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Porto-Novo

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

   Location of Porto-Novo in Benin
   Woman Porto Nova circa 1914
   Enlarge
   Woman Porto Nova circa 1914

   Porto-Novo (also known as Hogbonou and Adjacé (population 223,552 as of
   a 2002 census) is the official capital of the West African nation of
   Benin. It is a port on an inlet of the Gulf of Guinea, in the
   southeastern portion of the country. Porto-Novo is Benin's second
   largest city, but the city of Cotonou is more important, culturally and
   politically. The region around Porto-Novo produces palm oil, cotton and
   kapok. Petroleum was discovered off the coast of the city in the 1990s,
   and has become an important export.

   Porto-Novo is located at 6°28' North, 2°36' East (6.46667, 2.6).

Things to see

     * The Porto Novo Museum of Ethnography contains a large collection of
       Yoruba masks, as well as items on the history of the city and of
       Benin.
     * King Toffa's palace (also known as the Musée Honmé and the Royal
       Palace), now a museum, shows what life was like for African
       royalty.
     * Jardin Place Jean Bayol is a large plaza which contains a statue of
       the first King of Porto-Novo.
     * The da Silva Museum is a museum of Benin history. It shows what
       life was like for the returning Afro-Brazilians
     * The palais de Governor (governor's palace) is the home of the
       national legislature.

   Other sites of interest include a Brazilian-style church, which is now
   a mosque, and the Institute of Higher Studies of Benin. Stade
   Municipale and Stade Charles de Gaulle, or Charles de Gaulle Stadium,
   are the largest football stadiums in the city.

   Porto-Novo is not far from the cultural and historical living history
   town of Ouidah. It is also near to Nigeria and to Cotonou, and is not
   far from Pendjari National Park, a natural habitat for many African
   animal species.

Adjogan

   Adjogan music is endemic to Porto-Novo. The style of music is played on
   an alounloun, a stick with metallic rings attached which jingle in time
   with the beating of the stick. The alounloun is said to descend from
   the staff of office of King Te-Agdanlin. The music is played to honour
   the King and his ministers. The music is also played in the city's
   Roman Catholic churches, but the royal bird crest has been replaced
   with a cross.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto-Novo"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
