• QUE RETENIR SUR LE BENIN

QUE RETENIR SUR LE BENIN

Context

Benin is located in West Africa. It covers a surface area of 112,620 square kilometers. It is bordered by Niger at the Northeast, by the Atlantic Ocean at the South, by Nigeria at the East, by Togo at the West. In Benin, the terrain is relatively rugged. The average altitude does not exceed 200 meters. In the North, the Savanna is filled with semi-arid mountains and in the South, there is a coastal plain with several wetlands areas. The most culminating point is the mount Sagboroa at 658 meters in the Atakora (Northwest).

Streams

The Oueme is the longest river. It forms a mouth to the coast before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. From East to West, there is the Oueme, Couffo and Mono. In the northern part, the Mekrou, the Alibori and the Sota flow from South to North before meeting the Niger river. In the Northwest, the Pendjari takes its source in the Atakora and runs through Togo and flows into the Volta river in Ghana.

The climate

The climate in Benin includes two types of weather: rainy and dry season.

In the south: there is a sub-equatorial climate with 4 seasons.

  1. From November through mid-April: the major dry season. The temperature fluctuates between 24° and 31° Celsius.

  2. From mid-April through mid-July: the major rainy season. The temperature fluctuates between 22° and 28° Celsius.

  3. From mid-July through mid-September: the minor dry season. The temperature fluctuates between 19° and 25° Celsius.

  4. From mid-September through late October: minor rainy season. The temperature fluctuates between 24° and 29° Celsius.

In the North: there is a tropical climate with 2 seasons.

  1. From mid-October through mid-May: the dry season. The temperature fluctuates between 15° and 40° Celsius.

  2. From mid-May through mid-October: the rainy season. The temperature fluctuates between 22° and 34° Celsius.

The vegetation

The vegetation is consistent with the climate.

In the South: there is a degraded forest which covers the southern part of the country and is characterized by a gallery forest, a bushy savanna and a mangrove in the shoreline swamps. An immense palm forest is surrounding the coast beyond the lagoon area

In the North: the wooded savanna in the Sudanese regions of the center and north is home to a rich and varied wildlife.