What is a Benin and how do I get one?

We’ve been invited to take an assignment in Benin, West Africa, and will leave July 14th! Benin (pronounced beh-NEEN) is located in West Africa, sandwiched between Togo to the West and Nigeria to the East. Burkina Faso borders the state to the NW and Niger to the North. The country has a rich pre-colonial history when it was known as the Kingdom of Dahomey, but was ultimately colonized by the French and was absorbed into the French West Africa colony in 1899, and remained so until it was granted autonomy in 1958 then full independence in 1960. Benin was known as the Republic of Dahomey until 1975 when it was renamed the Republic of Benin, after the Bight of Benin, which skirts its coastline as part of the Gulf of Guinea. Like many former African colonies, Benin suffered through its share of corrupt leaders and dictators throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, until elections were instituted in the 1990s. Today Benin is a seemingly stable democracy, albeit with a short track record of free elections that only spans a few years. Benin is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world. According to the UN Development Report (2009), Benin’s adult literacy rate is 40.5% and up to 75% of the population lives on $2 or less a day (2000-2007). Per Capita GDP is around $1,500, much of the population depends on subsistence agriculture, and though economic gains have been made, Benin has one of the highest population growth rates in the world.

Some quick facts about Benin:
*It has a population of around 8.5 million, or about the same as Lima, Peru
*It is roughly the size of Pennsylvania
*41% of the population live in urban cities
*French is the official language, but Fon, Yoruba, and other languages are prevalent
*Average school life expectancy is 7 years
*Common foods include yams, chicken, fish, rice, couscous, beans, and tropical fruits such as oranges, pineapple, bananas, and mangoes
*The highest point is Mont Sakbaro, at 658 m (2,158 ft)
*The average high is about 83 F and the average low is about 75 F