Porto Novo - the capital of Benin
Individual states on the planet are surprised that one main city is not enough for them, therefore responsibilities are divided between two settlements. Sometimes this causes confusion, for example, the capital of Benin is Porto Novo, but the government sits in Cotonou, which is considered the largest city in the country, not only a political, but also an economic and cultural center..
A port city with history
The capital of Benin has several names - Ogbonu, Hogbonu, Adyase, while the official name of the city, Porto Novo, indicates that it is located on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea and performs an important mission of the country's seaport.
Local historians claim that the first inhabitants appeared in the local territories back in the 17th century, a century later a new settlement appeared on the map, but it is still impossible to give an exact date. It is assumed that even then the city was honored to become the capital of an African state..
The 18th century ushered in the era of colonialism in Benin, the territories were ruled by the Portuguese. The city became a major port in the Gulf of Guinea, the main commodity is African slaves, who were sent from here to America.
After the territories became French, Porto Novo was declared the main city of the colony. And only in 1960, the state of Dahomey received the long-awaited independence..
Royal Palace
Benin and its official capital are still receiving a small number of tourists. There are many reasons for this, including poor climatic conditions, an undeveloped economy, a low level of development of the tourism business, the lack of world-class attractions that are interesting for travelers..
One of the main cultural treasures of the capital is the Royal Palace, located in the Avassa area. True, its appearance is far from traditional ideas about the dwelling of monarchs. Once upon a time, its inhabitants were the ancient African kings of Hogbonou (hence one of the names of the capital). Now it houses the collections of the Honme Museum, the main repository of cultural and historical values in Benin. Among the museum objects and exhibits that remain in tourist photos, an important place is occupied by: items related to local cult rites; ancient musical instruments; unique clay products; photographs depicting members of the royal family. Unfortunately, most of the museum exhibits are kept in storage facilities and are not available for inspection..
