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Compare Benin (2001) - Barbados (2008)

Compare Benin (2001) z Barbados (2008)

 Benin (2001)Barbados (2008)
 BeninBarbados
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" 11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas
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: 19.7% (male 27,659/female 27,573)


15-64 years: 71.4% (male 98,633/female 102,020)


65 years and over: 8.9% (male 9,662/female 15,399) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, rice, cotton, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, livestock sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Airports 5 (2000 est.) 1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total:
1

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


over 3,047 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.)
-
Area total:
112,620 sq km

land:
110,620 sq km

water:
2,000 sq km
total: 431 sq km


land: 431 sq km


water: 0 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 island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
Birth rate 44.23 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 12.61 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues:
$299 million

expenditures:
$445 million, including capital expenditures of $14 million (1995 est.)
revenues: $847 million (including grants)


expenditures: $886 million (2000 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government name: Bridgetown


geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Coastline 121 km 97 km
Constitution December 1990 30 November 1966
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: Barbados
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.) 8.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (1998 est.) $668 million (2003)
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN


embassy: U.S. Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael


mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055


telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950


FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379
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 Michael Ian KING


chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200


FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467


consulate(s) general: Miami, New York


consulate(s): Los Angeles
Disputes - international none in April 2006, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing agreement limiting Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
Economic aid - recipient $274.6 million (1997) $2.07 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. Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, production in recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism, with nearly three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being attributed to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by increases in construction projects and tourism revenues - reflecting its success in the higher-end segment. The country enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region and an investment grade rating which benefits from its political stability and stable institutions. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners and thrive from having the same time zone as eastern US financial centers and a relatively highly educated workforce. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises.
Electricity - consumption 510.2 million kWh (1999) 886.3 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) 953 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: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, 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 black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%
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 Barbadian dollars per US dollar - NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)
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 Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)


head of government: Prime Minister David THOMPSON (since 16 January 2008)


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


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; 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; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Exports $396 million (f.o.b., 1999) 1,666 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
Exports - partners Brazil 14%, Libya 5%, Indonesia 4%, Italy 4% (1999) US 27.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 15%, UK 10.2%, Saint Lucia 7%, Jamaica 6.5%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.3% (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 three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
GDP purchasing power parity - $6.6 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
37.9%

industry:
13.5%

services:
48.6% (1999)
agriculture: 6%


industry: 16%


services: 78% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,030 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2000 est.) 4% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 13 10 N, 59 32 W
Geography - note no natural harbors easternmost Caribbean island
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 one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center
Imports $566 million (c.i.f., 1999) 7,071 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, tobacco, petroleum products, capital goods consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports - partners France 38%, China 16%, UK 9%, Cote d'Ivoire 5% (1999) US 37.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 22.6%, UK 5.9% (2006)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 30 November 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 6.9% (2000 est.) -3.2% (2000 est.)
Industries textiles, cigarettes; beverages, food; construction materials, petroleum tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Infant mortality rate 89.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 11.55 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 12.88 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 10.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2000 est.) 5.5% (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, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 100 sq km (1993 est.) 50 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice is the highest court of appeal
Labor force NA 128,500 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: 10%


industry: 15%


services: 75% (1996 est.)
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: 37.21%


permanent crops: 2.33%


other: 60.46% (2005)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) English
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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 (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Assembly - last held 15 January 2008 (next to be called in 2013)


election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10
Life expectancy at birth total population:
49.94 years

male:
49.02 years

female:
50.88 years (2001 est.)
total population: 73 years


male: 71.02 years


female: 75.01 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 ever attended school


total population: 99.7%


male: 99.7%


female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Nigeria and Togo Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea:
200 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine none (2000 est.) total: 71 ships (1000 GRT or over) 539,579 GRT/793,899 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 13, cargo 39, chemical tanker 6, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1


foreign-owned: 67 (Bahamas, The 1, Canada 9, Greece 11, India 1, Lebanon 1, Monaco 1, Norway 35, Sweden 5, UK 3)


registered in other countries: 1 (St Vincent and The Grenadines 1) (2007)
Military - note - the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005)
Military branches Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $27 million (FY96) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY96) 0.5% (2006 est.)
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, 30 November (1966)
Nationality noun:
Beninese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Beninese
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)


adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber petroleum, fish, natural gas
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -0.31 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]
Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, which includes the BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers Union or BWU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG]; National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]
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.)
280,946 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 37.2% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.97% (2001 est.) 0.369% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou, Porto-Novo -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)
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% Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
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: 1.01 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.003 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.967 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.627 male(s)/female


total population: 0.938 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: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of 75 per 100 persons


domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system


international: country code - 1-246; 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 stations - 1 (Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use 36,000 (1997) 134,900 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4,295 (1997) 206,200 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 2 (one privately-owned) (1997) 1 (plus 2 cable channels) (2004)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Total fertility rate 6.23 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.65 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 10.7% (2003 est.)
Waterways streams navigable along small sections, important only locally -
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