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Compare Benin (2001) - Antigua and Barbuda (2008)

Compare Benin (2001) z Antigua and Barbuda (2008)

 Benin (2001)Antigua and Barbuda (2008)
 BeninAntigua and Barbuda
Administrative divisions 6 provinces; Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Mono, Oueme, Zou; note - six additional provinces have been reported but not confirmed; they are Alibori, Collines, Couffo, Donga, Littoral, and Plateau; moreover, the term "province" may have been changed to "department" 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
Age structure 0-14 years:
47.32% (male 1,574,124; female 1,544,741)

15-64 years:
50.38% (male 1,607,900; female 1,712,360)

65 years and over:
2.3% (male 64,756; female 86,901) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 27.3% (male 9,647/female 9,306)


15-64 years: 69% (male 24,137/female 23,801)


65 years and over: 3.7% (male 965/female 1,625) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, rice, cotton, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, livestock cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock
Airports 5 (2000 est.) 3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
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 (2000 est.)
total: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Area total:
112,620 sq km

land:
110,620 sq km

water:
2,000 sq km
total: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)


land: 442.6 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Dahomey gained its independence from France in 1960; the name was changed to Benin in 1975. From 1974 to 1989 the country was a socialist state; free elections were reestablished in 1991. The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak 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.
Birth rate 44.23 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 16.62 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues:
$299 million

expenditures:
$445 million, including capital expenditures of $14 million (1995 est.)
revenues: $123.7 million


expenditures: $145.9 million (2000 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government name: Saint John's


geographic coordinates: 17 07 N, 61 51 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline 121 km 153 km
Constitution December 1990 1 November 1981
Country name conventional long form:
Republic of Benin

conventional short form:
Benin

local long form:
Republique du Benin

local short form:
Benin

former:
Dahomey
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
Currency Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States -
Death rate 14.51 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 5.31 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (1998 est.) $359.8 million (June 2006)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Pamela E. BRIDGEWATER

embassy:
Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou

mailing address:
B. P. 2012, Cotonou

telephone:
[229] 30-06-50, 30-05-13, 30-17-92

FAX:
[229] 30-14-39, 30-19-74
the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Lucien Edgar TONOUKOUIN

chancery:
2737 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 232-6656

FAX:
[1] (202) 265-1996
chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah Mae LOVELL


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


telephone: [1] (202) 362-5122


FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225


consulate(s) general: Miami
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient $274.6 million (1997) $7.23 million (2005)
Economy - overview The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output averaged a sound 5% in 1996-99, but a rapid population rise offset much of this growth. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. Commercial and transport activities, which make up a large part of GDP, are vulnerable to developments in Nigeria, particularly fuel shortages. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation in recent years. While high fuel prices constrained growth in 2000, increased cotton production - enabled by a major restructuring program - and an expansion of the Cotonou port, may lead to increased growth in 2001. Antigua has a relatively high GDP per capita in comparison to most other Caribbean nations. It has experienced solid growth since 2003, driven by a construction boom in hotels and housing that which should wind down in 2008. Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. 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. Since taking office in 2004, the SPENCER government has adopted an ambitious fiscal reform program, but will continue to be saddled by its debt burden with a debt-to-GDP ratio exceeding 100%.
Electricity - consumption 510.2 million kWh (1999) 97.65 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 300 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 226 million kWh (1999) 105 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
24.78%

hydro:
75.22%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Mont Sokbaro 658 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification 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
Environment - international 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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling


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 black 91%, mixed 4.4%, white 1.7%, other 2.9% (2001 census)
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)


note: fixed rate since 1976
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, 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"
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Louisse LAKE-TACK (since 17 July 2007)


head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004)


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
Exports $396 million (f.o.b., 1999) 177.7 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8%
Exports - partners Brazil 14%, Libya 5%, Indonesia 4%, Italy 4% (1999) Spain 34%, Germany 20.7%, Italy 7.7%, Singapore 5.8%, UK 4.9% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side 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
GDP purchasing power parity - $6.6 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
37.9%

industry:
13.5%

services:
48.6% (1999)
agriculture: 3.8%


industry: 22%


services: 74.3% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,030 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2000 est.) 3.8% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 17 03 N, 61 48 W
Geography - note no natural harbors Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbor
Highways total:
6,787 km

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

unpaved:
5,430 km (1997 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
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 considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center
Imports $566 million (c.i.f., 1999) 4,215 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, tobacco, petroleum products, capital goods food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil
Imports - partners France 38%, China 16%, UK 9%, Cote d'Ivoire 5% (1999) US 21.1%, China 16.4%, Germany 13.3%, Singapore 12.7%, Spain 6.5% (2006)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 1 November 1981 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 6.9% (2000 est.) NA%
Industries textiles, cigarettes; beverages, food; construction materials, petroleum tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
Infant mortality rate 89.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 18.26 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.99 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 14.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2000 est.) 2.8% (2007 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNTAET, UPU, WADB, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 100 sq km (1993 est.) NA
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice 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); member Caribbean Court of Justice
Labor force NA 30,000 (1991)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: 7%


industry: 11%


services: 82% (1983)
Land boundaries total:
1,989 km

border countries:
Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
0 km
Land use arable land:
13%

permanent crops:
4%

permanent pastures:
4%

forests and woodland:
31%

other:
48% (1993 est.)
arable land: 18.18%


permanent crops: 4.55%


other: 77.27% (2005)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) English (official), local dialects
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on English common law
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 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RB 27, PRD 11, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 9, MADEP 6, E'toile 4, Alliance IPD 4, Car-DUNYA 3, MERCI 2, other 7
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17 seats; members 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 23 March 2004 (next to be held in 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 13
Life expectancy at birth total population:
49.94 years

male:
49.02 years

female:
50.88 years (2001 est.)
total population: 72.42 years


male: 70.03 years


female: 74.94 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
37.5%

male:
52.2%

female:
23.6% (2000)
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling


total population: 85.8%


male: NA%


female: NA% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Nigeria and Togo Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea:
200 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine none (2000 est.) total: 1,059 ships (1000 GRT or over) 8,158,597 GRT/10,757,767 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 46, cargo 612, carrier 4, chemical tanker 6, container 350, liquefied gas 11, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 20


foreign-owned: 1,021 (Australia 1, Colombia 1, Cyprus 2, Denmark 15, Estonia 15, France 1, Germany 891, Greece 3, Iceland 9, Latvia 9, Lebanon 1, Lithuania 6, Netherlands 19, Norway 7, NZ 2, Poland 2, Russia 5, Slovenia 6, Sweden 1, Switzerland 5, Turkey 7, UK 4, US 8, Vietnam 1) (2007)
Military branches Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $27 million (FY96) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY96) NA (2006)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
1,455,433

females age 15-49:
1,489,947

note:
both sexes are liable for military service (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
743,980

females age 15-49:
755,149 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
70,088

females:
73,618 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981)
Nationality noun:
Beninese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Beninese
noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)


adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -6.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Sylvain Adekpedjou AKINDES]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party or PSD and the National Union for Solidarity and Progress or UNSP [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Cameleon Alliance or AC [leader NA]; Car-DUNYA [Saka SALEY]; Communist Party of Benin or PCB [Pascal FANTONDJI, first secretary]; 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]; Liberal Democrats' Rally for National Reconstruction-Vivoten or RDL-Vivoten [Severin ADJOVI]; Movement for Citizens' Commitment and Awakening or MERCI [Severin ADJOVI]; New Generation for the Republic or NGR [Paul DOSSOU]; Our Common Cause or NCC [Francois Odjo TANKPINON]; Party Democratique du Benin or PDB [Col. Soule DANKORO]; Rally for Democracy and Pan-Africanism or RDP [Dominique HOYMINOU, Dr. Giles Auguste MINONTIN]; Renaissance Party du Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union for National Democracy and Solidarity or UDS [Adamou N'Diaye MAMA]

note:
the Coalition of Democratic Forces is an alliance of parties and organizations supporting President KEREKOU [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI]
Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbudans for a Better Barbuda [Ordrick SAMUEL]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; Barbuda People's Movement for Change [Arthur NIBBS]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three parties - Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, Progressive Labor Movement or PLM, United National Democratic Party or UNDP)
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]
Population 6,590,782

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 2001 est.)
69,481 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 37.2% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.97% (2001 est.) 0.527% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou, Porto-Novo -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios 620,000 (1997) -
Railways total:
578 km (single track)

narrow gauge:
578 km 1.000-m gauge (2000)
-
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Anglican 25.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.3%, Pentecostal 10.6%, Moravian 10.5%, Roman Catholic 10.4%, Methodist 7.9%, Baptist 4.9%, Church of God 4.5%, other Christian 5.4%, other 2%, none or unspecified 5.8% (2001 census)
Sex ratio at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.02 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.037 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.014 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.594 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system 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
general assessment: NA


domestic: good automatic telephone system


international: country code - 1-268; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 2; tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use 36,000 (1997) 40,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4,295 (1997) 102,000 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 2 (one privately-owned) (1997) 2 (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas
Total fertility rate 6.23 children born/woman (2001 est.) 2.23 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 11% (2001 est.)
Waterways streams navigable along small sections, important only locally -
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