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Compare Benin (2006) - Haiti (2001)

Compare Benin (2006) z Haiti (2001)

 Benin (2006)Haiti (2001)
 BeninHaiti
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 9 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est
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:
40.31% (male 1,421,945; female 1,385,580)

15-64 years:
55.52% (male 1,869,323; female 1,997,246)

65 years and over:
4.17% (male 140,556; female 149,899) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts; livestock coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood
Airports 5 (2006) 13 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


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

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
2 (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:
10

914 to 1,523 m:
2

under 914 m:
8 (2000 est.)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total:
27,750 sq km

land:
27,560 sq km

water:
190 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly smaller than Maryland
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. One of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. Over three decades of dictatorship followed by military rule ended in 1990 when Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE was elected president. Most of his term was usurped by a military takeover, but he was able to return to office in 1994 and oversee the installation of a close associate to the presidency in 1996. ARISTIDE won a second term as president in 2000, and took office early the following year.
Birth rate 38.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 31.68 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $766.8 million


expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues:
$317 million

expenditures:
$362 million, including capital expenditures of $84 million (FY99/00 est.)
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)
Port-au-Prince
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
Coastline 121 km 1,771 km
Constitution December 1990 approved March 1987; suspended June 1988, with most articles reinstated March 1989; in October 1991, government claimed to be observing the constitution; return to constitutional rule, October 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 Haiti

conventional short form:
Haiti

local long form:
Republique d'Haiti

local short form:
Haiti
Currency - gourde (HTG)
Death rate 12.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 15 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $1 billion (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
chief of mission:
Ambassador Brian Dean CURRAN

embassy:
5 Harry Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince

mailing address:
P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince

telephone:
[509] 222-0354, 222-0269, 222-0200, 223-4776

FAX:
[509] 23-1641
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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Louis Harold JOSEPH

chancery:
2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 332-4090

FAX:
[1] (202) 745-7215

consulate(s) general:
Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
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 claims US-administered Navassa Island
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) $730.6 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. About 80% of the population lives in abject poverty. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs about two-thirds of the economically active work force. The country has experienced little job creation since the former President PREVAL took office in February 1996, although the informal economy is growing. Following legislative elections in May 2000, fraught with irregularities, international donors - including the US and EU - suspended almost all aid to Haiti. This destabilized the Haitian currency, the gourde, and, combined with a 40% fuel price hike in September, caused widespread price increases. Prices appear to have leveled off in January 2001.
Electricity - consumption 538.2 million kWh (2003) 625 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) 672 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
52.83%

hydro:
47.17%

nuclear:
0%

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


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

highest point:
Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water
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, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:
Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban
Ethnic groups African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 black 95%, mulatto and white 5%
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) gourdes per US dollar - 23.761 (January 2001), 22.524 (2000), 17.965 (1999), 16.505 (1998), 17.311 (1997), 15.093 (1996)
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 Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February 2001)

head of government:
Prime Minister Jean-Marie CHERESTAL (since 9 February 2001)

cabinet:
Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the Congress

election results:
Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE elected president; percent of vote - Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 92%
Exports NA bbl/day $186 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa manufactures, coffee, oils, mangoes
Exports - partners China 31.3%, Indonesia 8.1%, India 7.4%, Niger 6%, Togo 4.8%, Thailand 4.8%, Nigeria 4.6% (2005) US 89%, EU 8% (1999)
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 two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)
GDP - purchasing power parity - $12.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 31.6%


industry: 13.8%


services: 54.6% (2004 est.)
agriculture:
32%

industry:
20%

services:
48% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.5% (2005 est.) 1.2% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 19 00 N, 72 25 W
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)
Highways - total:
4,160 km

paved:
1,011 km

unpaved:
3,149 km (1996)
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 Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; vulnerable to money laundering
Imports NA bbl/day $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products food, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials
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) US 60%, EU 13% (1999)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 1 January 1804 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) 0.6% (1997 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, tourism, light assembly industries based on imported parts
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.)
95.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.5% (2005 est.) 19% (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, ACP, Caricom (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 3 (2000)
Irrigated land 120 sq km (2003) 750 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation
Labor force 3.211 million 3.6 million (1995)

note:
shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1998)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%
Land boundaries total: 1,989 km


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

border countries:
Dominican Republic 275 km
Land use arable land: 23.53%


permanent crops: 2.37%


other: 74.1% (2005)
arable land:
20%

permanent crops:
13%

permanent pastures:
18%

forests and woodland:
5%

other:
44% (1993 est.)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) French (official), Creole (official)
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on Roman civil law system; accepts 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 (UBF, MADEP, FC, Alliance MDC-PC-CPP, IPD, AFP, MDS, RDP) 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31
bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (27 seats; members serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (83 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
Senate - last held for two-thirds of seats 21 May 2000, with runoffs on 9 July boycotted by the opposition; about eight seats still disputed; election for remaining one-third held on 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2002); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 May 2000, with runoffs on 30 July boycotted by the opposition; one vacant seat rerun 26 November 2000 (next election NA 2004)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FL 26, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FL 73, OPL 1, other minor parties and independents 9
Life expectancy at birth total population: 53.04 years


male: 51.9 years


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

male:
47.67 years

female:
51.17 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:
45%

male:
48%

female:
42.2% (1995 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
to depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine - none (2000 est.)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force Haitian National Police (HNP)

note:
the regular Haitian Army, Navy, and Air Force have been demobilized but still exist on paper until constitutionally abolished
Military expenditures - dollar figure $100.9 million (2005 est.) $NA; note - mainly for police and security activities
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.3% (2005 est.) NA%
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
1,635,253 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
888,305 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
87,049 (2001 est.)
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun:
Haitian(s)

adjective:
Haitian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower
Net migration rate 0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -2.64 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
Alliance for the Liberation and Advancement of Haiti or ALAH [Reynold GEORGES]; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convergence (opposition coalition composed of ESPACE, OPL, and MOCHRENA) [Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES, Evans PAUL, Luc MESADIEU, Victor BENOIT]; Democratic Consultation Group coalition or ESPACE [Evans PAUL, Victor Benoit] composed of the following parties: National Congress of Democratic Movements or KONAKOM, National Progressive Revolutionary Party or PANPRA, Generation 2004, and Haiti Can; Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Marie-France CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic Party or PADEM [Clark PARENT]; Lavalas Family or FL [Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert DE RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Rene THEODORE]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; Movement for the Organization of the Country or MOP [Gesner COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE]; National Front for Change and Democracy or FNCD [Evans PAUL and Turneb DELPE]; New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Autonomous Haitian Workers or CATH; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Roman Catholic Church
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.)
6,964,549

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 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (2001 est.) 80% (1998 est.)
Population growth rate 2.73% (2006 est.) 1.4% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - Cap-Haitien, Gonaives, Jacmel, Jeremie, Les Cayes, Miragoane, Port-au-Prince, Port-de-Paix, Saint-Marc
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)
Radios - 415,000 (1997)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
total:
40 km (single track; privately owned industrial line) - closed in early 1990s

narrow gauge:
40 km 0.760-m gauge
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982)

note:
roughly one-half of the population also practices Voodoo
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:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.97 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:
domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better

domestic:
coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service

international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 76,300 (2005) 60,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 386,700 (2005) 0 (1995)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) 2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains mostly rough and mountainous
Total fertility rate 5.2 children born/woman (2006 est.) 4.4 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (1999)
Waterways 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005) NEGL; less than 100 km navigable
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