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Compare Benin (2005) - Tajikistan (2001)

Compare Benin (2005) z Tajikistan (2001)

 Benin (2005)Tajikistan (2001)
 BeninTajikistan
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 2 oblasts (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and one autonomous oblast* (viloyati mukhtori); Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* (Khorugh - formerly Khorog), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa - formerly Kurgan-Tyube), Viloyati Leninobod (Khujand - formerly Leninabad)

note:
the administrative center name follows in parentheses
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:
41.18% (male 1,367,194; female 1,341,967)

15-64 years:
54.22% (male 1,773,605; female 1,793,345)

65 years and over:
4.6% (male 131,009; female 171,561) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Airports 5 (2004 est.) 53 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


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

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

under 914 m:
1 (2000 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:
51

over 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
2

914 to 1,523 m:
12

under 914 m:
36 (2000 est.)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total:
143,100 sq km

land:
142,700 sq km

water:
400 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly smaller than Wisconsin
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. Tajikistan has experienced three changes in government and a five-year civil war since it gained independence in 1991 from the USSR. A peace agreement among rival factions was signed in 1997, and implementation reportedly completed by late 1999. Part of the agreement required the legalization of opposition political parties prior to the 1999 elections, which occurred, but such parties have made little progress in successful participation in government. Random criminal and political violence in the country remains a complication impairing Tajikistan's ability to engage internationally.
Birth rate 41.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 33.23 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $869.4 million


expenditures: $720.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues:
$146 million

expenditures:
$196 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government Dushanbe
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains
Coastline 121 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution December 1990 6 November 1994
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 Tajikistan

conventional short form:
Tajikistan

local long form:
Jumhurii Tojikiston

local short form:
none

former:
Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency - somoni
Death rate 13.76 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 8.57 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $1.3 billion (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
chief of mission:
Ambassador Robert P. J. FINN

embassy:
temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in Almaty (Kazakhstan)

mailing address:
use embassy street address

telephone:
NA

FAX:
NA
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
Tajikistan does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a permanent mission to the UN: address - 136 East 67th Street, New York, NY 10021, telephone - [1] (212) 472-7645, FAX - [1] (212) 628-0252; permanent representative to the UN is Rashid ALIMOV
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 portions of Tajikistan's northern and western border with Uzbekistan and its eastern border with China have not been officially demarcated; territorial dispute with Kyrgyzstan on northern boundary in Isfara Valley area
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) $64.7 million (1995)
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. Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet republics. Cotton is the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited in amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The Tajikistani economy has been gravely weakened by six years of civil conflict and by the loss of subsidies from Moscow and of markets for its products. Most of its people live in abject poverty. Tajikistan depends on aid from Russia and Uzbekistan and on international humanitarian assistance for much of its basic subsistence needs. The future of Tajikistan's economy and the potential for attracting foreign investment depend upon stability and continued progress in the peace process.
Electricity - consumption 565.2 million kWh (2002) 14.729 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 3.9 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 300 million kWh (2002) 4.1 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 285.2 million kWh (2002) 15.623 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
1.9%

hydro:
98.1%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
lowest point:
Syrdariya 300 m

highest point:
Pik Imeni Ismail Samani 7,495 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides; part of the basin of the shrinking Aral Sea suffers from severe overutilization of available water for irrigation and associated pollution
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, Desertification, Environmental Modification, 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 Tajik 64.9%, Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5% (declining because of emigration), other 6.6%
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) Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 2.2 (January 2001), 1550 (January 2000), 998 (January 1999), 350 (January 1997), 284 (January 1996)

note:
the new unit of exchange was introduced on 30 October 2000, with one somoni equal to 1,000 of the old Tajikistani rubles
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 Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)

head of government:
Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January 1999)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 6 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister appointed by the president

election results:
Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2%
Exports NA $761 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
Exports - partners China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%, Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004) Liechtenstein 26%, Uzbekistan 20%, Russia 8% (1998)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is located in the center of the white stripe
GDP - purchasing power parity - $7.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 36.3%


industry: 14.3%


services: 49.4% (2004 est.)
agriculture:
19.8%

industry:
18.1%

services:
62.1% (1998)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,140 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2004 est.) 5.1% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 39 00 N, 71 00 E
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands landlocked
Highways total: 6,787 km


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


unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
total:
29,900 km

paved:
21,400 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them trafficable in all weather)

unpaved:
8,500 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)
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 major transshipment zone for heroin and opiates from Afghanistan going to Russia and Western Europe; limited illicit cultivation of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption
Imports NA $782 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004) Europe 32.3%, Uzbekistan 29%, Russia 13.6% (1998)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) 10% (2000 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001) aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers
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.)
116.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.8% (2004 est.) 33% (2000 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 AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM, ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - NA
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) 6,390 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Labor force NA (1996) 1.9 million (1996)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 50%, industry 20%, services 30% (1997 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
total:
3,651 km

border countries:
Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
Land use arable land: 18.08%


permanent crops: 2.4%


other: 79.52% (2001)
arable land:
6%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
25%

forests and woodland:
4%

other:
65% (1993 est.)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
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
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (33 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all to serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 27 February and 12 March 2000 for the Assembly of Representatives (next to be held NA 2005) and 23 March 2000 for the National Assembly (next to be held NA 2005)

election results:
Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 65%, Communist Party 20%, Islamic Rebirth Party 7.5%, other 7.5%; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
Life expectancy at birth total population: 52.66 years


male: 51.53 years


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

male:
61.09 years

female:
67.42 years (2001 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:
98%

male:
99%

female:
97% (1989 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Central Asia, west of China
Map references Africa Commonwealth of Independent States
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm none (landlocked)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force Army, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Presidential National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $96.5 million (2004) $17 million (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.4% (2004) 1.8% (FY97)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
1,586,700 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
1,300,252 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
72,056 (2001 est.)
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Independence Day, 9 September (1991)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun:
Tajikistani(s)

adjective:
Tajikistani
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March NA
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) -3.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines - natural gas 400 km (1992)
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
Congress of People's Unity of Tajikistan [Saiffidin TURAYEV]; Democratic Party or TDP [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV, chairman]; Islamic Rebirth Party [Muhammadsharif HIMMAT-ZODA, chairman]; Lali Badakhshan Movement [Atobek AMIRBEKOV]; National Movement Party [Hakim MUHHABATOV]; Party of Justice and Development [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Rastokhez (Rebirth) Movement [Tohiri ABDUJABBOR]; Socialist Party [Sherali KENJAEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]; Adolatho "Justice" Party [Abdurahmon KARIMOV, chairman]
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.)
6,578,681 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (2001 est.) 80% (2000 est.)
Population growth rate 2.82% (2005 est.) 2.12% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou none
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 5 (1998)
Radios - 1.291 million (1991)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
total:
480 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 5%
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:
1.02 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2001 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:
poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not reached by the national network

domestic:
cable and microwave radio relay

international:
linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat
Telephones - main lines in use 66,500 (2003) 363,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 236,200 (2003) 2,500 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) 0 (there are, however, repeaters that relay programs from Russia, Iran, and Turkey) (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains Pamir and Alay mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Total fertility rate 5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.) 4.29 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 5.7% includes only officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of underemployed workers and unregistered unemployed people (December 1998)
Waterways 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004) none
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