Benin is a developing country in West Africa. Its political capital is Porto Novo; however, its administrative capital, Cotonou, is Benin's largest city and the site of most government, commercial, and tourist activity.Benin has seen economic growth over the past few years and is one of Africa's largest cotton producers, it ranks among the world's poorest countries.
Benin, a French-speaking West African country, is an origin of the vodun (or "voodoo") religion and home to the previous Dahomey Kingdom from around 1600–1900. In Abomey, Dahomey's previous capital, the Historical Museum possesses two regal royal residences with bas-reliefs describing the kingdom's past and a position of royalty mounted on human skulls. Toward the north, Pendjari National Park offers safaris with elephants, hippos and lions.