The following is a

timeline A timeline is a list of events displayed in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representing t ...

of the

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

of the

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Cotonou Cotonou (; ) is the largest city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The city lies ...

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

Prior to 20th century

* 1830 - Cotonou founded as a "slaving port." * 1878 - Cotonou "ceded to France." * 1883 - French occupation. * 1899 - Wharf built.

20th century

* 1904 - Cotonou becomes part of colonial

French Dahomey French Dahomey, officially the Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies (), was a French colony and part of French West Africa from 1894 to 1958. After World War II, by the establishment of the French Fourth Republic in 1947, Dahomey became part of ...

. * 1908 - Deepwater harbor opens. * 1912 - Cotonou becomes a "commune mixte." * 1920s - Population: 8,500. * 1928 - Ancien Pont (bridge) built. * 1955 - Catholic

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cotonou The Archdiocese of Cotonou () is the Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Cotonou in Benin. It is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province of Cotonou. History * 26 June 1883: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Daho ...

established. * 1957 - January: Pan-African

General Union of Negro African Workers The General Union of Negro African Workers, more widely known by its French name ''Union générale des travailleurs d'Afrique noire'' ('General Workers Union of Black Africa', abbreviated UGTAN), was a pan-African trade union organization. Ahmed S� ...

founded at a conference in Cotonou. * 1960s - Tomety photo studio in operation. * 1963 **

Dantokpa Market The Dantokpa Market, or simply Tokpa (), is the largest open-air market in West Africa, located in Cotonou, Benin.It is one of the most important retailing areas in Benin, covering over 20 hectares. It is also economically important for the coun ...

established. ** Presidential Palace built. * 1964 ** ''L'action populaire''

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

begins publication. ** Nigerian Yoruba Community-Cotonou organization formed. * 1965 - Port constructed. * 1967 - Les Muses theatre troupe formed. * 1968 - Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou (musical group) and Société Béninoise de Textiles established in Cotonou. * 1970 - Université du Dahomey founded. * 1975 - City becomes part of the

People's Republic of Benin The People's Republic of Benin (; sometimes translated literally as the Benin Popular Republic or Popular Republic of Benin) was a socialist state located in the Gulf of Guinea on the African continent, which became present-day Benin in 1990 ...

. * 1980 - Association des écrivains et critiques littéraires du Bénin founded. * 1981 - Population: 383,250 (estimate). * 1982 -

Stade de l'Amitié Stade de l'Amitie or Friendship Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Cotonou, Benin. It is currently used for football (soccer), football matches and also has facilities for sport of athletics, athletics.Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to ''La Francophonie'', , sometimes also called International Organisation of in English) is an international organization representing where there is a notable affiliation with French language and culture. ...

held in city. * 1996 - University of Science and Technology of Benin established.

21st century

* 2001 - ''L'Informateur''

begins publication. * 2002 - Maison des Médias du Bénin founded. * 2003 ** 25 December:

Airplane crash An aviation accident is an event during aircraft operation that results serious injury, death, or significant destruction. An aviation incident is any operating event that compromises safety but does not escalate into an aviation accident. Pre ...

. **

Nicéphore Soglo Nicéphore Dieudonné Soglo (born 29 November 1934) is a Beninese politician who was Prime Minister of Benin from 1990 to 1991 and President from 1991 to 1996. He was Mayor of Cotonou from 2003 to 2015. Soglo was married to Rosine Vieyra Soglo, ...

becomes mayor. * 2005 - (museum) opens. * 2009 - Population: 815,041. * 2011 - Population: 924,000. * 2013 - Population: 679,012.

References

:''This article incorporates information from the

French Wikipedia The French Wikipedia () is the French-language edition of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. This edition was started on 23 March 2001, two months after the official creation of Wikipedia. It has :fr:Special:Statistics, encyclopedia artic ...

and

German Wikipedia The German Wikipedia () is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia. Founded on 16 March 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia edition (after the English Wikipedia). It has articles, ma ...

''.

Bibliography

in English

* * * * * *

in French

* * * *

External links

* (Bibliography of

open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...

articles) * (Images, etc.) * (Images, etc.) * (Bibliography) * (Bibliography) * (Bibliography) {{Timelines of cities in Africa *

Years in Benin