Cotonou

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Cotonou

Cotonou , city (1992 pop. 536,827), capital of Atlantique prov., S Benin, on the Gulf of Guinea. It is Benin's chief seaport and commercial center. Cotonou's airport and road and rail connections also make it the transportation and communications hub of Benin. The city has small-scale industries; manufactures include palm oil and cake, brewing, textiles, cement and other construction materials, aluminum sheet, beverages, and processed seafood. Motor vehicles and bicycles are assembled, and there are sawmills in the city. Cotonou is a distribution center for petroleum products, and bauxite and iron are exported (primarily to Guinea) from there. Drilling for offshore oil is carried on nearby. Cotonou was originally a small state that was dominated by the kingdom of Dahomey (see Benin ) from the 18th cent. In 1851 the French made a treaty with the Dahomean king Gezo that allowed them to establish a trading post at Cotonou. In 1883 the French navy forcibly occupied the city to forestall British ambitions in the area. The port was enlarged and modernized in the 1960s. Cotonou has research institutes concerned with textiles, tropical agriculture, and geology.

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Cotonou

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Cotonou City in s Benin, w Africa, c.24km (15mi) sw of Porto-Novo. The former capital and largest city in Benin, it is an important port and distribution centre for the offshore oil industry. Industries: textiles, brewing. Pop. (2002 est.) 720,200.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	The President's news conference with President Thomas Yayi Boni of Benin in Cotonou.(Week Ending Friday, February 22, 2008) Newspaper article from: Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents; 2/25/2008
	Remarks on accepting the grand cross of the national order of Benin in Cotonou, Benin.(Week Ending Friday, February 22, 2008)(Brief article) Newspaper article from: Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents; 2/25/2008
	Surface late reports.(weather stations)(Table) Magazine article from: Monthly Climatic Data for the World; 9/1/2007

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