Benin

Why it sticks

1. 1

   Benin is the birthplace of Vodun (voodoo), and celebrates it with a national holiday every January.

2. 2

   The old Kingdom of Dahomey had an all-female warrior regiment, the Agojie, shown in the film The Woman King.

3. 3

   Ganvié, a town built on stilts in Lake Nokoué, is nicknamed the Venice of Africa.

4. 4

   Porto-Novo is the official capital, but the government sits in the largest city, Cotonou.

• Cotonou's streets are full of zemidjan motorbike taxis whose drivers wear yellow shirts.
• Signs are in French; the flag has a green vertical band at the hoist with yellow over red.
• The south is flat with red laterite roads and oil palms.