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Compare Benin (2001) - Nauru (2006)

Compare Benin (2001) z Nauru (2006)

 Benin (2001)Nauru (2006)
 BeninNauru
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" 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
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: 36.9% (male 2,507/female 2,391)


15-64 years: 61.2% (male 4,004/female 4,123)


65 years and over: 2% (male 139/female 123) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, rice, cotton, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, livestock coconuts
Airports 5 (2000 est.) 1 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total:
1

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


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
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: 21 sq km


land: 21 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania about 0.1 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 exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear, since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. The island was annexed by Germany in 1888 and its phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved its independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.
Birth rate 44.23 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 24.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues:
$299 million

expenditures:
$445 million, including capital expenditures of $14 million (1995 est.)
revenues: $13.5 million


expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government no official capital; government offices in Yaren District


time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)
Coastline 121 km 30 km
Constitution December 1990 29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day)
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: Republic of Nauru


conventional short form: Nauru


local long form: Republic of Nauru


local short form: Nauru


former: Pleasant Island
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.) 6.7 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (1998 est.) $33.3 million (2002)
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 Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
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 Vinci Niel CLODUMAR


chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY 10017


telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074


FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079


consulate(s): Agana (Guam)
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient $274.6 million (1997) $20 million mostly from Australia
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. Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of phosphates, now significantly depleted. An Australian company in 2005 entered into an agreement intended to exploit remaining supplies. Few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, mainly from Australia, its former occupier and later major source of support. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. In anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits, substantial amounts of phosphate income were invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. As a result of heavy spending from the trust funds, the government faces virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments. In 2005, the deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continued to climb. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely.
Electricity - consumption 510.2 million kWh (1999) 21.39 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 300 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 226 million kWh (1999) 23 million kWh (2003)
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: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources
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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection


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 Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
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 Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)
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: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 22 June 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Ludwig SCOTTY (since 22 June 2004)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of Parliament


elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term; election last held 23 October 2004 (next to be held NA 2007)


election results: Ludwig SCOTTY was unopposed in the parliamentary elections for president
Exports $396 million (f.o.b., 1999) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa phosphates
Exports - partners Brazil 14%, Libya 5%, Indonesia 4%, Italy 4% (1999) South Africa 63.7%, South Korea 7.6%, Canada 6.6% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 July - 30 June
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru
GDP purchasing power parity - $6.6 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
37.9%

industry:
13.5%

services:
48.6% (1999)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,030 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2000 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 0 32 S, 166 55 E
Geography - note no natural harbors Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator
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 -
Imports $566 million (c.i.f., 1999) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, tobacco, petroleum products, capital goods food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
Imports - partners France 38%, China 16%, UK 9%, Cote d'Ivoire 5% (1999) South Korea 43.8%, Australia 36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.3% (2005)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)
Industrial production growth rate 6.9% (2000 est.) NA%
Industries textiles, cigarettes; beverages, food; construction materials, petroleum phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
Infant mortality rate 89.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 9.78 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 7.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2000 est.) -3.6% (1993)
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, AsDB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
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 Supreme Court
Labor force NA -
Labor force - by occupation - note: 0.1% employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation
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: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (2005)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; 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
unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)


elections: last held 23 October 2004 (next to be held not later than 2007)


election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - Nauru First Party 3, independents 15


note: the president dissolved parliament on 30 September 2004 and set new elections for 23 October 2004
Life expectancy at birth total population:
49.94 years

male:
49.02 years

female:
50.88 years (2001 est.)
total population: 63.08 years


male: 59.5 years


female: 66.84 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
37.5%

male:
52.2%

female:
23.6% (2000)
definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Nigeria and Togo Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands
Map references Africa Oceania
Maritime claims territorial sea:
200 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine none (2000 est.) -
Military - note - Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia
Military branches Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $27 million (FY96) NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY96) NA
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, 31 January (1968)
Nationality noun:
Beninese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Beninese
noun: Nauruan(s)


adjective: Nauruan
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter periodic droughts
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber phosphates, fish
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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]
loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal); Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
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.)
13,287 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 37.2% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.97% (2001 est.) 1.81% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou, Porto-Novo -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 1, FM 0, 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% Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
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: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 20 years of age; universal and compulsory
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: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities


domestic: NA


international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 36,000 (1997) 1,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4,295 (1997) 1,500 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 2 (one privately-owned) (1997) 1 (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center
Total fertility rate 6.23 children born/woman (2001 est.) 3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 90% (2004 est.)
Waterways streams navigable along small sections, important only locally -
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