Ganvie

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'''Ganvie''' is a lake village in Benin, Africa, lying in Lake Nokoué, near Cotonou. With a population of around 20,000 people, it is probably the largest lake village in Africa and is very popular with tourists.

The village was created in the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries by the Tofinu people who took to the lake to avoid Fon warriors who were taking people hostage to sell them to European enslavers. Making the shallow waters and islands of Lake Nokoue a haven, the Ganvie villagers are often referred to as "water men"<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Spedini|first1=Gabriella|last2=Fuciarelli|first2=Maria|last3=Rickards|first3=Olaga|date=June 1980|title=Blood polymorphism frequencies in the Tofinu, the "Water Men" of Southern Benin|journal=Anthropologischer Anzeiger|volume=38|issue=2|pages=121–130|pmid=7425589}}</ref> and the area itself is often called the "Venice of Africa."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/ganvie-benin-unique-places-around-the-world.html|title=Ganvie, Benin - Unique Places Around the World|website=WorldAtlas|date=3 August 2017|language=en|access-date=2020-03-04|archive-date=2017-08-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803194516/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/ganvie-benin-unique-places-around-the-world.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Originally based on farming, the village's main industries other than tourism are now fishing and fish farming. The only means of transportation to and from the village is through wooden boats.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/ganvie-benin-unique-places-around-the-world.html|title=Ganvie, Benin - Unique Places Around the World|website=WorldAtlas|date=3 August 2017|language=en|access-date=2020-03-04|archive-date=2017-08-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803194516/https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/ganvie-benin-unique-places-around-the-world.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The village was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on October 31, 1996 in the Cultural category.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/869/ |title=Site Lacustre de Ganvié - UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=2019-12-26 |archive-date=2019-09-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913130826/http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/869/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ganvie, like many areas of Benin, is home to a constituent monarchy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Djogbénou |first=Edouard |date=2019-04-04 |title=Bénin: ce que les têtes couronnées ont décidé lors de leur conclave d'hier |url=https://archives.beninwebtv.com/2019/04/benin-ce-que-les-tetes-couronnees-ont-decide-lors-de-leur-conclave-dhier/ |access-date=2023-06-16 |website=Bénin Web TV |language=fr-FR}}</ref>

==Etymology== Early Fon people moved pursued by Aja people for slavery. They found refuge in the middle of the lake thanks to deities that protected them. Therefore the place was called 'Ganvie', "I was rescued here" in Fon language. <ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl_x_g8vQGk|title = Spiritual Initiation Rituals Of The Gabon Rainforest|author = TRACKS - Travel Documentaries|date = 2022-12-03|website = YouTube|publisher = YouTube|access-date = 2024-09-12}}</ref>

==Gallery== <gallery> File:Ganvié au fil de l'eau (2).webm|Boating through Ganvie Image:ganvie1.jpg|House Image:bateau_ganvie.jpg|Boat </gallery>

==See also== * Stilt house

== Notes == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commonscat}} *[https://www.excelman.com/en/galerie/afrique/ganvie/ganvie.html Ganvie, Benin : The Venice of Africa : The Water People of Nokoue Lake]

{{Coord|6|28|N|2|25|E|region:BJ_type:city_source:enwiki-GNS|display=title}}

Category:Populated places in the Atlantique Department