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Compare Benin (2006) - Saudi Arabia (2003)

Compare Benin (2006) z Saudi Arabia (2003)

 Benin (2006)Saudi Arabia (2003)
 BeninSaudi Arabia
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk
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: 42.3% (male 5,245,413; female 5,028,595)


15-64 years: 54.8% (male 7,700,121; female 5,622,099)


65 years and over: 2.9% (male 393,173; female 304,443) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts; livestock wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk
Airports 5 (2006) 209 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
total: 71


over 3,047 m: 31


2,438 to 3,047 m: 12


1,524 to 2,437 m: 24


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 2 (2002)
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: 138


over 3047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 79


914 to 1,523 m: 39


under 914 m: 13 (2002)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total: 1,960,582 sq km


land: 1,960,582 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US
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 1902, ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. In the 1930s, the discovery of oil transformed the country. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all major governmental concerns.
Birth rate 38.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 37.2 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $766.8 million


expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $46 billion


expenditures: $56.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003 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)
Riyadh
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes
Coastline 121 km 2,640 km
Constitution December 1990 governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law); the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993
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: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia


conventional short form: Saudi Arabia


local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah


local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah
Currency - Saudi riyal (SAR)
Death rate 12.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 5.79 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $25.9 billion (2003 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 W. JORDAN


embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh


mailing address: American Embassy Riyadh, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693


telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800


FAX: [966] (1) 488-7360


consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)
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 BANDAR bin Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud


chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037


telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800


consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, and New York
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 nomadic groups on border region with Yemen resist demarcation of boundary; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have been negotiating a long-contested maritime boundary with Iran; because the treaties have not been made public, the exact alignment of the boundary with the UAE is still unknown and labeled approximate
Economic aid - donor - pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon; since 2000, Saudi Arabia has committed $307 million for assistance to the Palestinians; pledged $240 million to development in Afghanistan
Economic aid - recipient $342.6 million (2000) -
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. This is an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world (26% of the proved reserves), ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 25% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly 4 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and service sectors. The government in 1999 announced plans to begin privatizing the electricity companies, which follows the ongoing privatization of the telecommunications company. The government is supporting private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. Priorities for government spending in the short term include additional funds for the water and sewage systems and for education. Water shortages and rapid population growth constrain the government's efforts to increase self-sufficiency in agricultural products.
Electricity - consumption 538.2 million kWh (2003) 113.8 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 474 million kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 69 million kWh (2003) 122.4 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m


highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills
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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, 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 Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
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) Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.75 (2002), 3.75 (2001), 3.75 (2000), 3.75 (1999), 3.75 (1998)
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: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brother to the monarch, heir to the throne since 13 June 1982, regent from 1 January to 22 February 1996); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brother to the monarch, heir to the throne since 13 June 1982, regent from 1 January to 22 February 1996); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch and includes many royal family members


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
Exports NA bbl/day NA (2001)
Exports - commodities cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa petroleum and petroleum products 90%
Exports - partners China 31.3%, Indonesia 8.1%, India 7.4%, Niger 6%, Togo 4.8%, Thailand 4.8%, Nigeria 4.6% (2005) US 18.6%, Japan 15.6%, South Korea 10.1%, Singapore 5.1%, China 4.6% (2002)
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 green with large white Arabic script (that may be translated as There is no God but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God) above a white horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); green is the traditional color of Islam
GDP - purchasing power parity - $268.9 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 31.6%


industry: 13.8%


services: 54.6% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 5.2%


industry: 51.2%


services: 43.6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $11,400 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.5% (2005 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 25 00 N, 45 00 E
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal
Heliports - 5 (2002)
Highways - total: 151,470 km


paved: 45,592 km


unpaved: 105,878 km (1999)
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 death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin, cocaine, and hashish
Imports NA bbl/day NA (2001)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles
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 11.2%, Japan 8.8%, Germany 7.6%, UK 4.9%, France 4.9%, Italy 4.1% (2002)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 23 September 1932 (Unification of the Kingdom)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) 1% (1997 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics
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.)
total: 47.94 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 50.1 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 45.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.5% (2005 est.) 1% (2002 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 ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BIS, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 22 (2003)
Irrigated land 120 sq km (2003) 16,200 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Supreme Council of Justice
Labor force 3.211 million 7 million


note: 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services 63% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
total: 4,431 km


border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km
Land use arable land: 23.53%


permanent crops: 2.37%


other: 74.1% (2005)
arable land: 1.72%


permanent crops: 0.06%


other: 98.22% (1998 est.)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Arabic
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; 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 (UBF, MADEP, FC, Alliance MDC-PC-CPP, IPD, AFP, MDS, RDP) 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31
Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (120 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms)
Life expectancy at birth total population: 53.04 years


male: 51.9 years


female: 54.22 years (2006 est.)
total population: 68.73 years


male: 66.99 years


female: 70.55 years (2003 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: 78.8%


male: 84.7%


female: 70.8% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen
Map references Africa Middle East
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm contiguous zone: 18 NM


continental shelf: not specified


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine - total: 71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,461,964 GRT/2,301,258 DWT


ships by type: cargo 9, chemical tanker 11, container 4, livestock carrier 2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 9, short-sea passenger 8


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Egypt 3, Finland 1, Greece 3, Kuwait 1, Sudan 1, UAE 1, UK 3 (2002 est.)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $100.9 million (2005 est.) $18.3 billion (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.3% (2005 est.) 13% (FY00)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 6,123,784 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 3,431,281 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 17 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 253,685 (2003 est.)
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: Saudi(s)


adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March frequent sand and dust storms
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Net migration rate 0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines - condensate 212 km; gas 837 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,187 km; oil 5,062 km; refined products 69 km (2003)
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
none allowed
Political pressure groups and leaders NA none
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.)
24,293,844


note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (2001 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.73% (2006 est.) 3.27% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors - Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Duba, Jiddah, Jizan, Rabigh, Ra's al Khafji, Mishab, Ras Tanura, Yanbu' al Bahr, Madinat Yanbu' al Sinaiyah
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)
Railways total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
total: 1,392 km


standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2002)
Religions indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% Muslim 100%
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: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.37 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.29 male(s)/female


total population: 1.22 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal none
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: modern system


domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable systems


international: microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan; submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)
Telephones - main lines in use 76,300 (2005) 3.9 million (2002 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular 386,700 (2005) 2.9 million (2002 est.)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) 117 (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Total fertility rate 5.2 children born/woman (2006 est.) 6.15 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 25% (2002)
Waterways 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005) none
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