|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
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. |
|
|
Cite this article
"Cotonou." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Cotonou." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Cotonou.html "Cotonou." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Cotonou.html |
|
Cotonou
Cotonou, Benin Donukpa, Ku Tonu The first name meant ‘Near the Hole’, i.e. ‘near the lagoon’ from kpa ‘near’. The second meant ‘Estuary of Death’ from the Fon ku ‘dead’ and tonu ‘estuary’, ‘lake’ or ‘lagoon’. According to legend, the souls of the dead drifted down the Ouémé River through the Nokwe Lagoon, on which Cotonou lies, to the sea; as they crossed the lagoon they left trails of blood which were absorbed by the trees growing on the banks, giving their barks a reddish hue.
|
|
|
Cite this article
JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Cotonou." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Cotonou." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Cotonou.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Cotonou." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Cotonou.html |
|
Cotonou
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.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Cotonou." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Cotonou." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Cotonou.html "Cotonou." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Cotonou.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
