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Compare Benin (2005) - New Zealand (2004)

Compare Benin (2005) z New Zealand (2004)

 Benin (2005)New Zealand (2004)
 BeninNew Zealand
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 13 regions; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne-Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Nelson-Marlborough, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast
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: 21.7% (male 443,211; female 422,507)


15-64 years: 66.7% (male 1,337,383; female 1,325,683)


65 years and over: 11.6% (male 203,084; female 261,949) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, dairy products; fish
Airports 5 (2004 est.) 113 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 46


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 27


under 914 m: 5 (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 (2004 est.)
total: 70


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 29


under 914 m: 39 (2004 est.)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total: 268,680 sq km


land: NA sq km


water: NA sq km


note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania about the size of Colorado
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 Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.
Birth rate 41.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 14.04 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $869.4 million


expenditures: $720.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $32.14 billion


expenditures: $30.13 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government Wellington
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north temperate with sharp regional contrasts
Coastline 121 km 15,134 km
Constitution December 1990 consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments and The Constitution Act 1986 which is the principal formal charter
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: New Zealand


abbreviation: NZ
Currency - New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Death rate 13.76 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $37.46 billion (2003 est.)
Dependent areas - Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Charles J. SWINDELLS


embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington


mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034


telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000


FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490


consulate(s) general: Auckland
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
chief of mission: Ambassador L. John WOOD


chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800


FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
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 territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $99.7 million
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) -
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. Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. Per capita income has been rising and is now 80% of the level of the four largest EU economies. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth, and it has been affected by the global economic slowdown and the slump in commodity prices. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and growth should continue at the same level in 2004. Expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately.
Electricity - consumption 565.2 million kWh (2002) 34.88 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 300 million kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 285.2 million kWh (2002) 37.51 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


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


highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by species introduced from outside
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: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 New Zealand European 74.5%, Maori 9.7%, other European 4.6%, Pacific Islander 3.8%, Asian and others 7.4%
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) New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.7229 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001), 2.2012 (2000), 1.8896 (1999)
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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4 April 2001)


head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002)


cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
Exports NA 30,220 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
Exports - partners China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%, Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004) Australia 21.8%, US 14.6%, Japan 11%, China 4.9%, UK 4.8% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 July - 30 June
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation
GDP - purchasing power parity - $85.34 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 36.3%


industry: 14.3%


services: 49.4% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 4.8%


industry: 27.4%


services: 67.8% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $21,600 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2004 est.) 3.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 41 00 S, 174 00 E
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world
Highways total: 6,787 km


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


unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
total: 92,053 km


paved: 57,809 km (including at least 190 km of expressways)


unpaved: 34,244 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 0.3%


highest 10%: 29.8% (1991 est.)
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 119,700 bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics
Imports - partners China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004) Australia 22.2%, US 11.8%, Japan 11.8%, China 9%, Germany 5.3% (2003)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 26 September 1907 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) 1.3% (2003 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001) food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining
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.)
total: 5.96 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 6.83 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 5.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.8% (2004 est.) 1.8% (2003 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 ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) 2,850 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice High Court; Court of Appeal
Labor force NA (1996) 2.008 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 10%, industry 25%, services 65% (1995)
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: 5.6%


permanent crops: 6.99%


other: 87.41% (2001)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) English (official), Maori (official)
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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 Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists, all to serve three-year terms)


elections: last held 27 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2005)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NZLP 52, NP 27, NZFP 13, ACT New Zealand 9, Green Party 9, UF 8, other 2
Life expectancy at birth total population: 52.66 years


male: 51.53 years


female: 53.82 years (2005 est.)
total population: 78.49 years


male: 75.5 years


female: 81.61 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 33.6%


male: 46.4%


female: 22.6% (2002 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99% (1980 est.)


male: NA


female: NA
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
Map references Africa Oceania
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine - total: 10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 77,523 GRT/108,352 DWT


by type: bulk 3, cargo 2, container 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2


foreign-owned: Australia 1, Isle of Man 1


registered in other countries: 8 (2004 est.)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $96.5 million (2004) $1.147 billion (FY03/04)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.4% (2004) 1% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 1,033,464 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 868,984 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 27,157 (2004 est.)
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: New Zealander(s)


adjective: New Zealand
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 4.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines - gas 2,213 km; liquid petroleum gas 79 km; oil 160 km; refined products 304 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 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
ACT New Zealand [Richard PREBBLE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS and Rod DONALD]; National Party or NP [Don BRASH]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Coalition [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE]
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.)
3,993,817 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (2001 est.) NA
Population growth rate 2.82% (2005 est.) 1.05% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
total: 3,898 km


narrow gauge: 3,898 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2003)
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33% (1986)
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: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 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: excellent domestic and international systems


domestic: NA


international: country code - 64; submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 66,500 (2003) 1.765 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 236,200 (2003) 2.599 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) 41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Total fertility rate 5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 4.7% (2003 est.)
Waterways 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004) -
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