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Travel and Tourism in Benin
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Benin.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
- Time Difference
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Currency
- 605.7
- Climate
- Benin's climate is hot and humid. Annual rainfall in the coastal area averages 36 centimeters (14 inches), not particularly high for coastal West Africa. Benin has two rainy and two dry seasons. The principal rainy season is from April to late July, with a shorter less intense rainy period from late September to November. The main dry season is from December to April with a short cooler dry season from late July to early September. Temperatures and humidity are high along the tropical coast. In Cotonou, the average maximum temperature is 31°C (89°F); the minimum is 24°C (75°F). Variations in temperature increase when moving north through a savanna and plateau toward the Sahel. A dry wind from the Sahara called the harmattan blows from December to March. Grass dries up, the vegetation turns reddish-brown, and a veil of fine dust hangs over the country, causing the skies to be overcast.
- Ethnic Groups
- African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
- National Holiday
- Independence Day, 1 August (1960)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 9 30 N, 2 15 E
- Location
- Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
- Airports
- 5
Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Medical facilities in Benin are limited and not all medicines are available. Travelers should carry their own supplies of prescription drugs and preventive medicines. Not all medicines and prescription drugs available in Benin are USFDA-approved. U.S. citizens should be prepared to pay for medical services, including consultations and tests before medical advice or treatment is received. Credit cards are not accepted.
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