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Venice
City (pop., 1996: 299,000), capital of Veneto region, N Italy. Built on the Lagoon of Venice, it encompasses some 118 islands, the whole 90-mi (145-km) perimeter of the lagoon, and two industrial mainland boroughs. Refugees from N invasions of the mainland founded settlements in the 5th cent. AD that were built uniquely on islands as protection against raids. It was a vassal of the Byzantine empire until the 10th cent. Beginning with control of a trading route to the Levant, it emerged from the Fourth Crusade (1202-4) as ruler of a colonial empire which included Crete, Euboea, Cyclades, the Ionian Islands, and footholds in Morea and Epirus. In 1381 it defeated Genoa after a century-long struggle for commercial supremacy in the Levant and E Mediterranean. In the 15th cent., with the acquisition of neighboring regions, the Venetian Republic became an extensive Italian state. It gradually lost its E possessions to Ottoman Turks, with whom Venice fought intermittently 15th-18th cent.; it gave up its last hold in the Aegean in 1715. The republic dissolved and the territory was ceded to Austria in 1797. Incorporated into Napoleon's kingdom of Italy in 1805, it was restored to Austria in 1815. A revolt against Austria (1848-49) eventually resulted in Venice being ceded to Italy in 1866. It suffered little damage during World War II, but flooding along its many miles of canals caused severe damage in 1966. In the late 20th cent., widespread efforts were made to control inundation of the city and to preserve its architecture, which includes representations of Italian, Arabic, Byzantine, and Renaissance styles. There are some 450 palaces and homes of major historic importance. Notable among its 400 bridges is the Bridge of Sighs, built c.800, and among its churches, St. Mark's Basilica. Tourism and industries related to tourism, incl. the production of glass, lace, and textiles, are the main economic activities.
Benin
Country, W Africa. Area: 43,483 sq mi (112,621 sq km). Population (1997): 5,902,000. Capital: Porto-Novo (official), Cotonou (de facto). The Fon people and related groups constitute three-fifths of the population; minorities include the Yoruba, Fulani, and a Voltaic-speaking group. Languages: French (official), Fon. Currency: CFA franc. Religion: traditional religions (two-thirds of the population), Islam and Christianity (one-third). Extending about 420 mi (675 km) inland from the Gulf of Guinea, the republic consists of a hilly region in the northwest, where the maximum elevation is 2,150 ft (650 km). There are plains in the east and north, and a marshy region in the south, where the coastline extends about 75 mi (120 km). Benin's longest river, the Oué mé , flows into the Porto-Novo Lagoon and is navigable for 125 mi (200 km) of its 280 mi (450 km) length. Benin has a developing, centrally planned economy based largely on agriculture, and is developing its offshore oil field. It is a republic ...
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