Map of Cotonou, Benin

Cotonou is the seat of government of Benin, with a population of about 679,012. It lies at 6.3654°N, 2.4183°E. Cotonou is about 25 km (16 mi) southwest of Porto-Novo, the capital. The nearest city on our map is Godomè, 8 km to the west.

Cotonou at a glance

Where is Cotonou?

• The largest city in Benin by recorded population.
• Located in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres.
• Daylight ranges from about 11 h 45 min on the shortest day to 12 h 29 min on the longest day (around 21 December and 21 June).

Cities near Cotonou

• Godomè — 8 km west
• Abomey-Calavi — 12 km northwest
• Ekpé — 13 km east
• Porto-Novo — 25 km northeast
• Missérété — 29 km northeast
• Ouidah — 37 km west
• Sakété — 49 km northeast
• Comé — 59 km west
• Pobé — 74 km north
• Lokossa — 83 km west

Largest cities in Benin

• Abomey-Calavi — 385,755
• Porto-Novo — 264,320
• Parakou — 255,478
• Godomè — 253,262
• Abomey — 117,824
• Djougou — 94,773
• Bohicon — 93,744
• Ekpé — 75,313
• Nikki — 66,109
• Malanville — 64,639

Map of Benin and all its cities →

Sources: place names, coordinates, populations and time zones from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0, data retrieved October 2026). Population figures are the latest values recorded in GeoNames; depending on the country they refer to the city proper, a municipality or a wider urban area, so they can differ from census or metro-area figures. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.