Be ‧ nin, the People's Republic of /beˈniːn $ bəˈnɪn/ BrE AmE
a country in West Africa, between Togo and Nigeria, which was a French ↑ colony , formerly called Dahomey. It became independent in 1960 and changed its name to Benin in 1975. Population: 8,078,314 (2007). Capital: Porto Novo.