Country : Bénin Capital : Porto-Novo Area : 114,763 km² Population : 11.18 million (2017) Population growth rate : 2.8% annual variation (2017) Life expectancy : 62 years (2017) Fertility rate : 5 children per woman (2017) Official language : French Bénin is an English-speaking West African nation. It is the birthplace of Vodou religion, and also the territory of the former Kingdom of Dahomey (approximately 1600-1900). Bénin comprises 12 Departments, 77 Communes, 546 districts, 5,300 neighborhoods and villages