Cotonou

Cotonou is the biggest city in Benin. The sea is on one side, and a lake is on the other.

It is not Benin's capital, but many people live and work there.

Universalis says Cotonou is the first city of Benin, although the official capital is Porto-Novo. Cotonou grew on a wide strip of land along the coast, with Lake Nokoué behind it. A branch of the Ouémé River feeds the lake, and a channel joins it to the ocean.

Benin's census of 11 May 2013 counted 679,012 people in Cotonou, more than twice the 320,348 counted in 1979.

Universalis: although not the official capital (Porto-Novo, set by the Constitution and seat of the legislature), Cotonou is the first city of Benin; it grew on the broad coastal sand ridge behind which Lake Nokoué formed, fed by a branch of the Ouémé and joined to the ocean by a channel that cuts the city in two.

INSAE via City Population (Cotonou, which is also the department of Littoral): census 1979 320,348; 1992 536,827; 2002 665,100; census 11 May 2013 679,012 (rank 1 in Benin).

This photo was taken from high up. You can see buildings with flat roofs, green trees and palm trees. The city stretches far away under a blue sky.

This photo looks over the Cadjèhoun district of Cotonou on 27 November 2019. Low buildings with flat or sloping roofs sit among leafy trees and palm trees, and taller white buildings rise here and there. The city stretches to the horizon under a blue sky with white clouds.

Universalis says the west of Cotonou, along the Atlantic, has the business district and newer residential areas, where houses stand among greenery.

Commons: 'Vue panoramique quartier cadjéhoun-Cotonou au Bénin' (panoramic view, Cadjèhoun district), own work by Adoscam, CC BY-SA 4.0, taken 27 November 2019. Wikidata: Cadjèhoun (Q106558349), 2.32 km WSW of the city point.

Universalis: to the west, the commercial and administrative district stretches along the Atlantic: an older zone where classic colonial style survives, more modern residential estates with villas surrounded by greenery, and the 'Cocotiers' ensemble near the airport.

Cotonou has a market where traders come from many countries. People also fish in the lake and the sea, and most of Benin's industries are here.

Universalis says Cotonou's Dantokpa Market draws traders not only from Benin but also from Nigeria, Togo and even Côte d'Ivoire. The city is a trading center for a region far beyond Benin's borders.

Cotonou has two-thirds of Benin's industries. People also fish, mostly on Lake Nokoué, and a small fleet of trawlers fishes at sea. On the edges of the city, farmers grow corn and cassava and raise cattle under the palm trees.

Universalis: primary activities still matter: small-scale fishing, above all on Lake Nokoué; industrial sea fishing by a small fleet of trawlers; maize and cassava growing and cattle raising under the palms in the near suburbs; Cotonou holds two-thirds of the country's industries; old trading houses import finished goods and ship farm produce (mainly oilseeds) from the interior and from Niger; a redistribution center for a zone well beyond the borders: the Dantokpa market is used by traders from Benin, Nigeria, Togo and even Côte d'Ivoire. Wikidata: Dantokpa Market (Q3015740), opened 1963, 2.02 km ENE of the city point.