Porto-Novo is the capital of Benin, a West African country, and was once the capital of French Dahomey. The commune has a population of 223,552 people and occupies an area of 110 square kilometers (42 square miles).
Porto-Novo, which means “New Port” in Portuguese, is the name of the capital. It was built as a slave port, which was an essential feature of several European empires, notably the Portuguese Empire, at the time.
Porto-Novo is a port in the southern part of the nation, on an entrance of the Gulf of Guinea. It is Benin’s second-largest city, and although Porto-Novo is the formal capital and home to the national assembly, the bigger city of Cotonou serves as the seat of government, housing the majority of government buildings and ministries.