Independent republic on the former Slave Coast, successor to French Dahomey and, before that, the Kingdom of Dahomey; renamed from Dahomey to Benin in 1975. Porto-Novo is the official capital, with Cotonou as the seat of government and largest city.
Standard English-language reference covering Dahomey/Benin's colonial and post-independence political history, including the 1960 transition and later renaming.
Covers Benin/Dahomey's turbulent early post-independence decade of military coups (1960s-70s) alongside comparative West African cases.