Timeline of Cotonou

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Cotonou, Benin.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Prior to 20th century

• 1830 - Cotonou founded as a "slaving port."^[1]
• 1878 - Cotonou "ceded to France."^[2]
• 1883 - French occupation.^[3]
• 1899 - Wharf built.^[4]

20th century

• 1904 - Cotonou becomes part of colonial French Dahomey.
• 1908 - Deepwater harbor opens.^[1]
• 1912 - Cotonou becomes a "commune mixte."^[4]
• 1920s - Population: 8,500.^[4]
• 1928 - Ancien Pont (bridge) built.
• 1955 - Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cotonou established.^[5]
• 1957 - January: Pan-African General Union of Negro African Workers founded at a conference in Cotonou.
• 1960s - Tomety photo studio in operation.^[6]
• 1963
  • Dantokpa Market established.^{[citation needed]}
  • Presidential Palace built.^[2]
• 1964
  • L'action populaire newspaper begins publication.^[7]
  • Nigerian Yoruba Community-Cotonou organization formed.^[8]
• 1965 - Port constructed.^[2]
• 1967 - Les Muses theatre troupe formed.^[9]
• 1968 - Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou (musical group) and Société Béninoise de Textiles^[2][10] established in Cotonou.
• 1970 - Université du Dahomey founded.
• 1975 - City becomes part of the People's Republic of Benin.
• 1980 - Association des écrivains et critiques littéraires du Bénin founded.^[11][12]
• 1981 - Population: 383,250 (estimate).^[13]
• 1982 - Stade de l'Amitié (stadium) opens.
• 1988 - Musée olympique du Bénin [fr] opens.
• 1986 - Sister city relationship established with Salvador, Brazil.^[14]
• 1990 - February: Benin constitutional conference held.^[15]
• 1992 - Population: 536,827.^[16]
• 1995
  • Centre de conferences international opens.^[17]
  • December: Meeting of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie held in city.^[3]
• 1996 - University of Science and Technology of Benin established.

21st century

Cotonou, 2013

• 2001 - L'Informateur newspaper begins publication.^[10][18]
• 2002 - Maison des Médias du Bénin founded.^[19][20]
• 2003
  • 25 December: Airplane crash.^[21]
  • Nicéphore Soglo becomes mayor.
• 2005 - Fondation Zinsou [fr] (museum) opens.^[17]
• 2009 - Population: 815,041.^[22]
• 2011 - Population: 924,000.^[23]
• 2013 - Population: 679,012.^[24]