Location of Benin City in Nigeria

Benin City, a city (2006 est. pop. 1,147,188) in Edo State, southern Nigeria, is a port on the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos. Benin is the center of Nigeria's rubber industry, but processing palm nuts for oil is still an important traditional industry.^[1] Image File history File links Locator_Map_Benin_City-Nigeria. ... Image File history File links Locator_Map_Benin_City-Nigeria. ... Edo State is an inland state in central southern Nigeria. ... Seaport, a painting by Claude Lorrain, 1638 The Port of Wellington at night. ... This article is about the city in Nigeria. ... Latex being collected from a tapped rubber tree Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky colloidal suspension (known as latex) in the sap of several varieties of plants. ... Species Elaeis guineensis Elaeis oleifera The oil palms (Elaeis) coomprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. ... Palm oil from Ghana with its natural dark color visible, 2 litres Palm oil block Palm oil is a form of edible vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the oil palm tree. ...

History

Founded around the 10th century, Benin served as the capital of the Kingdom of Benin, the empire of the Oba of Benin, which flourished from the 14th through the 17th century. No trace remains of the structures admired by European travellers to "the Great Benin." After Benin was visited by the Portuguese in about 1485, historical Benin grew rich during the 16th and 17th centuries on the slave trade with Europe, carried in Dutch and Portuguese ships, as well as through the export of some tropical products.^[1] As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... --168. ... The Oba of Benin, whose person was sacred, controlled the Kingdom of Benin, an empire surrounding the West African city of Benin (now in Nigeria), from the 15th century until 1897, when a British Punitive Expedition destroyed the power of the Oba and cleared the way for the British colony... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... // Events August 5-7 - First outbreak of sweating sickness in England begins August 22 - Battle of Bosworth Field is fought between the armies of King Richard III of England and rival claimant to the throne of England Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

The Bight of Benin's shore was part of the so-called "Slave Coast", from where many West Africans were sold (usually by local rulers) to foreign slave traders. In the early 16th century the Oba sent an ambassador to Lisbon, and the King of Portugal sent Christian missionaries to Benin. Some residents of Benin could still speak a pidgin Portuguese in the late 19th century. The Bight of Benin is a bay on the western African coast that extends eastward for about 400 miles (640 km) from Cape St. ... The Slave Coast is the name of the coastal areas of present Togo, Benin (formerly Dahomey) and western Nigeria, a fertile region of coastal Western Africa along the Bight of Benin. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Lisboa  - Subregion Grande Lisboa  - District or A.R. Lisbon Mayor Carmona Rodrigues  - Party PSD Area 84. ... This is a List of Portuguese monarchs from the independence of Portugal from Castile in 1139, to the beginning of the Republic in October 5, 1910. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... A pidgin, or contact language, is the name given to any language created, usually spontaneously, out of two or more languages as a means of communication between speakers of different tongues, and usually a simplified form of one of the languages. ...

The city and kingdom of Benin declined after 1700, with the decline in the European slave trade, but revived in the 19th century with the development of the trade in palm products with Europeans. To preserve Benin's independence, bit by bit the Oba banned the export of goods from Benin, until the trade was exclusively in palm oil. World map showing the location of Europe. ...

On 1 February 1852 the whole Bight of Benin became a British protectorate, where a Consul (representative) represented the protector, until on 6 August 1861 the Bights of Biafra and Benin became a united British protectorate, again under a British Consul. February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Bight of Benin is a bay on the western African coast that extends eastward for about 400 miles (640 km) from Cape St. ... For the uses of Consul as Chief Magistrate of a (city) state, see Consul. ...

In the "Punitive Expedition" of 1897, a 1200-strong British force, under the command of Admiral Sir Harry Rawson, conquered and burned the city, destroying much of the country’s treasured art and dispersing nearly all that remained. The "Benin Bronzes": portrait figures, busts, and groups created in iron, carved ivory, and especially in brass (conventionally called "bronze") made in Benin are displayed in museums around the world. The Punitive Expedition of 1897 was a military excursion by a British force of 1,200 under Admiral Sir Harry Rawson that captured, burned, and looted the city of Benin, incidentally bringing to an end the highly sophisticated West African Kingdom of Benin. ... Admiral Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson, KCB (1843-1910), is chiefly remembered now for having overseen the British Punitive Expedition of 1897 that burned and looted the city of Benin, now in Nigeria. ... The Benin Bronzes are a collection of more than 1,000 brass plaques from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Brass (disambiguation). ... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ...

After the fall of Benin in 1897, the British set apart Warri Province, to punish the Oba of Benin and curb his imperial power. The Benin monarchy was restored in 1914, but true power lay with the colonial administration of Nigeria. 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Warri can mean: A city in Nigeria. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

In September 1967, the city was part of the short-lived secessionist Republic of Biafra and Benin City should not be confused with Benin Republic, a Francophone country bordering Nigeria to the west. Categories: Africa geography stubs | Former countries ...

The Fall of Benin

On February 17, 1897, Benin City fell to the British.^[1] On that fateful day in history, the city of Benin lost its independence, its sovereignty, its Oba (king), its control of trade, and its pride. The aptly-named "punitive expedition" totally humiliated the nation. February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The city was looted and burned to the ground. The ivory at the palace was seized. Nearly 2500 of the famous Benin bronzes and other valuable works of art, including the magnificently carved palace doors, were carried back to Europe. Today, every museum in Europe possesses art treasures from Benin.^[1]

The defeat, capture and subjugation of Benin paved the way for British military occupation and the later conquest of adjacent areas with Benin, under British administration, being merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate, then into the protectorate of Southern Nigeria and finally into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria.

Features

The University of Benin and Benson Idahosa University are situated in the city and Edo State boasts of being the only state in Nigeria with 4 Universities. The University of Benin is one the frontline universities in Nigeria in terms of academic standards. ... The Benson Idahosa University is a private, non-profit, Christian university in Benin City, Nigeria. ...

Attractions in the city include the Benin City National Museum, the Oba’s Palace, and various festivals. A festival is an event, usually staged by a local community, which centers on some unique aspect of that community. ...

The Republic of Benin never had a secessionist period. Benin was occupied in 1967 by the secessionist "Republic of Biafra" during the Nigerian Civil War which lasted from 1967 to 1970. Combatants Nigerian federal government Republic of Biafra Commanders Yakubu Gowon Odumegwu Ojukwu Casualties 200,000 soldiers and civilians Estimated 1,000,000 soldiers and civilians The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, July 6, 1967 – January 13, 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession...

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Benin, City, Nigeria, The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright, 2005 Columbia University Press. Retrieved February 18, 2007

February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ...

External links

• WorldStatesmen- Nigeria
• The Fall of Benin

Coordinates: 6.3176° N 5.6145° E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...