|
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 |
|||
Porto-Novo
Porto-Novo , city (1992 pop. 179,138), capital of Benin, S Benin, a port on Porto-Novo lagoon, an arm of the Gulf of Guinea. It is Benin's second largest city and an administrative and shipping center. However, it is less important commercially and industrially than Cotonou , to which it is connected by rail. Porto-Novo is the trade center for an agricultural region whose chief product is palm oil; the city's exports include palm oil, cotton, and kapok. Probably founded in the late 16th cent. as the capital of a small kingdom, Porto-Novo [new port] got its name from the Portuguese, who built a trading post there in the 17th cent. Africans were shipped as slaves from Porto-Novo to the Americas. The Porto-Novo kingdom accepted French encroachment in 1863 as a means of fending off Great Britain, which was active in nearby S Nigeria. However, the inland Dahomean kingdom of Abomey resented the French presence, and fighting broke out. In 1883 the French navy landed at Porto-Novo and Cotonou. Porto-Novo was incorporated into Dahomey colony and in 1900 was made its capital. The Institute of Higher Studies of Benin is in the city. |
|
|
Cite this article
"Porto-Novo." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Porto-Novo." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-PortoNov.html "Porto-Novo." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-PortoNov.html |
|
Porto-Novo
Porto-Novo Capital of Benin, West Africa, a port on the Gulf of Guinea near the border with Nigeria. Settled by 16th-century Portuguese traders, it later became a shipping point for slaves to America. It was made the country's capital at independence in 1960, but Cotonou is assuming increasing importance. Today it is a market for the surrounding agricultural region. Exports: palm oil, cotton, kapok. Pop. (1992) 179,138.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Porto-Novo." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Porto-Novo." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-PortoNovo.html "Porto-Novo." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-PortoNovo.html |
|
Porto‐Novo
Porto‐Novo, Benin Ajase Founded in the 17th century, it was conquered by the Yoruba Kingdom of Oyo in 1730 and became its chief port for the slave trade. As Portuguese influence strengthened, they renamed it ‘New Port’ in Portuguese because it was developed from two older villages. It became a French protectorate in the 19th century and the capital of Dahomey (now Benin) in 1900.
|
|
|
Cite this article
JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Porto‐Novo." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Porto‐Novo." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-PortoNovo.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Porto‐Novo." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-PortoNovo.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
