Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
Jah-Jah.pl / Index countries / Benin (2001) - Palau (2006) / Compare countries
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Benin (2001) - Palau (2006)

Compare Benin (2001) z Palau (2006)

 Benin (2001)Palau (2006)
 BeninPalau
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" 16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol
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: 26.3% (male 2,789/female 2,622)


15-64 years: 69.1% (male 7,664/female 6,549)


65 years and over: 4.6% (male 453/female 502) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, rice, cotton, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, livestock coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; fish
Airports 5 (2000 est.) 3 (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.)
total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2006)
Area total:
112,620 sq km

land:
110,620 sq km

water:
2,000 sq km
total: 458 sq km


land: 458 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly more than 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. After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year, when the islands gained independence.
Birth rate 44.23 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 18.03 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues:
$299 million

expenditures:
$445 million, including capital expenditures of $14 million (1995 est.)
revenues: $72.07 million


expenditures: $72.43 million; including capital expenditures of $12.98 million (FY98/99 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government name: Melekeok


geographic coordinates: 7 29 N, 134 38 E


time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November
Coastline 121 km 1,519 km
Constitution December 1990 1 January 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: Republic of Palau


conventional short form: Palau


local long form: Beluu er a Belau


local short form: Belau


former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Palau District
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.) 6.8 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (1998 est.) $0 (FY99/00)
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: US ambassador to the Philippines is accredited to Palau


embassy: Koror (no street address)


mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940


telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990


FAX: [680] 488-2911
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 Hersey KYOTA


chancery: 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006


telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814


FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281


consulate(s) general: Honolulu


consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam)
Disputes - international none border delineation disputes being negotiated with Philippines, Indonesia
Economic aid - recipient $274.6 million (1997) $19.6 million; note - the Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provides Palau with up to $700 million in US aid over 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities
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. The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 63,000 in 2003. The population enjoys a per capita income twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development.
Electricity - consumption 510.2 million kWh (1999) -
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) -
Electricity - imports 300 million kWh (1999) -
Electricity - production 226 million kWh (1999) -
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: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing
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, Law of the Sea, 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 Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.2% (2000 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 the US dollar is used
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 Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005)


cabinet: NA


elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008)


election results: Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. reelected president; percent of vote - Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. 64%, Polycarp BASILIUS 33%; Elias Camsek CHIN elected vice president; percent of vote - Elias Camsek CHIN 70%, Sandra PIERANTOZZI 29%
Exports $396 million (f.o.b., 1999) $5.882 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa shellfish, tuna, copra, garments
Exports - partners Brazil 14%, Libya 5%, Indonesia 4%, Italy 4% (1999) US, Japan, Singapore (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 October - 30 September
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side
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% 6.2%


industry: NA% 12%


services: NA% 81.8%
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,030 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2000 est.) 5.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 7 30 N, 134 30 E
Geography - note no natural harbors westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands
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) $107.3 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, tobacco, petroleum products, capital goods machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs
Imports - partners France 38%, China 16%, UK 9%, Cote d'Ivoire 5% (1999) US, Singapore, Japan, South Korea (2004)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship)
Industrial production growth rate 6.9% (2000 est.) NA%
Industries textiles, cigarettes; beverages, food; construction materials, petroleum tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making
Infant mortality rate 89.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 14.46 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 16.19 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 12.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2000 est.) 2.7% (2005 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, AsDB, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, IPU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, 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; National Court; Court of Common Pleas
Labor force NA 9,777 (2005)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: 20%


industry: NA%


services: NA% (1990)
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: 8.7%


permanent crops: 4.35%


other: 86.95% (2005)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
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 or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Delegates - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008)


election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (four new members elected); House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 16 (one new member elected)
Life expectancy at birth total population:
49.94 years

male:
49.02 years

female:
50.88 years (2001 est.)
total population: 70.42 years


male: 67.26 years


female: 73.77 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: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 92%


male: 93%


female: 90% (1980 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Nigeria and Togo Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines
Map references Africa Oceania
Maritime claims territorial sea:
200 NM
territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine none (2000 est.) -
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years, but it has not stationed any military forces there (2005)
Military branches Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie no regular military forces; Palau National Police (2006)
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) Constitution Day, 9 July (1979)
Nationality noun:
Beninese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Beninese
noun: Palauan(s)


adjective: Palauan
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter typhoons (June to December)
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 1.85 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]
none
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.)
20,579 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 37.2% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.97% (2001 est.) 1.31% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou, Porto-Novo -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2002)
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% Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other religion 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 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: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female


total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2006 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: NA


international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 36,000 (1997) 6,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4,295 (1997) 1,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 2 (one privately-owned) (1997) 1 (cable) (2005)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs
Total fertility rate 6.23 children born/woman (2001 est.) 2.46 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 4.2% (2005 est.)
Waterways streams navigable along small sections, important only locally -
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.