Abomey

Abomey
Coordinates	7 ° 11 ′ N , 1 ° 59 ′ E Coordinates: 7 ° 11 ′ N , 1 ° 59 ′ E
Basic data
Country	Benin
department	Zou
ISO 3166-2	BJ-ZO
height	219 m
Residents	117,824 (2012)
founding	1615
	Street scene in Abomey

Abomey is a city in the Republic of Benin and the former capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey .

geography

The city is located in the south of the country, in the Zou department , of which it is the capital.

population

Abomey has 117,824 inhabitants (as of 2012).

Population development:

1979: 38,412 inhabitants (census)
1992: 51,000 inhabitants (census)
2002: 61,450 inhabitants (census)
2012: 117,824 inhabitants (census)

history

Abomey was the capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey , founded in the early 17th century (around 1615/20) by the Fon people . It dominated the slave trade on the coast until the late 19th century.

The city was surrounded by a mud wall with an estimated circumference of 10 km, broken through by six gates. The 1½ m deep ditch in front was densely overgrown with thorny acacias - a traditional defense measure of West African fortresses.

Within the walls were villages separated by fields, several royal palaces, a market and a large square with barracks .

In November 1892 the last independent king of Dahomey, Behanzin, was defeated by French colonial troops. He set Abomey on fire and fled north. The French conquered Abomey between 1892 and 1894. The French colonial administration rebuilt the city and built a railway to the coast. A Decauville railway connected the city with Bohicon ^{(en) station} , which was 12 km southeast, and from 1926 with Zagnando ^(en) .

Since 1960, the city has been part of the independent state of Dahomey, which was renamed Benin in 1975.

Attractions

one of the royal palaces of Abomey

The Abomey Royal Palaces , a group of adobe buildings built between the mid-17th and late 19th centuries and home to the kings of Dahomey, are among the city's main attractions. They were in the 1985 World Heritage of UNESCO added. The Abomey Historical Museum is housed in two of the palaces.

Today the city is less important, but a tourist attraction and center of traditional handicrafts.

economy

It is the trading center in an agricultural area in which grain , peanuts and palm products are processed.

traffic

The city is connected to Cotonou by a railway .

sons and daughters of the town

Christophe Soglo (1909–1983), former President of Benin
Justin Ahomadegbé-Tomêtin (1917–2002), former President of Benin
Nestor Assogba (1929–2017), Roman Catholic clergyman, Archbishop of Cotonou
Barthélemy Adoukonou (* 1942), Roman Catholic theologian and Curia Bishop
Wassiou Oladipupo (* 1983), football player
Arnaud Séka (* 1985), football player

Web links

Commons : Abomey - collection of images, videos and audio files

Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
Abomey Historical Museum (en.)

Individual evidence

↑ Benin: Departments & Cities - Population Statistics in Maps and Tables. Retrieved May 8, 2018 .
↑ Dahomey. London, HM Stationery Office, 1920. p. 30.
↑ Patrick Manning: Slavery, Colonialism and Economic Growth in Dahomey, 1640-1960. Cambridge University Press, 2004. pp. 149 and 254.

[1] Benin: Departments & Cities - Population Statistics in Maps and Tables. Retrieved May 8, 2018 .

[2] Dahomey. London, HM Stationery Office, 1920. p. 30.

[3] Patrick Manning: Slavery, Colonialism and Economic Growth in Dahomey, 1640-1960. Cambridge University Press, 2004. pp. 149 and 254.