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Compare Benin (2005) - Wallis and Futuna (2004)

Compare Benin (2005) z Wallis and Futuna (2004)

 Benin (2005)Wallis and Futuna (2004)
 BeninWallis and Futuna
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three kingdoms at the second order named Alo, Sigave, Wallis
Age structure 0-14 years: 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: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats
Airports 5 (2004 est.) 2 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


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


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


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


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


land: 274 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. Although discovered by the Dutch and the British in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was the French who declared a protectorate over the islands in 1842. In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory.
Birth rate 41.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) NA births/1,000 population
Budget revenues: $869.4 million


expenditures: $720.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $20 million


expenditures: $17 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1998 est.)
Capital Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C
Coastline 121 km 129 km
Constitution December 1990 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Benin


conventional short form: Benin


local long form: Republique du Benin


local short form: Benin


former: Dahomey
conventional long form: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands


conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna


local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna


local short form: Wallis et Futuna
Currency - Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)
Death rate 13.76 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) NA deaths/1,000 population
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) NA
Dependency status - overseas territory of France
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL


embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou


mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou


telephone: [229] 30-06-50


FAX: [229] 30-06-70
none (overseas territory of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN


chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656


FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996
none (overseas territory of France)
Disputes - international two villages 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) assistance from France
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. The economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% labor force earnings from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia.
Electricity - consumption 565.2 million kWh (2002) NA kWh
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 300 million kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 285.2 million kWh (2002) NA kWh
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


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


highest point: Mont Singavi 765 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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
-
Ethnic groups African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 Polynesian
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000) Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 105.73 (2003), 126.72 (2002), 133.26 (2001), 129.43 (2000), 111.93 (1999), 107.25 (1998)
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 Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Administrator Xavier DE FURST (since 18 January 2005)


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


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


note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers


elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high administrator appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly
Exports NA $250,000 f.o.b. (1999)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa copra, chemicals, construction materials
Exports - partners China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%, Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004) Italy 40%, Croatia 15%, US 14%, Denmark 13%
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 a large white modified Maltese cross - shifted a little off center toward the fly and slightly downward - on a red background; the flag of France outlined in white on two sides is in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is used for official occasions
GDP - purchasing power parity - $57.59 million (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 36.3%


industry: 14.3%


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


industry: NA


services: NA
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5% (2004 est.) NA
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 13 18 S, 176 12 W
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands both island groups have fringing reefs
Highways total: 6,787 km


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


unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
total: 120 km (Ile Uvea 100 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)


paved: 16 km (all on Ile Uvea)


unpaved: 104 km (Ile Uvea 84 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)
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 $300,000 f.o.b. (1999)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products chemicals, machinery, passenger ships, consumer goods
Imports - partners China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004) France 97%, Australia 2%, New Zealand 1%
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) none (overseas territory of France)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) NA
Industries textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001) copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
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: NA


male: NA


female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.8% (2004 est.) NA
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 FZ, UPU
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 none; justice generally administered under French law by the high administrator, but the three traditional kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu
Labor force NA (1996) NA
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture, livestock, and fishing 80%, government 4% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 18.08%


permanent crops: 2.4%


other: 79.52% (2001)
arable land: 5%


permanent crops: 25%


other: 70% (2001)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction French legal system
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 Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


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


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


note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate - elections last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held by NA September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (now UMP) 1; French National Assembly - elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held by NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (UMP) 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 52.66 years


male: 51.53 years


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


male: NA years


female: NA years
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: 50%


male: 50%


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


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine - total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 134,037 GRT/14,271 DWT


by type: passenger 6


foreign-owned: France 3, Greece 1, Monaco 1, United States 1 (2004 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $96.5 million (2004) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.4% (2004) -
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


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


adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March NA
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber NEGL
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) NA migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2004 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
Lua Kae Tahi (Giscardians) [leader NA]; Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche or MRG [leader NA]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Clovis LOGOLOGOFOLAU]; Taumu'a Lelei [Soane Muni UHILA]; Union Populaire Locale or UPL [Falakiko GATA]; Union Pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF [leader NA]
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.)
15,880 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (2001 est.) NA
Population growth rate 2.82% (2005 est.) NA
Ports and harbors Cotonou Leava, Mata-Utu
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (2000)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
-
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


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


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


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 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: country code - 681
Telephones - main lines in use 66,500 (2003) 1,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 236,200 (2003) 0 (1994)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) 2 (2000)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains volcanic origin; low hills
Total fertility rate 5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.) NA children born/woman
Unemployment rate NA NA
Waterways 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004) -
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