Compare Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2008) - Benin (2004)

Compare Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2008) z Benin (2004)

	Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2008)	Benin (2004)

Administrative divisions	-	12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 46.8% (male 1,711,075; female 1,679,439) 15-64 years: 51% (male 1,802,990; female 1,890,915) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 68,890; female 96,724) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)
Airports	-	5 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 5 sq km land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island	total: 112,620 sq km land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative	about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background	These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is now a marine reserve.	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	-	42.57 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $698.9 million expenditures: $613.2 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)
Capital	-	Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government
Climate	tropical	tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline	74.1 km	121 km
Constitution	-	December 1990
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands	conventional long form: Republic of Benin conventional short form: Benin local long form: Republique du Benin local short form: Benin former: Dahomey
Currency	-	Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Death rate	-	13.69 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	-	$1.6 billion (2000)
Dependency status	territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Attorney-General's Department	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (territory of Australia)	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	none (territory of Australia)	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	Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to these islands; Australia closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier Reserve to Indonesian traditional fishing and placed restrictions on certain catches	two villages remain in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso; accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and ICJ ad hoc judges have been selected to rule on disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; several villages along the Okpara River are in dispute with Nigeria; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones
Economic aid - recipient	-	$342.6 million (2000)
Economy - overview	no economic activity	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	-	631.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	-	376 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	-	274.3 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues	NA	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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	-	African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Exchange rates	-	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999)
Executive branch	-	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)
Exports - commodities	-	cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners	-	China 21.1%, India 18%, Thailand 6.8%, Ghana 5.8%, Niger 4.4%, Indonesia 4.1% (2003)
Fiscal year	-	calendar year
Flag description	the flag of Australia is used	two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $7.742 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 36.4% industry: 14.5% services: 49.1% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	5.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	12 14 S, 123 05 E	9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note	Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983	sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
Highways	-	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
Illicit drugs	-	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)
Imports - commodities	-	foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners	-	China 29.5%, France 14.9%, UK 4.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.7%, Thailand 4.6% (2003)
Independence	-	1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	-	8.3% (2001 est.)
Industries	-	textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001)
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 85.88 deaths/1,000 live births male: 90.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 80.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	1.5% (2003 est.)
International organization participation	-	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	0 sq km	120 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	-	Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force	-	NA (1996)
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: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2005)	arable land: 18.08% permanent crops: 2.4% other: 79.52% (2001)
Languages	-	French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system	the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply	based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	-	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: 50.81 years male: 50.25 years female: 51.39 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.9% male: 56.2% female: 26.5% (2000)
Location	Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between northwestern Australia and Timor island	Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references	Southeast Asia	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation	territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine	-	none
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force	-
Military branches	-	Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$98.3 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	2.7% (2003)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 1,638,010 females age 15-49: 1,647,850 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 835,561 females age 15-49: 835,633 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 77,552 females: 81,841 (2004 est.)
National holiday	-	National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality	-	noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards	surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards	hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources	fish	small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate	-	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
People - note	the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has become an ongoing problem	-
Political parties and leaders	-	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	-	NA
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island	7,250,033 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 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	37% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate	-	2.89% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Cotonou, Porto-Novo
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Railways	-	total: 578 km narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Religions	-	indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Sex ratio	-	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: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	-	general assessment: NA domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Telephones - main lines in use	-	66,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	236,200 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (2001)
Terrain	low with sand and coral	mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate	-	5.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	NA
Waterways	-	150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004)

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.