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Compare Benin (2005) - Trinidad and Tobago (2008)

Compare Benin (2005) z Trinidad and Tobago (2008)

 Benin (2005)Trinidad and Tobago (2008)
 BeninTrinidad and Tobago
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward


regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco


city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando


borough corporations: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin


ward: Tobago
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: 19.5% (male 105,994/female 100,156)


15-64 years: 71.6% (male 397,699/female 358,755)


65 years and over: 8.9% (male 42,039/female 51,965) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry
Airports 5 (2004 est.) 6 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 3


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 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 (2004 est.)
total: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total: 5,128 sq km


land: 5,128 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly smaller than Delaware
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. First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under British control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export. Independence was attained in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.
Birth rate 41.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 13.07 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $869.4 million


expenditures: $720.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $6.415 billion


expenditures: $6.214 billion (2007 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government name: Port-of-Spain


geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical; rainy season (June to December)
Coastline 121 km 362 km
Constitution December 1990 1 August 1976
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 Trinidad and Tobago


conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago
Death rate 13.76 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 10.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $3.025 billion (31 December 2007 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 Roy L. AUSTIN


embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain


mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain


telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376


FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462
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 Marina Annette VALERE


chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036


telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490


FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130


consulate(s) general: Miami, 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 in April 2006, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing agreement that limited Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela maritime boundary may extend into its waters as well
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) $200,000 (2007 est.)
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. Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses and has one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin America. Recent growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. Additional petrochemical, aluminum, and plastics projects are in various stages of planning. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources but it also supplies manufactured goods, notably food and beverages, as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports, but only 5% of employment. The country is also a regional financial center, and tourism is a growing sector, although it is not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. Economic growth reached 12.6% in 2006 and 5.5% in 2007 as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and LNG remained high, and as foreign direct investment continued to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector.
Electricity - consumption 565.2 million kWh (2002) 7.083 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 300 million kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 285.2 million kWh (2002) 7.704 billion kWh (2007)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion
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, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, 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 Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)
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) Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.3275 (2007), 6.3107 (2006), 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (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 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 George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003)


head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament


elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 11 February 2008 (next to be held by February 2013); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives


election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS reelected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA
Exports NA 202,100 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, cereal and cereal products, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus fruit, vegetables, flowers
Exports - partners China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%, Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004) US 59.8%, Spain 5.3%, Jamaica 5.2% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 October - 30 September
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 36.3%


industry: 14.3%


services: 49.4% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 0.6%


industry: 62%


services: 37.4% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2004 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2004 est.) 5.5% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 11 00 N, 61 00 W
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt
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 transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis
Imports NA 91,780 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products mineral fuels, lubricants, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals, grain
Imports - partners China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004) US 30.6%, Brazil 12%, Venezuela 6.8%, Gabon 4.7%, Colombia 4.6% (2006)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 31 August 1962 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) 8% (2007 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001) petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles
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: 24.33 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.15 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 22.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.8% (2004 est.) 7.6% (2007 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, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) 40 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Caribbean Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London
Labor force NA (1996) 615,400 (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 4%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 12.9%, construction and utilities 17.5%, services 65.6% (2006 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: 14.62%


permanent crops: 9.16%


other: 76.22% (2005)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; 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 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 Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, nine by the President, six by the opposition party to serve a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Representatives - last held on 5 November 2007 (next to be held in 2012)


election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 46%, UNC 29.7%; seats by party - PNM 26, UNC 15


note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held in January 2005; seats by party - PNM 11, DAC 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 52.66 years


male: 51.53 years


female: 53.82 years (2005 est.)
total population: 66.85 years


male: 65.87 years


female: 67.87 years (2007 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: 98.6%


male: 99.1%


female: 98% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm measured from claimed archipelagic baselines


territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine - total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 27,599 GRT/8,081 DWT


by type: passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2


foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)


registered in other countries: 1 (Bahamas 1, unknown 1) (2007)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard (includes air wing) (2004)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $96.5 million (2004) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.4% (2004) 0.3% (2006)
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Independence Day, 31 August (1962)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)


adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber petroleum, natural gas, asphalt
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) -11.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - condensate 245 km; gas 1,320 km; oil 563 km (2007)
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 the People [Winston DOOKERAN]; Democratic Action Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in Tobago); Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Gerald YETMING] (coalition of NAR, DDPT, MND); Movement for National Development or MND [Garvin NICHOLAS]; National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Dr. Carson CHARLES]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]
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.)
1,056,608 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (2001 est.) 17% (2007 est.)
Population growth rate 2.82% (2005 est.) -0.883% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Cotonou -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2001)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
-
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census)
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: 1.058 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.109 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.809 male(s)/female


total population: 1.068 male(s)/female (2007 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 international service; good local service


domestic: mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 150 telephones per 100 persons


international: country code - 1-868; submarine cable systems provide connectivity to US and parts of the Caribbean and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana
Telephones - main lines in use 66,500 (2003) 325,500 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 236,200 (2003) 1.655 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) 6 (2005)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate 5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.74 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 6% (2007 est.)
Waterways 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004) -
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