Benin
Practical guide
Benin is in Western Africa. It has 14,814,460 inhabitants across 112,622 km². It borders 4 countries. Its capital is Porto-Novo. People speak French and the currency is the West African CFA Franc (XOF). Ezplora has pages for 5 of its cities, with month-by-month climate and the distances between them.
- Capital
- Porto-Novo
- Population
- 14,814,460
- Area
- 112,622 km²
- Currency
- West African CFA Franc · XOF
- Languages
- French
- Time zone
- Africa/Porto-Novo
- Dialling code
- +229
- Domain
- .bj
When to go to Benin
The best months to visit Porto-Novo are July, August and September. In Porto-Novo, daytime highs go from 28° in August to 33° in February. Temperatures change little through the year. The wettest month is June (282 mm) and the driest is January (16 mm). The rainy season runs from April to July. From February to March, highs go above 33°.
Weather in Porto-Novo month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | 32° | 33° | 33° | 32° | 31° | 30° | 29° | 28° | 29° | 30° | 32° | 32° |
| low | 23° | 25° | 25° | 25° | 24° | 23° | 23° | 23° | 23° | 23° | 24° | 23° |
| rain | 16 mm | 34 mm | 83 mm | 119 mm | 199 mm | 282 mm | 130 mm | 54 mm | 133 mm | 159 mm | 44 mm | 16 mm |
1970–2000 normals (WorldClim 2.1). Monthly rainfall total.
Cities in Benin
Distances in Benin
- Porto-Novo → Cotonou40 km 47 min · 35 min
- Porto-Novo → Abomey-Calavi56 km 47 min · 49 min
- Porto-Novo → Parakou361 km 1 h 8 min · 5 h 40 min
- Porto-Novo → Godomey50 km 47 min · 44 min
47 min · 
35 minNeighboring countries
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Benin?
The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo.
What currency is used in Benin?
Benin uses the West African CFA Franc (XOF).
What language is spoken in Benin?
In Benin, people speak French.
When is the best time to visit Benin?
The best months to visit Porto-Novo are July, August and September. In Porto-Novo, daytime highs go from 28° in August to 33° in February. Temperatures change little through the year. The wettest month is June (282 mm) and the driest is January (16 mm). The rainy season runs from April to July. From February to March, highs go above 33°.
Data from Banco Mundial, GeoNames and WorldClim. Photo from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).