2624 BENIN - Peoples of Benin and their houses

About 42 African ethnic groups live in Benin. They settled in this teritory at different times and also migrated within the country. Even if they have some common features in the way of life, because sharing the same area, there are many differences, some of them essential. For instance, in southern Benin are common the rectangular huts with sloping roofs of palm or straw thatch, along the coastal lagoons houses are often built on stilts, and in northern Benin dwellings are round, with a conical roof of thatch.

2172 BENIN - Fruit market

The economy of Benin is dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. About half the population is engaged in agriculture, and traditional systems of internal trade still function to move food from one area to another. Historically, women have played an important role in trade, and many women attempt to engage in commerce in addition to household or wage-earning labor.

1830 BENIN - A young man from Northern Benin

The majority of Benin's population lives in the south. The population is young, with a life expectancy of 59 years. About 42 African ethnic groups live in this country; these various groups settled in Benin at different times and also migrated within the country. Ethnic groups include the Yoruba in the southeast; the Dendi in the north-central area, the Bariba and the Fula in the northeast; the Betammaribe and the Somba in the Atacora Range; the Fon in the area around Abomey in the South Central and the Mina, Xueda, and Aja on the coast. Recent migrations have brought other African nationals to Benin that include Nigerians, Togolese, and Malians.