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Compare Benin (2002) - West Bank (2003)

Compare Benin (2002) z West Bank (2003)

 Benin (2002)West Bank (2003)
 BeninWest Bank
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.)
0-14 years: 44.1% (male 505,880; female 481,369)


15-64 years: 52.4% (male 598,992; female 572,511)


65 years and over: 3.5% (male 33,688; female 44,754) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Airports 5 (2001) 3 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
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: 5,860 sq km


land: 5,640 sq km


water: 220 sq km


note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly smaller than Delaware
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 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external security and for internal security and public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank had begun in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, but have been derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in September 2000. The resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and instability within the Palestinian Authority continue to undermine progress toward a permanent agreement.
Birth rate 43.66 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 34.07 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $377.4 million


expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
revenues: $930 million


expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $15 million


note: includes Gaza Strip (2000 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government -
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Coastline 121 km 0 km (landlocked)
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
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: West Bank
Currency Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States new Israeli shekel (ILS); Jordanian dinar (JOD)
Death rate 14.52 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 4.16 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $1.18 billion (2000) $108 million (includes Gaza Strip) (1997 est.)
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
-
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 West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) $800 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2001 est.)
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. Real per capita GDP for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) declined by about one-third between 1992 and 1996 due to the combined effect of falling aggregate incomes and rapid population growth. The downturn in economic activity was largely the result of Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted labor and commodity market relationships between Israel and the WBGS. The most serious social effect of this downturn was rising unemployment; unemployment in the WBGS during the 1980s was generally under 5%; by 1995 it had risen to over 20%. Israel's use of comprehensive closures during the next five years decreased and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and labor. These changes fueled an almost three-year-long economic recovery in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; real GDP grew by 5% in 1998 and 6% in 1999. Recovery was upended in the last quarter of 2000 with the outbreak of violence, which triggered tight Israeli closures of Palestinian self-rule areas and severely disrupted trade and labor movements. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in Palestinian Authority areas have resulted in the destruction of much capital plant and administrative structure, widespread business closures, and a sharp drop in GDP. Another major loss has been the decline in earnings of Palestinian workers in Israel. International aid of $2 billion in 2001-02 to the West Bank and Gaza Strip have prevented the complete collapse of the economy.
Electricity - consumption 523.2 million kWh (2000) NA kWh
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) -
Electricity - imports 300 million kWh (2000) NA kWh
Electricity - production 240 million kWh (2000) NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 17%


hydro: 83%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0%
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m


highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment
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
-
Ethnic groups African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
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 new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000), 4.1397 (1999), 3.8001 (1998), 3.4494 (1997); Jordanian dinars per US dollar - fixed rate of 0.7090 (from 1996)
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"
-
Exports $35.3 million f.o.b. (2000) $603 million f.o.b., includes Gaza Strip
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone
Exports - partners Brazil, France, Indonesia, Thailand, Morocco, Portugal, Cote d'Ivoire (2001) Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2000)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
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.) purchasing power parity - $1.7 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 36%


industry: 14%


services: 50% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 9%


industry: 28%


services: 63%


note: includes Gaza Strip (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,040 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $800 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.4% (2001 est.) -22% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 32 00 N, 35 15 E
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 242 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 29 in East Jerusalem (February 2002 est.)
Highways total: 6,787 km


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


unpaved: 5,430 km (1997 est.)
total: 4,500 km


paved: 2,700 km


unpaved: 1,800 km


note: Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish settlements (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; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly regulated financial infrastructure -
Imports $437.6 million c.i.f. (2000) $1.9 billion c.i.f., includes Gaza Strip
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products food, consumer goods, construction materials
Imports - partners France, US, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Netherlands, Japan (2001) Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2000)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) -
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) NA%
Industries textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001) generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers
Infant mortality rate 88.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 20.68 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 22.86 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 18.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2001 est.) 2.2% (includes Gaza Strip) (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) 8 (1999)
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice -
Labor force NA NA
Labor force - by occupation - services 66%, industry 21%, agriculture 13% (1996)
Land boundaries total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
total: 404 km


border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Land use arable land: 15.28%


permanent crops: 1.36%


other: 83.36% (1998 est.)
arable land: NEGL%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (1998 est.)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
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
-
Life expectancy at birth total population: 49.69 years


male: 48.81 years


female: 50.61 years (2002 est.)
total population: 72.68 years


male: 70.95 years


female: 74.51 years (2003 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 Middle East, west of Jordan
Map references Africa Middle East
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 NM none (landlocked)
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) -
Military branches Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $27 million (FY96) $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY96) NA%
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 1,509,760


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.)
-
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) -
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: NA


adjective: NA
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March droughts
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber arable land
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 3.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 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
-
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.)
2,237,194 (July 2002 est.)


note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (February 2002 est.) (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 37% (2001 est.) 60% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate 2.91% (2002 est.) 3.3% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou, Porto-Novo none
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0


note: the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts from an AM station in Ramallah on 675 kHz; numerous local, private stations are reported to be in operation (2000)
Radios 660,000 (2000) -
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2000 est.)
0 km
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%
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.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


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


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
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
general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: NA


note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for communication services in the West Bank
Telephones - main lines in use 51,000 (2000) 95,729 (total for West Bank and Gaza Strip) (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,500 (2000) NA
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) NA
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
Total fertility rate 6.14 children born/woman (2002 est.) 4.65 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 50% (includes Gaza Strip) (2002 est.)
Waterways streams navigable along small sections, important only locally none
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