Benin operates on West Africa Time (WAT), which is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+1). The country does not observe daylight saving time, so the offset remains constant throughout the year.
All of Benin follows the same timezone. Major cities including Cotonou, Porto-Novo, and Parakou all observe WAT. Porto-Novo is the official capital, while Cotonou is the largest city and serves as the economic hub and seat of government.
Benin is considered the birthplace of Voodoo, with the religion originating from the Fon and Ewe peoples. The country celebrates National Voodoo Day on January 10th as an official public holiday. Benin was also home to the powerful Kingdom of Dahomey, famous for its elite female warriors known as the Amazons.