The full name of Benin (French: República Popular do Benin,La République du Bénin), is a country in South Central West Africa, formerly known as Dahomey, a former French colony. Benin borders on the Gulf of Guinea in the south, Nigeria in the East, Niger in the north, Burkina Faso in the northwest and Togo in the West, the coastline is 125 km long. The whole territory is narrow and long in North and south, narrow in South and wide in North, the southern coast is a plain about 100 kilometers wide, the elevation of the plateau is undulating from 200m to 400m. Atakora mountain in the northwest is 641 meters above sea level, which is the highest point in the country. There are only three countries in the world with a household registration system, of which Benin is one, and the other two are China and North Korea.
As one of the least developed countries in the world, the economy is dominated by agriculture and rich in palm oil. Some powerful tribal kingdoms in the South have supported contact with Europeans since ancient times, which has led to the premature specialization of agricultural economy and the lack of self-sufficiency in food. The economic crop oil palm is planted in southern and Dahomey plateau. Palm kernel and palm oil are the main export items of Benin. The palm oil is characterized by high carotene content (1.7% - 2%). Food crops include dioscorea zingiberensis, cassava, sweet potato, corn, pea, broad bean and peanut.
The vegetation area accounts for 65% of the total land area, including 310000 hectares of dense forest, 1274400 hectares of sparse forest and 6059600 hectares of Savannah vegetation. Cotton is cultivated more carefully than other African countries, so it is of better quality. Half of cotton production and all cottonseed are exported. The export proportion of peanut is less. The semi natural oil palm forest growing in the south is an important source of national economy. Benin also has precious teak and a large number of mango trees.
