Grand-Popo

Sister cities

• Astrakhan

History

Trade relations between the Grand-Popo region and Europe were already established in the 17th century, before Porto-Novo emerged as a competitor. Thanks to its position as a peninsula between the ocean and a branch of the Mono River, it was considered a relatively safe anchorage for the slave-based economy. Buildings—typically one-story houses made of fired brick with wooden floors—were concentrated in the Gbekon quarter, near the central market and facing the beach. Coastal erosion, a phenomenon that became severe in Grand-Popo from the late 1950s onward, has largely destroyed this architecture, now abandoned. Later constructions—early Catholic and Protestant missions built along the shore, as well as the first school—suffered the same fate. In the 10th century, slavery was practiced between African groups. It was carried out by local armies, occultists, and kings. Slavery in Africa served military purposes but also aimed to foster familiarity with groups considered more powerful at the time, notably through the capture of enslaved women during warfare. In the 17th century, Fon-speaking kings and military leaders from Djanglanmey dominated the region, facilitating the slave trade with Europeans. Grand-Popo thus served as a commercial post between Europe and Africa prior to the abolition of slavery by Western powers. There is an oral tradition associated with the traditional Azé of Kankèkpa-Djanglanmey. After oral transmission, history is preserved through books by writers, as well as through written, sung, or rapped poetry.

Most-observed species

• Long-tailed Cormorant

  Microcarbo africanus (Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  52
• Common Sandpiper

  Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  45
• Little Egret/Western Reef-Heron

  Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  43
• Pied Kingfisher

  Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  42
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  41
• Western Reef-Heron

  Egretta gularis (Bosc, 1792) · Aves
  37
• Common Greenshank

  Tringa nebularia (Gunnerus, 1767) · Aves
  33
• Cattle Egret

  Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  32

Most recent

• M 4.4 — 2009-09-11
  13 km NNE of Abomey-Calavi, Benin