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Compare Benin (2003) - Wallis and Futuna (2008)

Compare Benin (2003) z Wallis and Futuna (2008)

 Benin (2003)Wallis and Futuna (2008)
 BeninWallis and Futuna
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three kingdoms at the second order named Alo, Sigave, Wallis
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: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats; fish
Airports 5 (2002) 2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


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


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
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: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total: 274 sq km


land: 274 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania 1.5 times 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 Futuna island group was discovered by the Dutch in 1616 and Wallis by the British in 1767, but it was the French who declared a protectorate over the islands in 1842. In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory.
Birth rate 43.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) NA
Budget revenues: $377.4 million


expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
revenues: $29,730


expenditures: $31,330 (2004 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government name: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)


geographic coordinates: 13 57 S, 171 56 W


time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C
Coastline 121 km 129 km
Constitution December 1990 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
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: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands


conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna


local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna


local short form: Wallis et Futuna
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.) NA
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $3.67 million (2004)
Dependency status - overseas territory of France
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 (overseas territory of France)
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 (overseas territory of France)
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) assistance from France, $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. The economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of labor force earnings from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia.
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: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Singavi 765 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources
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 Polynesian
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) Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per U NA (2007), 95.03 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003)
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: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by High Administrator Richard DIDIER (since 19 July 2006)


head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Patalione KANIMOA (since January 2001)


cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of three kings and three members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly


note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers


elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high administrator appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly
Exports NA (2001) $47,450 f.o.b. (2004)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa copra, chemicals, construction materials
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 40%, Croatia 15%, US 14%, Denmark 13% (2006)
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 unofficial, local flag has a red field with four white isosceles triangles in the middle, representing the three native kings of the islands and the French administrator; the apexes of the triangles are oriented inward and at right angles to each other; the flag of France, outlined in white on two sides, is in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is the only official flag
GDP purchasing power parity - $7.38 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 38%


industry: 15%


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


industry: NA%


services: NA%
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2002 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 13 18 S, 176 12 W
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands both island groups have fringing reefs
Highways total: 6,787 km


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


unpaved: 5,430 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) $61.17 million f.o.b. (2004)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products chemicals, machinery, passenger ships, consumer goods
Imports - partners China 30.7%, France 15.7%, UK 4.8%, Italy 4.2% (2002) France 97%, Australia 2%, NZ 1% (2006)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) none (overseas territory of France)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) NA%
Industries textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001) copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
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: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.3% (2002 est.) 2.8% (2005)
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 SPC, UPU
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 4 (2002) -
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) NA
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice justice generally administered under French law by the high administrator, but the three traditional kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu; a court of appeal is located in Noumea, New Caledonia
Labor force NA 3,104 (2003)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: 80%


industry: 4%


services: 16% (2001 est.)
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: 7.14%


permanent crops: 35.71%


other: 57.15% (2005)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Wallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language), Futunian 30.1%, French 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census)
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction the laws of France, where applicable, apply
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 Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 11 March 2002 (next to be held 22 April 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR and affiliates 13, Socialists and affiliates 7


note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate - elections last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held by September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (now UMP) 1; French National Assembly - elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held by in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (UMP) 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 51.08 years


male: 50.35 years


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


male: NA


female: NA
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: 50%


male: 50%


female: 50% (1969 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references Africa Oceania
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 92,346 GRT/98,307 DWT


by type: chemical tanker 2, passenger 6


foreign-owned: 8 (France 6, French Polynesia 2) (2007)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of France
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) Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders


adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna 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 NEGL
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) NA


note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2007 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
Lua Kae Tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche or MRG; Rally for the Republic or RPR (UMP) [Clovis LOGOLOGOFOLAU]; Socialist Party or PS; Taumu'a Lelei [Soane Muni UHILA]; Union Populaire Locale or UPL [Falakiko GATA]; Union Pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
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.)
16,309 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 37% (2001 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.95% (2003 est.) NA
Ports and harbors Cotonou, Porto-Novo -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (2000)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
-
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
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.)
-
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 - 681
Telephones - main lines in use 51,000 (2000) 1,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,500 (2000) 0 (1994)
Television broadcast stations 1;; (2001) 2 (2000)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains volcanic origin; low hills
Total fertility rate 6.04 children born/woman (2003 est.) NA
Unemployment rate NA% 15.2% (2003)
Waterways streams navigable along small sections, important only locally -
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