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Compare Benin (2003) - Libya (2005)

Compare Benin (2003) z Libya (2005)

 Benin (2003)Libya (2005)
 BeninLibya
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan; note - the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions
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: 33.9% (male 997,364/female 955,272)


15-64 years: 62% (male 1,842,775/female 1,729,235)


65 years and over: 4.2% (male 117,967/female 122,950) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle
Airports 5 (2002) 139 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
total: 59


over 3,047 m: 23


2,438 to 3,047 m: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 23


914 to 1,523 m: 5


under 914 m: 2 (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)
total: 80


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 14


914 to 1,523 m: 41


under 914 m: 18 (2004 est.)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total: 1,759,540 sq km


land: 1,759,540 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly larger than Alaska
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. From the earliest days of his rule following his 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI has espoused his own political system, the Third Universal Theory. The system is a combination of socialism and Islam derived in part from tribal practices and is supposed to be implemented by the Libyan people themselves in a unique form of "direct democracy." QADHAFI has always seen himself as a revolutionary and visionary leader. He used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. In addition, beginning in 1973, he engaged in military operations in northern Chad's Aozou Strip - to gain access to minerals and to use as a base of influence in Chadian politics - but was forced to retreat in 1987. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Libyan support for terrorism appeared to have decreased after the imposition of sanctions. During the 1990s, QADHAFI also began to rebuild his relationships with Europe. UN sanctions were suspended in April 1999 and finally lifted in September 2003 after Libya resolved the Lockerbie case. In December 2003, Libya announced that it had agreed to reveal and end its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction, and QADHAFI has made significant strides in normalizing relations with western nations since then. He has received various Western European leaders as well as many working-level and commercial delegations, and made his first trip to Western Europe in 15 years when he traveled to Brussels in April 2004. QADHAFI also finally resolved in 2004 several outstanding cases against his government for terrorist activities in the 1980s by paying compensation to the families of victims of the UTA and La Belle disco bombings.
Birth rate 43.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 26.82 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $377.4 million


expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
revenues: $13.52 billion


expenditures: $12.23 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.6 billion (2004 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government Tripoli
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Coastline 121 km 1,770 km
Constitution December 1990 11 December 1969; amended 2 March 1977
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: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya


conventional short form: Libya


local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma


local short form: none
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.) 3.48 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $4.069 billion (2004 est.)
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
the US suspended all embassy activities in Tripoli in May 1980, resumed embassy activities in February 2004 under the protective power of the US interests section of the Belgian Embassy in Tripoli, then opened a Liaison Office in Tripoli in June 2004
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
Libya does not have an embassy in the US but maintains an interest section under the protective power of the United Arab Emirates Embassy in the US
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 Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in Niger in currently dormant disputes; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) $4.4 million ODA (2002)
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. The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute practically all export earnings and about one-quarter of GDP. These oil revenues and a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan officials in the past four years have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country into the international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced in December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build weapons of mass destruction. Almost all US unilateral sanctions against Libya were removed in April 2004. Libya faces a long road ahead in liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps - including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for about 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food.
Electricity - consumption 631.1 million kWh (2001) 19.43 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 376 million kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 274.3 million kWh (2001) 20.89 billion kWh (2002)
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: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m


highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification desertification; very limited natural fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities
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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians
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) Libyan dinars per US dollar - 1.305 (2004), 1.2929 (2003), 1.2707 (2002), 0.6051 (2001), 0.5122 (2000)
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: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no official title, but is de facto chief of state


head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister) Shukri Muhammad GHANIM (since 14 June 2003)


cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General People's Congress


elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's committees; head of government elected by the General People's Congress; election last held 2 March 2000 (next to be held NA)


election results: NA
Exports NA (2001) NA
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas
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) Italy 37%, Germany 16.6%, Spain 11.9%, Turkey 7.1%, France 6.2% (2004)
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 plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)
GDP purchasing power parity - $7.38 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 38%


industry: 15%


services: 47% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 8.7%


industry: 45.7%


services: 45.6% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2002 est.) 4.9% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 25 00 N, 17 00 E
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert
Heliports - 1 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 6,787 km


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


unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
total: 83,200 km


paved: 47,590 km


unpaved: 35,610 km (1999 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 NA (2001) NA
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products machinery, transport equipment, semi-finished goods, food, consumer products (1999)
Imports - partners China 30.7%, France 15.7%, UK 4.8%, Italy 4.2% (2002) Italy 25.5%, Germany 11%, South Korea 6.1%, UK 5.4%, Tunisia 4.7%, Turkey 4.6% (2004)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 24 December 1951 (from Italy)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) NA
Industries textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001) petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
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: 24.6 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.92 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 22.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.3% (2002 est.) 2.9% (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 ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 4 (2002) -
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) 4,700 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Supreme Court
Labor force NA 1.59 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 17%, industry 29%, services 54% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
total: 4,348 km


border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Land use arable land: 15.28%


permanent crops: 1.36%


other: 83.36% (1998 est.)
arable land: 1.03%


permanent crops: 0.19%


other: 98.78% (2001)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; 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 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 General People's Congress (NA seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)
Life expectancy at birth total population: 51.08 years


male: 50.35 years


female: 51.84 years (2003 est.)
total population: 76.5 years


male: 74.29 years


female: 78.82 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: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 82.6%


male: 92.4%


female: 72% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 nm


note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 129,627 GRT/105,110 DWT


by type: cargo 7, liquefied gas 3, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 4


foreign-owned: 1 (Algeria 1) (2005)
Military branches Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie Armed Peoples on Duty (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Military expenditures - dollar figure $80.8 million (FY02) $1.3 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.7% (FY02) 3.9% (FY99)
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) Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: Libyan(s)


adjective: Libyan
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - condensate 225 km; gas 3,611 km; oil 7,252 km (2004)
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
Political pressure groups and leaders NA various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements; an anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile movement exists, primarily based in London, but has little influence
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.)
5,765,563


note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 37% (2001 est.) NA
Population growth rate 2.95% (2003 est.) 2.33% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou, Porto-Novo As Sidrah, Az Zuwaytinah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf, Tripoli, Zawiyah
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2002)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
0 km


note: Libya is working on 7 lines totaling 2,757 km of 1.435-m gauge track; it hopes to have trains running by 2008 (2004)
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Sunni Muslim 97%
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: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 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: telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996


domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations


international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (1999)
Telephones - main lines in use 51,000 (2000) 750,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,500 (2000) 100,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 1;; (2001) 12 (plus one low-power repeater) (1999)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Total fertility rate 6.04 children born/woman (2003 est.) 3.34 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 30% (2004)
Waterways streams navigable along small sections, important only locally -
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