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Compare Benin (2002) - Atlantic Ocean (2001)

Compare Benin (2002) z Atlantic Ocean (2001)

 Benin (2002)Atlantic Ocean (2001)
 BeninAtlantic Ocean
Administrative divisions 12 provinces; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Couffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou -
Age structure 0-14 years: 47.2% (male 1,616,138; female 1,585,463)


15-64 years: 50.5% (male 1,665,439; female 1,764,966)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 65,877; female 89,742) (2002 est.)
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Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) -
Airports 5 (2001) -
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
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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 (2002)
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Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total:
76.762 million sq km

note:
includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost all of the Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US
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 Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the St. Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important strategic access waterways. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south.
Birth rate 43.66 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) -
Budget revenues: $377.4 million


expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
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Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government -
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November
Coastline 121 km 111,866 km
Constitution December 1990 -
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Benin


conventional short form: Benin


local long form: Republique du Benin


local short form: Benin


former: Dahomey
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Currency Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States -
Death rate 14.52 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) -
Debt - external $1.18 billion (2000) -
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela E. BRIDGEWATER


embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou


mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou


telephone: [229] 30-06-50


FAX: [229] 30-06-70
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Diplomatic representation in the US 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
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Disputes - international Benin and Niger have refered to the ICJ the dispute over l'Ete and 14 smaller disputed islands in the Niger River, which has never been delimited; with Nigeria, several villages are in dispute along the Okpara River and only 35 km of the 436 km boundary are demarcated; the Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint remains undemarcated; Benin accuses Togo of moving boundary markers and stationing troops in its territory; two villages are in dispute with Burkina Faso some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) -
Economy - overview The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output averaged a stable 5% in the past five years, but rapid population rise 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. The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most heavily trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the exploitation of natural resources, e.g., fishing, the dredging of aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).
Electricity - consumption 523.2 million kWh (2000) -
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) -
Electricity - imports 300 million kWh (2000) -
Electricity - production 240 million kWh (2000) -
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 17%


hydro: 83%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
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Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
lowest point:
Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico Trench -8,605 m

highest point:
sea level 0 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the decline of fish stocks and contributing to international disputes; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea
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
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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 - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro -
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"
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Exports $35.3 million f.o.b. (2000) -
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa -
Exports - partners Brazil, France, Indonesia, Thailand, Morocco, Portugal, Cote d'Ivoire (2001) -
Fiscal year calendar year -
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side -
GDP purchasing power parity - $6.8 billion (2001 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 36%


industry: 14%


services: 50% (2001 est.)
-
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,040 (2001 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 5.4% (2001 est.) -
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 0 00 N, 25 00 W
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean
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%
-
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 $437.6 million c.i.f. (2000) -
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products -
Imports - partners France, US, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Netherlands, Japan (2001) -
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 88.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) -
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2001 est.) -
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO -
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 4 (2002) -
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) -
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice -
Labor force NA -
Land boundaries total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
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Land use arable land: 15.28%


permanent crops: 1.36%


other: 83.36% (1998 est.)
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Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) -
Legal system 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 1999 (next to be held 30 March 2003)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RB 27, PRD 11, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 9, MADEP 6, Alliance E'toile 4, IPD 4, other 12
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Life expectancy at birth total population: 49.69 years


male: 48.81 years


female: 50.61 years (2002 est.)
-
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 37.5%


male: 52.2%


female: 23.6% (2000)
-
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Nigeria and Togo body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern Ocean, and the Western Hemisphere
Map references Africa World
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 NM -
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) -
Military branches Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $27 million (FY96) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY96) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 1,509,760


females age 15-49: 1,536,036


note: both sexes are liable for military service (2002 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 771,373


females age 15-49: 778,730 (2002 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 71,278


females: 70,088 (2002 est.)
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National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) -
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
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Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September; hurricanes (May to December)
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) -
Political parties and leaders African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Front for Renewal and Development or FARD-ALAFIA [Saka SALEY]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD [Bertin BORNA]; Movement for Citizens' Commitment and Awakening or MERCI [Severin ADJOVI]; Renaissance Party du Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]


note: approximately 20 additional minor parties; the Coalition of Democratic Forces, [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI], an alliance of parties and organizations supporting President KEREKOU
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Political pressure groups and leaders NA -
Population 6,787,625


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 2002 est.)
-
Population below poverty line 37% (2001 est.) -
Population growth rate 2.91% (2002 est.) -
Ports and harbors Cotonou, Porto-Novo Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) -
Radios 660,000 (2000) -
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2000 est.)
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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: 0.94 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
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Suffrage 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
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Telephones - main lines in use 51,000 (2000) -
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,500 (2000) -
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) -
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin
Total fertility rate 6.14 children born/woman (2002 est.) -
Unemployment rate NA% -
Waterways streams navigable along small sections, important only locally -
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