Benin, the People's Republic ofBe‧nin, the People's Republic of /beˈniːn $ bəˈnɪn/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: 9,877,292 (2014). Capital: Porto Novo.