Republic of Benin

Capital Constitutional: Porto-Novo / Virtually: Cotonou

Languages French (official language), Fon, Yoruba and other ethnic languages

Ethnicity Fon 59%, Somba 10%, Yoruba 10%, Baliba 9%, etc.

Fon, Yoruba (southern)

Aja (Mono, Kufo River basin)     

Barita, Pauravas (northern)

46 tribes such as the Somba tribe (between Atakora Mountains and Togo)

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Religion Voodoo 65%, Christianity 20%, Islam 15%

Area 1/3 of Japan
 

The Kingdom of Dahomey in what is now Benin was founded in the 17th century and survived until the 19th century when French troops came from Senegal to conquer the kingdom and incorporate it into French West Africa.
The Dahomey Kingdom is a kingdom of the Aja tribe, and began to have power around 1620. In the middle of the 17th century, during the time of Houegbadja, the royal capital (Abomei), which was the foundation of the kingdom, was established, and legal systems, administrative structures, and religious events were established. He declared himself the king of the territory of the Aja tribe.

There is a description that the Dahomey kingdom is the kingdom of the Fon people, but Fon is the name of a mixed race born from a mixture of the Aja people and the indigenous people who lived in Abomey.
In addition, they performed a worship ritual called Voodoo, which is the basis of voodoo religion, and they offered not only animal sacrifices but also human sacrifice to their ancestors.
 

The Dahomey kingdom prospered through the slave trade until it was conquered by France in the 19th century, but as the war conquered many tribes and expanded their territory, many tribes were hostile to Dahomey and became the Dahomey kingdom. Most of the members of the French army who fought against them were Africans. In particular, it is said that the hostility of the Yoruba tribe of the neighboring kingdom of Oyo to Dahomey led to the decline of the kingdom.

The southern part has a hot and humid tropical rainforest climate, with two rainy seasons, March-July and October-November.

The central part has a savanna climate, the northern part has a dry climate, and the rainy season is from May to September.

Mainly self-sufficient and small agriculture and livestock that produces corn.

As commercial crops, cotton, coffee and oil palm are cultivated by plantations.