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Compare Antigua and Barbuda (2003) - Benin (2003)

Compare Antigua and Barbuda (2003) z Benin (2003)

 Antigua and Barbuda (2003)Benin (2003)
 Antigua and BarbudaBenin
Administrative divisions 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure 0-14 years: 28.1% (male 9,706; female 9,371)


15-64 years: 67.4% (male 22,929; female 22,845)


65 years and over: 4.5% (male 1,218; female 1,828) (2003 est.)
0-14 years: 47% (male 1,668,817; female 1,638,291)


15-64 years: 50.7% (male 1,739,517; female 1,834,231)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 67,504; female 93,130) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)
Airports 3 (2002) 5 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
total: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
Area total: 443 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)


land: 443 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km
total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak and Carib Indians populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged.
Birth rate 18.23 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 43.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $123.7 million


expenditures: $145.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $377.4 million


expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
Capital Saint John's Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government
Climate tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline 153 km 121 km
Constitution 1 November 1981 December 1990
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
conventional long form: Republic of Benin


conventional short form: Benin


local long form: Republique du Benin


local short form: Benin


former: Dahomey
Currency East Caribbean dollar (XCD) Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Death rate 5.64 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 13.65 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $231 million (1999) $1.6 billion (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL


embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou


mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou


telephone: [229] 30-06-50


FAX: [229] 30-06-70
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)


chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016


telephone: [1] (202) 362-5211


FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225


consulate(s) general: Miami
chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN


chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656


FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996
Disputes - international none two villages are in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, but states accept 2001 arbitration over disputed Niger River islands; several villages along the Okpara River are in dispute with Nigeria; in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved the boundary stones - joint commission presently resurveying the boundary
Economic aid - recipient $2.3 million (1995) $342.6 million (2000)
Economy - overview Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have slowed the economy, however, and pressed the government into a tight fiscal corner. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for slightly more than one-third of tourist arrivals. The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged a stable 5% in the past six years, but rapid population rise has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. The 2001 privatization policy should continue in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of initial government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, while pressing for speeded-up structural reforms.
Electricity - consumption 97.89 million kWh (2001) 631.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 376 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 105.3 million kWh (2001) 274.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
fossil fuel: 14.2%


hydro: 85.8%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues water management - a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Exchange rates East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999), 2.7 (1998) (fixed rate since 1976) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General James B. CARLISLE (since NA 1993)


head of government: Prime Minister Lester Bryant BIRD (since 8 March 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Robin YEARWOOD


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general
chief of state: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; runoff election held 22 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2006)


election results: Mathieu KEREKOU reelected president; percent of vote - Mathieu KEREKOU 84.1%, Bruno AMOUSSOU 15.9%


note: the four top-ranking contenders following the first-round presidential elections were: Mathieu KEREKOU (incumbent) 45.4%, Nicephore SOGOLO (former president) 27.1%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI (National Assembly Speaker) 12.6%, and Bruno AMOUSSOU (Minister of State) 8.6%; the second-round balloting, originally scheduled for 18 March 2001, was postponed four days because both SOGOLO and HOUNGBEDJI withdrew alleging electoral fraud; this left KEREKOU to run against his own Minister of State, AMOUSSOU, in what was termed a "friendly match"
Exports NA (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8% cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners France 68.5%, Germany 26.4%, Italy 1.2% (2002) India 25%, Italy 11.1%, Indonesia 7.4%, China 7.2%, Thailand 6.7%, Brazil 6.1%, UK 4.4%, Niger 4% (2002)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March calendar year
Flag description red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP purchasing power parity - $750 million (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $7.38 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3.9%


industry: 19.2%


services: 76.8% (2002)
agriculture: 38%


industry: 15%


services: 47% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $11,000 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3% (2002 est.) 6% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 17 03 N, 61 48 W 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbor sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
Highways total: 250 km (1999 est.) total: 6,787 km


paved: 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways)


unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly regulated financial infrastructure
Imports NA (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners France 23.4%, Germany 14.2%, US 13.2%, Poland 9.8%, South Korea 8.3%, Singapore 5%, UK 4.4% (2002) China 30.7%, France 15.7%, UK 4.8%, Italy 4.2% (2002)
Independence 1 November 1981 (from UK) 1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 6% (1997 est.) 8.3% (2001 est.)
Industries tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances) textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001)
Infant mortality rate total: 20.9 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 25.14 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 16.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
total: 86.76 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 91.79 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 81.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 0.4% (2000 est.) 3.3% (2002 est.)
International organization participation ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 16 (2000) 4 (2002)
Irrigated land NA sq km 120 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction) Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force 30,000 NA
Labor force - by occupation commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983) -
Land boundaries 0 km total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
Land use arable land: 18.18%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 81.82% (1998 est.)
arable land: 15.28%


permanent crops: 1.36%


other: 83.36% (1998 est.)
Languages English (official), local dialects French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system based on English common law based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Representatives - last held 9 March 1999 (next to be held prior to March 2004)


election results: percent of vote by party - ALP 53.2%, UPP 45.5%, independent 1.3%; seats by party - ALP 12, UPP 4, independent 1
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Presidential Movement 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31
Life expectancy at birth total population: 71.31 years


male: 68.99 years


female: 73.75 years (2003 est.)
total population: 51.08 years


male: 50.35 years


female: 51.84 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling


total population: 89%


male: 90%


female: 88% (1960 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 40.9%


male: 56.2%


female: 26.5% (2000)
Location Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea: 200 NM
Merchant marine total: 816 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,135,866 GRT/6,648,143 DWT


ships by type: bulk 16, cargo 474, chemical tanker 8, combination bulk 3, container 255, liquefied gas 10, multi-functional large-load carrier 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 35


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Bangladesh 2, Belgium 3, Colombia 1, Cuba 1, Estonia 1, Germany 747, Greece 1, Iceland 8, Latvia 1, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 1, Netherlands 22, New Zealand 2, Portugal 1, Slovenia 6, South Africa 1, Sweden 2, United Kingdom 1, United States 7 (2002 est.)
none (2002 est.)
Military branches Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (including the Coast Guard) Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA $80.8 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 2.7% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability - note: both sexes are liable for military service


males age 15-49: 1,597,562


females age 15-49: 1,536,036 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 805,603


females age 15-49: 809,961 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 75,021


females: 78,998 (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981) National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)


adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan
noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate -6.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Political parties and leaders Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three opposition parties - United National Democratic Party or UNDP, Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, and Progressive Labor Movement or PLM) African Congress for Renewal or DUNYA [Saka SALEY]; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Coalition of Democratic Forces [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Front for Renewal and Development or FARD-ALAFIA [Jerome Sakia KINA]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD [Bertin BORNA]; Key Force or FC [leader NA]; Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, IDP, and 4 other small parties); Renaissance Party du Benin or PRB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union of Tomorrow's Benin or UBF [Bruno AMOUSSOU]


note: approximately 20 additional minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL] NA
Population 67,897 (July 2003 est.) 7,041,490


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 37% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 0.64% (2003 est.) 2.95% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Saint John's Cotonou, Porto-Novo
Radio broadcast stations AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Railways total: 77 km


narrow gauge: 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane) (2001 est.)
total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Religions Christian, (predominantly Anglican with other Protestant, and some Roman Catholic) indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: good automatic telephone system


international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe
general assessment: NA


domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); submarine cable
Telephones - main lines in use 28,000 (1996) 51,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,300 (1996) 55,500 (2000)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1997) 1;; (2001)
Terrain mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate 2.28 children born/woman (2003 est.) 6.04 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 11% (2001 est.) NA%
Waterways none streams navigable along small sections, important only locally
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