When did Benin exist?

Benin existed 1961–2024. On this map it is drawn 1961–2024.

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Benin covered about 118,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

Africa · Independence and the modern states

Benin

Republic · 1961–2024

See it on the map → Wikipedia ↗

Type: Republic
Existed: 1961–2024
Shown on the map: 1961–2024
Peak area: 118k km²
Region: Africa

Overview

Benin is a narrow West African country stretching from the Bight of Benin on the Gulf of Guinea northward to the Niger River, bordered by Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Niger. From the 17th to the 19th centuries the region was dominated by the Kingdom of Dahomey, founded by Fon people on the Abomey plateau, alongside the rival city-state of Porto-Novo. King Agaja conquered the coastal cities of Allada and Whydah by 1727, and Dahomey grew rich on the Atlantic slave trade — the region was dubbed the "Slave Coast" — while fielding a celebrated female soldier corps known as the Dahomean Amazons, which earned the kingdom the nickname "Black Sparta."

History

France conquered the area in 1892–1894 and incorporated it as French Dahomey within French West Africa in 1899. Granted autonomy in 1958, Dahomey achieved full independence on 1 August 1960 under President Hubert Maga. The following decade brought chronic instability, with coups and regime changes dominated by Maga, Sourou Migan Apithy, and Justin Ahomadégbé, whose Presidential Council was overthrown by Lt. Col. Mathieu Kérékou in 1972. Kérékou declared the country Marxist in 1974 and renamed it the People's Republic of Benin in 1975, nationalizing banks and industry; economic collapse in the late 1980s forced him to renounce Marxism, and a sovereign national conference in 1990 steered the country to multiparty democracy — a pioneering transition in Africa. Kérékou lost the 1991 election to Nicéphore Soglo, becoming the first mainland African president to cede power at the ballot box, though he returned to office by election in 1996 and 2001.

Later history and present status

Later presidents Thomas Boni Yayi and Patrice Talon oversaw economic growth but also a slide toward tighter political control, including a suppressed coup attempt in December 2025. Benin's roughly 15 million people are about 38 percent Fon, with Yoruba, Adja, and Bariba majorities regionally; Christianity (about 53 percent) and Islam (31 percent) predominate, while Ouidah remains the spiritual center of Vodun. The economy depends on agriculture, palm oil, cotton, and the port of Cotonou. Porto-Novo is the official capital.

Common questions

What was Benin?: Benin is a narrow West African country stretching from the Bight of Benin on the Gulf of Guinea northward to the Niger River, bordered by Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Niger. From the 17th to the 19th centuries the region was dominated by the Kingdom of Dahomey, founded by Fon people on the Abomey plateau, alongside the rival city-state of Porto-Novo.
When did Benin exist?: Benin existed 1961–2024. On this map it is drawn 1961–2024.
How large was Benin?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Benin covered about 118,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Who ruled Benin?: France conquered the area in 1892–1894 and incorporated it as French Dahomey within French West Africa in 1899. Granted autonomy in 1958, Dahomey achieved full independence on 1 August 1960 under President Hubert Maga.
What is the present status of Benin?: Later presidents Thomas Boni Yayi and Patrice Talon oversaw economic growth but also a slide toward tighter political control, including a suppressed coup attempt in December 2025. Benin's roughly 15 million people are about 38 percent Fon, with Yoruba, Adja, and Bariba majorities regionally; Christianity (about 53 percent) and Islam (31 percent) predominate, while Ouidah remains the spiritual center of Vodun.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 10 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

See Benin in its world

Open the atlas at 1993 and every neighbour, rival and successor is on screen with it — then drag the slider and watch what happens next.

Open the map at 1993 →