Allada
Allada | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Allada Location in Benin | |
| Coordinates:6°39′N2°09′E/ 6.650°N 2.150°E | |
| Country |  Benin |
| Department | Atlantique Department |
| Area | |
| • Total | 381 km2(147 sq mi) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 127,512 |
| Website | http://www.web-africa.org/allada/ |
Allada[a.la.da]is a town,arrondissement,and commune, located in theAtlantique DepartmentofBenin.
The current town of Allada corresponds toGreat Ardra(also calledGrand Ardra,orArda), which was the capital of aFonkingdom also called Allada (thekingdom of Ardraorkingdom of Allada), which existed as a sovereign kingdom from around the 13th or 14th century (date of the initial settlements byAjapeople, reorganized as a kingdom c. 1600) until 1724, when it fell to the armies of neighbourKingdom of Dahomey.The present-day commune of Allada covers an area of 381 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 127,512 people.[1]
History
[edit]In the mid-sixteenth century, Allada (then called Grand Ardra, or Arda) had a population of about 30,000 people.[2]
The original inhabitants of Ardra were ethnicAja.[3]According to oral tradition, the Aja migrated to southern Benin around the 12th or 13th century, coming fromTado,on theMono Riverin modernTogo.They established themselves in the area that currently corresponds to southern Benin, until c. 1600, when three brothers – Kokpon, Do-Aklin, and Te-Agdanlin – split the rule of the region amongst themselves: Kokpon took the capital city ofGreat Ardra,reigning over the Allada kingdom, while his brother Do-Aklin foundedAbomey(which would become capital of theKingdom of Dahomey) and their brother Te-Agdanlin founded Little Ardra, also known as Ajatche(Little Adja), later calledPorto Novo(literally, "New Port" ) by Portuguese traders (which is the current capital city of Benin).
Notable citizens and residents
[edit]TheHaitianrevolutionaryToussaint L'Ouverture,who was the grandson of the Allada princeGaou Guinou,was thefounding fatherof theRepublic of Haiti.[4]There is a statue of L'Ouverture in the north of the town.[5]
Demographics
[edit]The main town demographics:
| Year | Population[6] |
|---|---|
| 1979 | 12 022 |
| 2008 (estimate) | 21 833 |
References
[edit]- ^"Communes of Benin".Statoids. Archived fromthe originalon 2 January 2010.RetrievedJanuary 5,2010.
- ^Monroe, Cameron."Urbanism on West Africa's Slave Coast".American Scientist. Archived fromthe originalon 13 January 2014.Retrieved24 September2014.
- ^Asiwaju, A. I. (1979). "The Aja-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria: A Note on Their Origins, Settlement and Cultural Adaptation up to 1945".Africa: Journal of the International African Institute.49(1): 15–28.doi:10.2307/1159502.ISSN0001-9720.JSTOR1159502.S2CID145468899.
- ^Beard, John R. (1863).Toussaint L'Ouverture: A Biography and Autobiography.Boston: James Redpath. p. 35.Retrieved18 January2015.
- ^Butler, Stuart (2019)Bradt Travel Guide - Benin,pgs. 100
- ^"Allada".World Gazetteer.Archived fromthe originalon 2013-02-09.Retrieved2008-12-19.
Further reading
[edit]- Saheed Aderinto, African kingdoms: an encyclopedia of empires and civilizations, 2017Google docs preview
6°39′N2°09′E/ 6.650°N 2.150°E
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
 | ThisAtlantique Departmentlocation article is astub.You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |