Mound building termites can be found in Africa, Australia, and South America. Using grains of sand mixed with saliva, mound building termites are able to construct impressive colonies towering up to 5 meters over the African savannah. A typical mound requires 4 to 5 years of construction and can host over 2 million termites. Termites share a common feature with ants, bees, and wasps; their colonies are divided into castes consisting of workers, soldiers, drones, and the queen.
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The Dahomey Kingdom existed from 1600 until 1900. The kingdom was founded in the Abomey Plateau area by the Fon people, a prominent tribe of Western Africa. During the reign of Houegbadja, 1645 to 1685, the kingdom began to expand beyond its original borders and became more centralized. The kingdom continued to prosper and reached its zenith under King Agaja, Houegbadja’s grandson. By the 1870’s, France had begun to take control of the kingdom’s coastal areas and Dahomey fell into decline.
