Alibori Department

Alibori is the largest and northernmost department (French: département) of Benin. Externally the department borders the countries of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria, and internally the departments of Atakora and Borgou. The department of Alibori was created in 1999 when it was split off from Borgou Department and is named after the Alibori River. , the total population of the department was 867,463, with 431,357 males and 436,106 females. The proportion of women was 50.30%. The total rural population was 75.70%, while the urban population was 24.30%. The total labour force in the department was 201,622, of which 25.40% were women. The proportion of households with no level of education was 83.70%. Geography Alibori borders Niger to the north, Nigeria to the east, Borgou Department to the south, Atakora Department to the west, and Burkina Faso to the north-west. Alibori is a fertile region consisting of highland and savannah. Cotton, maize and cassava are the major crops grown. The northeast plains slope down to the valley of the Niger River which, along with the Mékrou River, forms the border with Niger. Other major rivers include the Alibori River, Sota River and Pako River. The department contains the bulk of Benin's section of the trans-boundary W National Park.