Porto-Novo (French: Porto-Novo) is the capital of Benin, the second largest city in Benin, and historically the capital of the Kingdom of Porto-Novo. In 1752, the Portuguese colonists established it as a commercial stronghold. Now it is the political, economic and cultural center of the country with Cotonou, and tourism is prosperous.
Porto-Novo is the seat of Benin's National Assembly. Benin has a long history, Porto-Novo is one of the oldest cities in the country, and it still retains a very strong atmosphere of ancient African cities. Its outer port, Cotonou, is located 35 km from Porto-Novo and is the seat of Benin's central government.
Porto-Novo (Figure 1)
On the shores of the lagoon on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in the southeast of the border. It is 35 km southwest of Cotonou, the outer port. Population 300,000 (1988). Historically, it was the capital of the Kingdom of Porto-Novo. In 1752, the Portuguese colonists established it as a commercial stronghold. It is now the political, economic and cultural center of the country, along with Cotonou. The Parliament, the Presidency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are located here (other government offices are in Cotonou). There are small industries such as sawmilling, oil pressing (palm oil), food, soap, etc. Railway through the port of Cotonou. Export palm kernels, palm oil, coffee, cotton, etc. There is oil nearby. There are ancient African palaces, Portuguese cathedrals, etc., and tourism is more prosperous.
Porto-Novo is the seat of Benin's National Assembly. Benin has a long history, Porto-Novo is one of the oldest cities in the country, and it still retains a very strong atmosphere of ancient African cities. Its outer port, Cotonou, is located 35 km from Porto-Novo and is the seat of Benin's central government.
Porto-Novo is the culturally predominantly capital city bordering the Gulf of Guinea and on the northeast shore of Lake Norquay, a lagoon on the southern coast of Benin.
Porto-Novo is the seat of Benin's National Assembly. Benin has a long history, Porto-Novo is one of the oldest cities in the country, and it still retains a very strong atmosphere of ancient African cities. Its outer port, Cotonou, is located 35 km from Porto-Novo and is the seat of Benin's central government.
The city of Porto-Novo is a quaint and elegant city with old African palaces, colonial buildings and Portuguese cathedrals. As the ancient capital, successive kingdoms of Portonovo have left their footprints in the city of Portonovo, especially the palace of King Tofa, which has been preserved to the present day. The tall red wall outside the palace seems to reflect the whole city red, so some people call Porto-Novo "Red City". The streets of the palace are narrow, like a labyrinth, giving people a sense of mystery. There are magnificent buildings like the emperors in the past, as well as various furnishings as royal handicrafts, such as emperors' thrones, statues of kings, gourd carvings, gold and silver jewelry, etc., which concentrate on Benin's ancient civilization.
Benin has always been a culturally developed country in West Africa, and Porto-Novo still has some ancient buildings, such as the Ethnographic Museum, the Folklore Museum, the National Library and the National Archive. With the development of the current Porto-Novo City, many new modern buildings have been built, and the urban layout is centered on Kokoje Square, developing radially to the north and east. The city's circular road is lined with tall camphor and palm trees, flowerbeds in the center of the street, and shops, stalls, restaurants and hotels on both sides of the street.
Another fascinating place near Porto-Novo is the floating village on the lagoon of Norquay, of which the Gonvière floating village is the largest and most famous, known as the "Venice of Africa", and is a famous tourist attraction in West Africa. The floating village was formed in the early 17th century, when the Abomy kingdom invaded the coastal area, and the inhabitants were forced to take refuge in the lake, and later settled on the lake, forming this water "paradise". They have been fishing for a living, passed down from generation to generation, and have come to regard the floating villages as their homeland rather than return to land. There are more than 30 floating villages in Benin. Gunvière, which means "collective salvation" in the local language, currently has about 20,000 inhabitants, making it the largest floating settlement in Africa.
The houses of the floating village were built on wooden stakes inserted into the water, and the roofs were covered with thick thatch, which could be insulated; The wall and floor are made of coconut trunk, which is easy to dissipate heat; The floor rises about a meter above the water, and there is a wooden ladder in front of the door leading to the water. There are bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, etc. in the house, and some have a platform in front of the door where you can dry clothes and take a cool; Some also use stone slabs on wooden stakes in front of the house to form small plots of land for raising livestock. This kind of stilt house is generally relatively strong and can be used for more than 20 years.
The houses in the water village are well laid out, forming natural water alleys, and every household here has small wooden boats as a means of transportation and production. In the middle of the water village is a relatively spacious water surface, which is the "floating market", which is bustling with small boats as stalls. The vast majority of the inhabitants of the floating villages are fishermen who make a living from fishing.