Abomey-Calavi

Not to be confused with Abomey.

Abomey-Calavi [a.bɔ.mɛ.ka.la.vi] is a city, arrondissement, and commune located in the Atlantique Department of Benin. It is now essentially a suburb of Cotonou and at its closest it begins approximately 18 km from the city centre of Cotonou. The main cities of the commune are Abomey-Calavi itself and Godomey to the south. The commune covers an area of 650 square kilometres and as at the May 2013 Census had a population of 655,965 people.^[1] Projected to be the eleventh fastest growing city on the African continent between 2020 and 2025, with a 5.27% growth.^[2]

Abomey-Calavi
Commune and city
Abomey-Calavi
Abomey-Calavi Location of Abomey-Calavi in Benin
Coordinates: 6°26′55″N 2°21′20″E
Country	Benin
Department	Atlantique Department
Area
• Total	650 km2 (250 sq mi)
Elevation	54 m (177 ft)
Population  (2013 Census)
• Total	655,965
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)

The city is home to a constituent monarchy.^[3]

History

The history of Abomey-Calavi is linked to that of Abomey and the Kingdom of Dahomey^[4] Abomey-Calavi was founded to be near Cotonou, in order to facilitate trade.^[5]

Education

Its principal university is the University of Abomey-Calavi, founded in 1970.^[6]

Places of worship

Among the places of worship, they are predominantly Christian churches and temples : Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cotonou (Catholic Church), Protestant Methodist Church in Benin (World Methodist Council), Union of Baptist Churches of Benin (Baptist World Alliance), Living Faith Church Worldwide, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Assemblies of God.^[7] There are also Muslim mosques.^{[citation needed]}. The town is also a noted centre of Voodoo, and contains a large fetish market.^[8]

Economy

The inhabitants of the commune of Abomey-Calavi carry out several activities in different sectors such as agriculture, livestock farming, fishing, trade, crafts, transport, fuelwood exploitation, transformation of products.^[9]

Gallery

• 
  Abomey-Calavi downtown
• 
  Main road of Abomey-Calavi
• 
  Traffic congestion
• 
  Main campus of University of Abomey-Calavi
• 
  Abomey-Calavi jetty for Ganvie
• Abomey-Calavi jetty (video)

References

1. L’Institut National de la Statistique et de l’Analyse Economique (INSAE), Benin, 2013.
2. "Ranked: The World's Fastest Growing Cities". virtual capitalist. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
3. "Bénin : des rois engagés en politique". BBC News Afrique (in French). 2015-11-18. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
4. Mathurin C. Houngnikpo, Samuel Decalo, Historical Dictionary of Benin, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2013, p. 20
5. Mairie d'Abomey-Calavi, Liste des responsables de la commune Archived 2020-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, mairie-abomey-calavi.bj, Benin, Retrieved September 15, 2018
6. Mathurin C. Houngnikpo, Samuel Decalo, Historical Dictionary of Benin, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2013, p. 151
7. J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ‘‘Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices’’, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 338
8. Butler, Stuart (2019) Bradt Travel Guide - Benin, pgs. 93-4
9. Chabi Félix Biaou, Monographie de la commune d'Abomey-Calavi Archived 2020-01-10 at the Wayback Machine, Afrique Conseil, Benin, march 2006, p. 14-21

Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at fr: Abomey-Calavi; see its history for attribution.