0840 BENIN - On the beach

Benin is a narrow, north-south strip of land in west Africa, between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer, bordered by Togo to the west, by Nigeria to the east and by Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. During the colonial period (until 1960), but also some years after independence (until 1975), the country was known as Dahomey, being renamed Benin in 1975, after the body of water on which the country lies - the Bight of Benin - which, in turn, had been named after the Benin Empire.

Its geographical location and stable political environment make Benin a tourist destination, which offers a small area of beaches with fine sand and coconut palms, rivers and streams where fish abound, lake stilt villages, historical museums an abundant flora and fauna, national parks and reserves, folklore, art and especially a healthy and pleasant climate. The best time of year to travel to Benin is from December to April, when the temperature is between 30 and 35 degrees in Cotonou, the largest city and economic capital of the country, located on the coastal strip between Lake Nokoué and the Atlantic Ocean.

One of the most popular route is La Route des Pêches (the Road of Fisheries), which technically comprises Benin’s entire Atlantic coast, and has some of West Africa’s quietest beaches. It is actually a sandy road that runs lazily between coconut trees on one side and the sea on the other, betwen Cotonou and Ouidah, sprinkled with little fishermen villages.

About the stamp
The stamp is part of a series issued on April 26, 2011, for celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the death of Bernardin Gantin (1922-2008), a prominent Beninese cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Actually the series comprises three stamp with the same image, but with different face values (250 XOF, 300 XOF, 600 XOF).

References
Benin - Wikitravel
La Route des Pêches - Benin-Tours

sender: Ahmed Abbas Maswood (direct swap)
sent from Cotonou (Benin), on 12.09.2013