Porto-Novo

Porto-Novo (pop. 144,000), capital and second largest city of Benin. Lying on the Gulf of Guinea, it was founded and named by the Portuguese in the 17th century and became a hub for the West African slave trade. Captured by the French in 1883, Porto-Novo was made the capital of the colony of Dahomey and remained the capital when independence was granted in 1960. It is a major port and rail terminal for the rest of the nation.