Located on the Bight of Benin in the Gulf of Guinea, it is bordered on the east by Nigeria, on the north by Niger and Burkina, and on the west by Togo.
The independent nation of Dahomey was established on Aug. 1, 1960.
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| The kingdom of Dahomey, with its capital at Abomey, was preeminent in the region now known as Benin from the 17th to the early 19th century and derived great wealth from trading slaves with Europeans along the coast, which was known as the Slave Coast. The French established a commercial agreement with the kingdom in 1851 and gradually consolidated their control of Dahomey until, in 1904, it was made a colony within French West Africa. |
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The
"colonial" name of Dahomey was abandoned in 1975, when the country was renamed
Benin. Located on the Bight of Benin in the Gulf of Guinea, it is bordered on the east by Nigeria, on the north by Niger and Burkina, and on the west by Togo. |
The independent nation of Dahomey was established on Aug. 1, 1960. |
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