Djougou (63)

Benin's third-largest city by population, after Cotonou and Porto-Novo, Djougou is the capital of Donga department in the country's northwest. Its name, Zugu in the Dendi language, means "forest." The commune covers 3,966 km² and has roughly 268,000 residents (2013), mainly Yom-Lokpa alongside Dendi and Fulani communities. Conquered by the Germans in 1893 before being ceded to France, Djougou retains an active royal dynasty, currently embodied by King Kpétoni Koda VI. The city is known for trade and its transport industry, as well as for the Gaani, an annual festival marked by parades of ceremonially dressed horsemen at the royal court.