Parakou
| Parakou | |||
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| Basic data | |||
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| State : |
 Benin
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| Department : | Borgou | ||
| Height : | 320 m above sea level NN | ||
| Area : | 441 km² | ||
| Residents : | 255,478 (2013) | ||
| Population density : | 579 inhabitants per km² | ||
| Structure and administration (as of 2008) | |||
| Mayor: | Samou Seidou Adambi (since 2008) | ||
| Website : | |||
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With around 260,000 inhabitants, Parakou is the third largest city in the Republic of Benin and the capital of the Borgou department .
Almost a third of the population belong to the Bariba ; Fon , Dendi and Yoruba together make up about 50% of the population of Parakou. Half of the population are Muslims and a third are Christians.
The 320 m high city on the north-south main road that connects the Benin coast with the landlocked state of Niger is also the end point of the important railway line from Cotonou on the Gulf of Guinea .
Parakou is an important market place for the rural environment within a radius of 50 kilometers. The processing industry focuses on the production of peanut oil , kapok fibers and beverages (brewery).
On February 4, 1993 Pope John Paul II paid a visit to the city and had a meeting with representatives of the Muslims in the Center Départemental d'Alphabétisation du Borgou and a Holy Mass in the communal stadium . On October 16, 1997, the Archdiocese of Parakou was established with the suffragan dioceses Kandi, Natitingou and Djougou. The Catholic Cathédrale Saints Pierre et Paul is one of the city's landmarks.
See also: Parakou Airport
Town twinning
The twin town of Parakou has been Orléans in France since 1993 .
Web links
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- ↑ Benin: Departments & Cities - Population Statistics in Maps and Tables. Retrieved May 8, 2018 .
- ↑ http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/travels/sub_index1993/trav_africa_ge.htm
- ↑ Parakou (Bénin) - Orleans.fr . Archived from the original on May 14, 2015. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
