Porto-Novo

capital of Benin

Porto-Novo (also known as Hogbonou and Adjacé) is the capital of the West African country of Benin. The city has a population of 223,552 people [1] Porto-Nova is a port on an inlet of the Gulf of Guinea, in the southeastern part of the country. Porto-Novo is Benin's second largest city. The city of Cotonou is larger and more important, culturally and politically. The region around Porto-Novo produces palm oil, cotton and kapok. Petroleum was found off the coast of the city in the 1990s. It has become an important export of the city.

Porto-Novo
Hogbonou and Adjacé
Coordinates: 6°28′N 2°36′E / 6.467°N 2.600°E / 6.467; 2.600
CountryBenin
Population
 (2002)
 • Total223,552
Time zoneUTC+1
Downtown road

Things to see

  • The Porto Novo Museum of Ethnography has a large collection of Yoruba masks. It also has items on the history of the city and of Benin.
  • King Toffa's palace (also known as the Musée Honmé and the Royal Palace) is now a museum that shows what life was like for African royalty.
  • Jardin Place Jean Bayol is a large plaza which has a statue of the first King of Porto-Novo.
  • The da Silva Museum is a museum of Benin history.
  • The palais de Gouverneur (Governor's palace) is the home of the national legislature.

Another place of interest is a Brazilian-style church which is now a mosque. Stade Municipale and Stade Charles de Gaulle, or Charles de Gaulle Stadium, are the largest football stadiums in the city.

Notes

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