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Compare Benin (2003) - Guernsey (2005)

Compare Benin (2003) z Guernsey (2005)

 Benin (2003)Guernsey (2005)
 BeninGuernsey
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson, Vale, Castel, Saint Saviour, Saint Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, Saint Martin, Saint Andrew
Age structure 0-14 years: 47% (male 1,668,817; female 1,638,291)


15-64 years: 50.7% (male 1,739,517; female 1,834,231)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 67,504; female 93,130) (2003 est.)
0-14 years: 15.4% (male 5,084/female 4,937)


15-64 years: 66.9% (male 21,611/female 22,002)


65 years and over: 17.8% (male 4,882/female 6,712) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle
Airports 5 (2002) 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


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


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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: 78 sq km


land: 78 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania about one-half the size of Washington, DC
Background Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II.
Birth rate 43.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 9.01 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $377.4 million


expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
revenues: $539.2 million


expenditures: $448.3 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2002 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government Saint Peter Port
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast
Coastline 121 km 50 km
Constitution December 1990 unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
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: Bailiwick of Guernsey


conventional short form: Guernsey
Currency Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States -
Death rate 13.65 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 9.95 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $NA
Dependency status - British crown dependency
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL


embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou


mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou


telephone: [229] 30-06-50


FAX: [229] 30-06-70
none (British crown dependency)
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
none (British crown dependency)
Disputes - international two villages are in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, but states accept 2001 arbitration over disputed Niger River islands; several villages along the Okpara River are in dispute with Nigeria; in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved the boundary stones - joint commission presently resurveying the boundary none
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) NA
Economy - overview The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged a stable 5% in the past six years, but rapid population rise has 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, while pressing for speeded-up structural reforms. Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny, prosperous Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the environment under which Guernsey operates.
Electricity - consumption 631.1 million kWh (2001) NA kWh
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 376 million kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 274.3 million kWh (2001) NA kWh
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 14.2%


hydro: 85.8%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification NA
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 UK and Norman-French descent with small percentages from other European countries
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998) Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)


note: the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound
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"
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000)


head of government: Chief Minister Laurie MORGAN (since 1 May 2004)


cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of Deliberation


elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister is elected by States of Delibertion


election results: Laurie MORGAN elected chief minister, percent of vote of the States of Deliberation NA%
Exports NA (2001) $NA
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables
Exports - partners India 25%, Italy 11.1%, Indonesia 7.4%, China 7.2%, Thailand 6.7%, Brazil 6.1%, UK 4.4%, Niger 4% (2002) UK (regarded as internal trade)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross
GDP purchasing power parity - $7.38 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 38%


industry: 15%


services: 47% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 3%


industry: 10%


services: 87% (2000)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $40,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2002 est.) 3% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 49 28 N, 2 35 W
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port
Highways total: 6,787 km


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


unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
total: NA km


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km
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 NA (2001) $NA
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment
Imports - partners China 30.7%, France 15.7%, UK 4.8%, Italy 4.2% (2002) UK (regarded as internal trade)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) none (British crown dependency)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) NA%
Industries textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001) tourism, banking
Infant mortality rate total: 86.76 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 91.79 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 81.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
total: 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.26 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.3% (2002 est.) 4.9% (2004 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO UPU
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 4 (2002) -
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 Royal Court
Labor force NA 32,290 (2001)
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: 15.28%


permanent crops: 1.36%


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


permanent crops: NA%


other: NA%
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction English law and local statutes; justice is administered by the Royal Court
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 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Presidential Movement 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31
unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote for 4 years); note - Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments


elections: last held 21 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2008)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents
Life expectancy at birth total population: 51.08 years


male: 50.35 years


female: 51.84 years (2003 est.)
total population: 80.3 years


male: 77.3 years


female: 83.41 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 40.9%


male: 56.2%


female: 26.5% (2000)
definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France
Map references Africa Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) -
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $80.8 million (FY02) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.7% (FY02) -
Military manpower - availability note: both sexes are liable for military service


males age 15-49: 1,597,562


females age 15-49: 1,536,036 (2003 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 805,603


females age 15-49: 809,961 (2003 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 75,021


females: 78,998 (2003 est.)
-
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: Channel Islander(s)


adjective: Channel Islander
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March NA
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber cropland
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) 3.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders African Congress for Renewal or DUNYA [Saka SALEY]; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Coalition of Democratic Forces [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI]; 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]; Key Force or FC [leader NA]; Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, IDP, and 4 other small parties); Renaissance Party du Benin or PRB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union of Tomorrow's Benin or UBF [Bruno AMOUSSOU]


note: approximately 20 additional minor parties
none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders NA none
Population 7,041,490


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 2003 est.)
65,228 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 37% (2001 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.95% (2003 est.) 0.29% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou, Porto-Novo Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
-
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female


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


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2005 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: 1 submarine cable
Telephones - main lines in use 51,000 (2000) 55,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,500 (2000) 31,500 (2001)
Television broadcast stations 1;; (2001) 1 (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains mostly level with low hills in southwest
Total fertility rate 6.04 children born/woman (2003 est.) 1.38 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 0.5% (1999 est.)
Waterways streams navigable along small sections, important only locally -
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