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Compare Benin (2005) - Kiribati (2002)

Compare Benin (2005) z Kiribati (2002)

 Benin (2005)Kiribati (2002)
 BeninKiribati
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - in addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)
Age structure 0-14 years: 46.5% (male 1,752,243/female 1,719,458)


15-64 years: 51.2% (male 1,868,630/female 1,948,610)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 70,367/female 100,717) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 40.2% (male 19,588; female 19,092)


15-64 years: 56.6% (male 26,905; female 27,625)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 1,339; female 1,786) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish
Airports 5 (2004 est.) 21 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (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 (2004 est.)
total: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 12


under 914 m: 4 (2002)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total: 811 sq km


land: 811 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania four 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 Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.
Birth rate 41.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 31.58 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $869.4 million


expenditures: $720.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $28.4 million


expenditures: $37.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (2000 est.) (2000 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government Tarawa
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline 121 km 1,143 km
Constitution December 1990 12 July 1979
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: Republic of Kiribati


conventional short form: Kiribati


note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss


former: Gilbert Islands
Currency - Australian dollar (AUD)
Death rate 13.76 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 8.76 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $10 million (1999 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 does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to the Marshall Islands is accredited to Kiribati
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
Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu
Disputes - international two villages remain in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso; accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and the states expect a ruling in 2005 from the ICJ over the disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; a joint task force was established in 2004 that resolved disputes over and redrew the maritime and the 870-km land boundary with Nigeria, including the sovereignty over seven villages along the Okpara River; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones none
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) $15.5 million (1995), largely from UK and Japan
Economy - overview The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past six years, but rapid population growth 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 more rapid structural reforms. Benin continues to be hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing list of products from Benin and elsewhere. As a result, smuggling and criminality along the Benin-Nigeria border has been on the rise. A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few national resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of GDP. The financial sector is at an early stage of development as is the expansion of private sector initiatives. Foreign financial aid, from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China, is a critical supplement to GDP, equal to 25%-50% of GDP in recent years. Remittances from workers abroad account for more than $5 million each year.
Electricity - consumption 565.2 million kWh (2002) 6.51 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 300 million kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 285.2 million kWh (2002) 7 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


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


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


highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection


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 predominantly Micronesian with some Polynesian
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000) Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.9354 (January 2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997)
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 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 SOGLO (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 SOGLO 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 Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President Beniamina TIINGA (since NA December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President Beniamina TIINGA (since NA December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: 12-member Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament


elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among their members and then those candidates compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 25 February 2003 (next to be held by November 2007); vice president appointed by the president


election results: Teburoro TITO reelected president; percent of vote - Teburoro TITO 50.4%, Taberannang TIMEON 48.4%, Bakeua Bakeua TEKITA 1.2%
Exports NA $6 million f.o.b. (1998)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish
Exports - partners China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%, Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004) Japan, Bangladesh, US, Australia, Brazil, Poland (2000)
Fiscal year calendar year NA
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean
GDP - purchasing power parity - $79 million (2001 est.), supplemented by a nearly equal amount from external sources (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 36.3%


industry: 14.3%


services: 49.4% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 30%


industry: 7%


services: 63% (1998 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $840 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2004 est.) 1.5% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 1 25 N, 173 00 E
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands 21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru
Highways total: 6,787 km


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


unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
total: 670 km


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km


note: 27 km are paved in South Tarawa (2001)
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 $44 million c.i.f. (1999)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel
Imports - partners China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004) Australia, Japan, Fiji, Poland, US (2000)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 12 July 1979 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) 0.7% (1991 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001) fishing, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate total: 85 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 90 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 79.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
52.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.8% (2004 est.) 2.5% (2001 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
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 Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president
Labor force NA (1996) 7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (1985 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: 18.08%


permanent crops: 2.4%


other: 79.52% (2001)
arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 50.68%


other: 49.32% (1998 est.)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) I-Kiribati, English (official)
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction NA
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 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 House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio member - the attorney general, one appointed to represent Banaba, and one other; members serve four-year terms)


elections: first round elections last held 29 November 2002; second round elections held 6 December 2002 (next to be held by November 2006)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general)
Life expectancy at birth total population: 52.66 years


male: 51.53 years


female: 53.82 years (2005 est.)
total population: 60.54 years


male: 57.61 years


female: 63.62 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 33.6%


male: 46.4%


female: 22.6% (2002 est.)
definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator; the capital Tarawa is about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (GMT +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the International Date Line
Map references Africa Oceania
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine - total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT


ships by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note - Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts are on all islands)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $96.5 million (2004) $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.4% (2004) NA%
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)


adjective: I-Kiribati
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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 four 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
Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]


note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 7,460,025


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 2005 est.)
96,335 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (2001 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.82% (2005 est.) 2.28% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou Banaba, Betio, English Harbour, Kanton
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1


note: the shortwave station may be inactive (2002)
Radios - 17,000 (1997)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
0 km
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, some Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, and Church of God (1999)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


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


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 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: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)


note: Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service
Telephones - main lines in use 66,500 (2003) 3,800 (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular 236,200 (2003) NA
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) 1 (not reported to be active) (2002)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Total fertility rate 5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.) 4.32 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Waterways 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004) 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands)
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