Benin City

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Benin City
City
Benin
Aerial view of Benin City
Seal
Benin City Location in Nigeria
Coordinates: 6°20′00″N 5°37′20″E / 6.33333°N 5.62222°E / 6.33333; 5.62222
Country	Nigeria
State	Edo
Area
• Total	1,204 km2 (465 sq mi)
Population  (2006[citation needed])
• Total	1,050,000
• Rank	4th
• Density	870/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
GDP (PPP, 2015 int. Dollar)
• Year	2023
• Total	$16.6 billion[1]
• Per capita	$8,700
Climate	Aw

Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, southern Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano, and Ibadan.^[2] It is situated approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of the Benin River and 320 kilometres (200 mi) by road east of Lagos. Benin City is the centre of Nigeria's rubber industry, and Palm oil production is also a significant industry.^[3]

The city was the most important settlement of the Edo Kingdom of Benin, which flourished during the 13th to the 19th century. It held important trade relations with Portugal during its final centuries before being captured, sacked and burnt in 1897 by a British punitive expedition. Many bronze sculptures in Benin City palace, collectively termed the Benin Bronzes, were stolen by the British. The British followed up their victory by gradually colonizing the area, eventually incorporating the region into Colonial Nigeria.^[4]

The indigenous people of Benin City are the Edo people (the Benin People), and they speak the Edo language or Bini Language. The people of the city have one of the richest dress cultures on the African continent and are renowned for their beads (the beads stand for royalty and usually stand out during the traditional marriage of the Benin people), body marks, bangles, anklets, raffia work. They are also known for subsistence farming of yam, plantain and cassava.^[5]