Benin
Republic of Benin
- Capital: Cotonou
- Western Africa
- 4 neighbours in Travle
Benin overview
Benin is in Western Africa, Africa. Its capital is Cotonou. The World Bank counts about 14.8 million people for 2025 on 114,760 km² of surface area.
In the Travle map, Benin has 4 neighbours: Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Togo. From there, 125 countries can be reached by land.
Population, density and language
The World Bank counts 14,814,460 people in Benin for 2025, which is 75th of 170 by population. Spread over 114,760 km² of surface area (2024), that is about 129 people per km², 44th of 169 by density.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (SP.POP.TOTL), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Rankings compare the entries in Travle's country list that have World Bank data (170 with population, 169 with surface area). Some list entries are territories, so a rank here is not a rank among sovereign states.
| Language | Share (est.) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| French | 34% | official |
| Fon | 25% | — |
| Yoruba | 6.7% | — |
| Anii | 0.3% | — |
CLDR shares are estimates of people who use each language, so they can add up to more than 100%.
How big is Benin, really?
With 114,760 km² (2024, land plus inland water), Benin is 102nd of 169 by surface area and covers 0.08% of the combined area of those entries.
In that ordering, Malawi (118,484 km²) is just larger; Honduras (112,492 km²) just smaller.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Benin at a glance
- Capital
- Cotonou
- Region
- Western Africa, Africa
- Population
- 14,814,460 (2025)
- Surface area
- 114,760 km² (2024)
- Density
- 129 people per km²
- Official languages
- French
- Currency
- CFA Franc BCEAO (XOF)
- Calling code
- +229
- Internet domain
- .bj
- Land neighbours
- 4 (Natural Earth) · 4 (Travle)
Each figure is sourced in its own section below. "Not available" means no source used on this page has the figure.
Benin within Western Africa
Natural Earth places Benin in Western Africa (UN subregion). Of the 15 entries from Travle's country list in that subregion, Benin is 9th by population and 10th by surface area, with 3.2% of the combined population of those entries.
| Country | Population (2025) | Area km² (2024) |
|---|---|---|
 Nigeria | 237,527,782 | 923,768 |
 Ghana | 35,064,272 | 238,539 |
 Côte d'Ivoire | 32,711,547 | 322,460 |
 Niger | 27,917,831 | 1,267,000 |
 Mali | 25,198,821 | 1,241,238 |
 Burkina Faso | 24,074,580 | 274,200 |
 Senegal | 18,931,966 | 196,710 |
 Guinea | 15,099,727 | 245,857 |
| Benin | 14,814,460 | 114,760 |
 Sierra Leone | 8,819,794 | 72,300 |
 Togo | 8,591,626 | 56,785 |
 Liberia | 5,731,206 | 111,370 |
 Mauritania | 5,315,065 | 1,030,700 |
 The Gambia | 2,822,093 | 11,295 |
 Guinea-Bissau | 2,249,515 | 36,125 |
Sources: World Bank WDI (SP.POP.TOTL, AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; subregion from Natural Earth 1:110m. A dash means the World Bank has no figure.
Location, borders and position
Benin is in Western Africa, Africa. Its outline in Natural Earth lies in the northern hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere. Its capital, Cotonou, is at about 6.4° N and 2.5° E.
On land, Natural Earth's boundary data gives Benin 4 neighbours; the Travle game map gives it 4.
Sources: Natural Earth 1:110m (outline and capital) and 1:10m boundary lines (neighbours), public domain.
Where Benin is on the map
Countries bordering Benin
Natural Earth's boundary data and the Travle map agree on these 4 land neighbours.
| Country | Direction | Land boundary in Natural Earth | Border in Travle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burkina Faso | north-west | Yes | Yes |
| Niger | north-east | Yes | Yes |
| Nigeria | east | Yes | Yes |
| Togo | south-west | Yes | Yes |
Geographic column: Natural Earth 1:10m Admin-0 boundary lines (land) 5.1.0 (public domain), checked 2026-10-19; Natural Earth shows de facto boundaries and does not settle disputes. Travle column: the game's own border map.
Money and language in Benin
Currency
- CFA Franc BCEAO: code XOF, numeric 952. ISO 4217 lists it for 8 entries in total, so it is shared with 7 others.
Official languages
- French: official in 44 territories in CLDR, including Benin.
CLDR is a technical reference, not a legal text. Laws and constitutions can describe languages differently.
Currency, domain and dialling code
- Currency
- CFA Franc BCEAO (XOF)
Source: Unicode CLDR release-48-2 currencyData (region BJ); code, name and number from ISO 4217 list one (SIX), published 2026-09-17; checked 2026-10-19. - Internet domain
- .bj
Source: IANA Root Zone Database; checked 2026-10-19. - International dialling code
- +229
Source: ITU, List of ITU-T Recommendation E.164 assigned country codes (position on 15 December 2016); checked 2026-10-19. - Time
- UTC+01:00 all year (2026)
IANA zones: Africa/Porto-Novo
Source: IANA Time Zone Database 2026e (zone.tab); UTC offsets computed for 15 Jan and 15 Jul 2026 with Node.js ICU tz 2026a; checked 2026-10-19.
Benin codes and abbreviations
| Standard | Code |
|---|---|
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 | BJ |
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 | BEN |
| ISO 3166-1 numeric | 204 |
| ISO 4217 currency (CFA Franc BCEAO) | XOF · 952 |
| Country-code top-level domain | .bj |
| ITU-T E.164 country code | +229 |
Sources: Natural Earth (ISO 3166-1), ISO 4217 list one (SIX), IANA Root Zone Database, ITU E.164 list; linked with dates in the sections above.
Fun facts about Benin
- French has official status in 44 territories in Unicode CLDR, Benin among them.
- The longest Travle trip from Benin takes 14 steps, to Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
- The CFA Franc BCEAO is listed for 8 entries in ISO 4217.
- UNESCO lists 3 World Heritage properties in Benin; the earliest inscription dates from 1985.
Each fact is calculated from the sources cited on this page.
How far can you travel from Benin in Travle?
Starting from Benin and moving one border at a time, this is how many countries in the game's map you reach at each step. Countries that need a sea crossing never appear, because the game only follows land borders.
| Steps | Countries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | |
| 2 | 7 | |
| 3 | 13 | |
| 4 | 11 | |
| 5 | 14 | |
| 6 | 13 | |
| 7 | 19 | |
| 8 | 14 | |
| 9 | 14 | |
| 10 | 9 | |
| 11 | 2 | |
| 12 | 1 | |
| 13 | 2 | |
| 14 | 2 |
In total 125 of the 171 other countries in the map can be reached by land. The longest trips take 14 steps and end in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. The other 46 cannot be reached without crossing the sea (18 in North America, 13 in South America, 6 in Oceania, 5 in Asia, 3 in Europe, 1 in Africa).
Nearby routes from Benin
Shortest land routes in the game's map to the countries up to 3 steps away. There can be several routes of the same length; this list shows one. The section above shows how many countries are reachable in total.
- Burkina Faso: 1 step (Benin → Burkina Faso)
- Niger: 1 step (Benin → Niger)
- Nigeria: 1 step (Benin → Nigeria)
- Togo: 1 step (Benin → Togo)
Algeria: 2 steps (Benin → Niger → Algeria)
Cameroon: 2 steps (Benin → Nigeria → Cameroon)
Chad: 2 steps (Benin → Niger → Chad)- Côte d'Ivoire: 2 steps (Benin → Burkina Faso → Côte d'Ivoire)
- Ghana: 2 steps (Benin → Burkina Faso → Ghana)
Libya: 2 steps (Benin → Niger → Libya)- Mali: 2 steps (Benin → Burkina Faso → Mali)
Central African Republic: 3 steps (Benin → Niger → Chad → Central African Republic)
Egypt: 3 steps (Benin → Niger → Libya → Egypt)
Equatorial Guinea: 3 steps (Benin → Nigeria → Cameroon → Equatorial Guinea)
Gabon: 3 steps (Benin → Nigeria → Cameroon → Gabon)- Guinea: 3 steps (Benin → Burkina Faso → Côte d'Ivoire → Guinea)
- Liberia: 3 steps (Benin → Burkina Faso → Côte d'Ivoire → Liberia)
- Mauritania: 3 steps (Benin → Burkina Faso → Mali → Mauritania)
Morocco: 3 steps (Benin → Niger → Algeria → Morocco)
Republic of the Congo: 3 steps (Benin → Nigeria → Cameroon → Republic of the Congo)- Senegal: 3 steps (Benin → Burkina Faso → Mali → Senegal)
Sudan: 3 steps (Benin → Niger → Libya → Sudan)
Tunisia: 3 steps (Benin → Niger → Algeria → Tunisia)
Western Sahara: 3 steps (Benin → Niger → Algeria → Western Sahara)
World Heritage in Benin
UNESCO lists 3 World Heritage properties in Benin: 2 cultural and 1 natural. The first, inscribed in 1985, was Royal Palaces of Abomey.
- Royal Palaces of Abomey (cultural, inscribed 1985)
- W-Arly-Pendjari Complex (natural, inscribed 1996, shared with other countries)
- Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba (cultural, inscribed 2004, shared with other countries)
Source: UNESCO World Heritage List (XML feed); checked 2026-10-19. Names as listed by UNESCO; descriptions on this page are our own.
Benin — frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Benin?
Cotonou.
Which countries border Benin?
On land, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Togo, according to Natural Earth's boundary data. The Travle map uses the same neighbours.
What currency and language does Benin use?
The currency is the CFA Franc BCEAO (XOF). Unicode CLDR gives French official status.
How far can you travel from Benin in Travle?
Following land borders only, 125 countries are reachable. The farthest need 14 steps: Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.
How many people live in Benin?
The World Bank counts 14,814,460 people for 2025.
How big is Benin?
114,760 km² of surface area (2024), according to the World Bank.
What is the dialling code and internet domain of Benin?
The international dialling code is +229 and the country-code domain is .bj.
What time zone does Benin use?
UTC+01:00 all year (2026).
Keep exploring
- Spin the country wheel to get a random country.
- Play Travle and try to cross the map border by border.
- Browse all countries of the world, countries by population, capitals, country codes or try the flag quiz.