Benin is a tropical nation.
Benin ( [ bᵻˈniːn , _ - ˈnɪn ] or - ; [ bɛˈniːn ] ; Bénin [ benɛ̃ ] ) , officially the Republic of Benin ( République du Bénin ) and formerly Dahomey , is a country in West Africa . The majority of its population lives on the small southern coastline of the Bight of Benin , part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean . Benin is a tropical nation , highly dependent on agriculture , with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming .