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Compare Benin (2006) - Guinea-Bissau (2001)

Compare Benin (2006) z Guinea-Bissau (2001)

 Benin (2006)Guinea-Bissau (2001)
 BeninGuinea-Bissau
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos
Age structure 0-14 years: 44.1% (male 1,751,709/female 1,719,138)


15-64 years: 53.5% (male 2,067,248/female 2,138,957)


65 years and over: 2.4% (male 75,694/female 110,198) (2006 est.)
0-14 years:
42.09% (male 276,312; female 277,536)

15-64 years:
55.05% (male 344,493; female 379,889)

65 years and over:
2.86% (male 16,850; female 20,742) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts; livestock rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish
Airports 5 (2006) 29 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
total:
3

over 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 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 (2006)
total:
26

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
4

under 914 m:
21 (2000 est.)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total:
36,120 sq km

land:
28,000 sq km

water:
8,120 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
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. In 1994, 20 years after independence from Portugal, the country's first multiparty legislative and presidential elections were held. An army uprising that triggered a bloody civil war in 1998, created hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. The president was ousted by a military junta in May 1999. An interim government turned over power in February 2000 when opposition leader Koumba YALLA took office following two rounds of transparent presidential elections. Guinea-Bissau's transition back to democracy will be complicated by a crippled economy devastated by civil war and the military's predilection for governmental meddling.
Birth rate 38.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 39.29 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $766.8 million


expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues:
$NA

expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Capital name: Porto-Novo (official capital)


geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: Cotonou (seat of government)
Bissau
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
Coastline 121 km 350 km
Constitution December 1990 16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and 1996
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 Guinea-Bissau

conventional short form:
Guinea-Bissau

local long form:
Republica da Guine-Bissau

local short form:
Guine-Bissau

former:
Portuguese Guinea
Currency - Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States; previously the Guinea-Bissau peso (GWP) was used
Death rate 12.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 15.33 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $964 million (1998 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 Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and military-led junta
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 Mario LOPES DA ROSA

chancery:
Suite 519, 1511 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

telephone:
[1] (202) 347-3950

FAX:
[1] (202) 347-3954
Disputes - international Benin and Burkina Faso military clash in 2006 over sections of riverine boundary involving disputed villages and squatters; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin as a consequence of a 2004 joint task force to resolve maritime and land boundary disputes, but clashes among rival gangs along the border persist; 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) $115.4 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. Many of these proposals are included in Benin's application to receive Millennium Challenge Account funding - for which it was a finalist in 2004-05. The 2001 privatization policy continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, 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, which has resulted in increased smuggling and criminality in the border region. One of the 20 poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in GDP that year, with partial recovery in 1999-2000. Before the war, trade reform and price liberalization were the most successful part of the country's structural adjustment program under IMF sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and the development of the private sector had also begun to reinvigorate the economy. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect. However, unexploited offshore oil reserves could provide much-needed revenue in the long run.
Electricity - consumption 538.2 million kWh (2003) 51.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 474 million kWh (2003) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 69 million kWh (2003) 55 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

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


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

highest point:
unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
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, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, 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 African 99% (Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); Guinea-Bissauan pesos per US dollar - 26,373 (1996)

note:
as of 1 May 1997, Guinea-Bissau adopted the CFA franc as the national currency; since 1 January 1999, the CFA franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro
Executive branch chief of state: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); runoff election held 19 March 2006 (next to be held March 2011)


election results: YAYI Boni elected president; percent of vote - YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5%
chief of state:
President Koumba YALLA (since 18 February 2000)

head of government:
Prime Minister Faustino IMBALI (since 20 March 2001)

cabinet:
NA

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 28 November 1999 and 16 January 2000 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature

election results:
Koumba YALLA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Koumba YALLA (PRS) 72%, Malan Bacai SANHA (PAIGC) 28%
Exports NA bbl/day $80 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa cashew nuts 70%, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber (1996)
Exports - partners China 31.3%, Indonesia 8.1%, India 7.4%, Niger 6%, Togo 4.8%, Thailand 4.8%, Nigeria 4.6% (2005) India 59%, Singapore 12%, Italy 10% (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 two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 31.6%


industry: 13.8%


services: 54.6% (2004 est.)
agriculture:
54%

industry:
15%

services:
31% (1997 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $850 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.5% (2005 est.) 7.6% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 12 00 N, 15 00 W
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands -
Highways - total:
4,400 km

paved:
453 km

unpaved:
3,947 km (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%:
0.5%

highest 10%:
42.4% (1991)
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 bbl/day $55.2 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products (1996)
Imports - partners France 21.8%, Ghana 7.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, China 6.7%, UK 5.2%, Belgium 4.9%, Togo 4.5%, Thailand 4.2%, Nigeria 4% (2005) Portugal 26%, France 8%, Senegal 8%, Netherlands 7% (1998)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 24 September 1973 (unilaterally declared by Guinea-Bissau); 10 September 1974 (recognized by Portugal)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) 2.6% (1997 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks
Infant mortality rate total: 79.56 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 84.09 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 74.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
110.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.5% (2005 est.) 3% (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, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 120 sq km (2003) 17 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices who are appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases); Regional Courts (one in each of nine regions; first court of appeals for Sectoral Court decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at over $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases under $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases)
Labor force 3.211 million 480,000
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 78%
Land boundaries total: 1,989 km


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

border countries:
Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km
Land use arable land: 23.53%


permanent crops: 2.37%


other: 74.1% (2005)
arable land:
11%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
38%

forests and woodland:
38%

other:
12% (1993 est.)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages
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 (UBF, MADEP, FC, Alliance MDC-PC-CPP, IPD, AFP, MDS, RDP) 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31
unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve a maximum of four years)

elections:
last held 28 November 1999 (next to be held by NA 2003)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRS 37, RGB 27, PAIGC 25, 11 remaining seats went to 5 of the remaining 10 parties that fielded candidates
Life expectancy at birth total population: 53.04 years


male: 51.9 years


female: 54.22 years (2006 est.)
total population:
49.42 years

male:
47.12 years

female:
51.78 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:
53.9%

male:
67.1%

female:
40.7% (1997 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine - none (2000 est.)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $100.9 million (2005 est.) $8 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.3% (2005 est.) 2.8% (FY96)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
305,071 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
173,703 (2001 est.)
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Independence Day, 24 September (1973)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun:
Guinean (s)

adjective:
Guinean
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, unexploited deposits of petroleum
Net migration rate 0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Political parties and leaders Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD; Key Force or FC; Movement for Development and Solidarity or MDS; Movement for Development by the Culture-Salute Party-Congress of People for Progress Alliance or Alliance MDC-PS-CPP; New Alliance or NA; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP; Renaissance Party du Benin or RB [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
African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Francisco BENANTE]; Front for the Liberation and Independence of Guinea or FLING [Francois MENDY]; Guinea-Bissau Resistance-Ba Fata Movement or RGB-MB [Helder Vaz LOPES]; Guinean Civic Forum or FCG [Antonieta Rosa GOMES]; International League for Ecological Protection or LIPE [Alhaje Bubacar DJALO, president]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Abubacer BALDE, secretary general]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Social Renovation Party or PRS [Koumba YALLA]; Union for Change or UM [Jorge MANDINGA, president, Dr. Anne SAAD, secretary general]; United Social Democratic Party or PUSD [Victor Sau'de MARIA]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 7,862,944


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 2006 est.)
1,315,822 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (2001 est.) 50% (1991 est.)
Population growth rate 2.73% (2006 est.) 2.23% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios - 49,000 (1997)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
0 km
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


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


65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.94 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 - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
general assessment:
small system

domestic:
combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications

international:
NA
Telephones - main lines in use 76,300 (2005) 8,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 386,700 (2005) NA
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) 2 (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east
Total fertility rate 5.2 children born/woman (2006 est.) 5.2 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% NA%
Waterways 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005) several rivers are accessible to coastal shipping
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