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Cotonou
Cotonou, population 536,827 (1992), is the seat of government of Benin, though the official capital is Porto-Novo. Cotonou's airport and roads and rail facilities make it the transportation and communications hub of the country. Manufactures include palm oil and cake, brewing, textiles, and cement. Motor vehicles and bicycles are assembled, and there are sawmills in the city. Petroleum products, bauxite and iron are exported. Offshore drilling for oil is carried on.
Cotonou was originally dominated by the Kingdom of Dahomey from the 18th century. In 1851 the French made a treaty with the Dahomean King Gezo that allowed them to establish a trading post at Cotonou. In 1883 the French navy occupied the city to prevent British conquest of the area.
Referenced By
Behanzin | Benin | Benin/Government | Bernardin Cardinal Gantin | Countries of the world/By continent | Francophonie | Glele | Government of Benin | ISO 3166-1:BJ | International Francophone Conference | International Organization of la Francophonie | Kondo | La Francophonie | List of Airports:C | List of airports: C | List of capitals and larger cities by country | List of cities in Benin | List of company registers | List of countries by continent | List of largest cities by country | List of national capitals | List of national capitals by country | List of national capitals by country and larger cities in each country | National capitals listed by country | Politics of Benin | Porto-Novo | Porto-Novo, Benin | Porto Novo | Republic of Benin | World capital cities | World capital cities by country
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