Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Ouidah
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Gate of No Return, Ouidah, Benin Ouidah, Benin
Discover
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
Super Typhoon Noru over the western tropical Pacific Ocean as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA Aqua satellite July 31 2017
What Is the Difference Between a Typhoon and a Super Typhoon?
Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept
Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.
Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?
Gate of No Return, Ouidah, Benin
Gate of No Return, Ouidah, Benin The Gate of No Return, a monument commemorating the lives of enslaved people, on the beach of Ouidah, Benin. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Ouidah (Whydah) was a slave-trading hub and an important center of commerce in the kingdom of Dahomey.

Ouidah

Benin
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/place/Ouidah
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Whydah
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: • Article History
Also spelled:
Whydah
See all related content

Ouidah, town in southern Benin, western Africa. It lies along the Gulf of Guinea.

Ouidah, Benin
Ouidah, Benin

The town was the main port of the Kingdom of Abomey in the 18th and 19th centuries. Portuguese, French, Dutch, Danish, British, and Americans all vied for a share of the slave and palm-oil trade made available through Ouidah by the efficiently organized and centralized kingdom. The town was an intellectual hub in part because of the number of “Brazilians”—as individuals of mixed Afro-European heritage and enslaved people or their descendants returning from Brazil were known—who settled there and served as cultural intermediaries. In 1893 the area came under French control.

Some of the old forts, a cathedral, and a temple of the Abomey traditional religion remain. The town is considered to be the spiritual capital of the Vodou (Voodoo) religion and holds an annual Vodou festival in January. Coconut, palm, and coffee are grown in the area. Ouidah is connected by road and railway to Cotonou, 20 miles (32 km) east, the major port and commercial center of Benin. Pop. (2002) 37,647; (2013) 47,616.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy McKenna.