanitarian News. BENIN: Coastal erosion threatening to wipe out parts of Cotonou. Archived 2015-12-08 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Benin's Cotonou – a city slowly swallowed by waves" Archived 2019-05-16 at the Wayback Machine, The Terra Daily, 25 January 2008
  11. ^ "Cotonou climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Cotonou water temperature - Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  12. ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Cotonou". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  13. ^ "Station Cotonou" (in French). Meteo Climat. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  14. ^ "Languages of Benin". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  15. ^ "Benirail concession: Bolloré Group starts rehabilitation work on the Cotonou-Parakou rail link". Bolloré Africa Logistics. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-09-13.
  16. ^ Britannica, Cotonou Archived 2016-04-22 at the Wayback Machine, britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019
  17. ^ "Cotonou, Benin". AffordableTours.com. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  18. ^ "StackPath". www.offshore-mag.com. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  19. ^ World Cars 1972. Automobile Club of Italy/Herald Books, New York: 1972. p. 403, ISBN 0-910714-04-5
  20. ^ "UN says piracy off Africa's west coast is increasing, becoming more violent". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2012-02-29.[dead link]
  21. ^ "Archived copy". zoneforyourprize.life. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ^ J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ‘‘Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices’’, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 338
  23. ^ Private Radio Station sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 5 September 2021
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