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Compare Benin (2007) - Tonga (2006)

Compare Benin (2007) z Tonga (2006)

 Benin (2007)Tonga (2006)
 BeninTonga
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u
Age structure 0-14 years: 43.9% (male 1,788,248/female 1,754,940)


15-64 years: 53.7% (male 2,138,649/female 2,203,291)


65 years and over: 2.4% (male 77,844/female 115,342) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 35.3% (male 20,679/female 19,843)


15-64 years: 60.5% (male 34,399/female 34,964)


65 years and over: 4.2% (male 2,059/female 2,745) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish
Airports 5 (2007) 6 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
total: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
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 (2007)
total: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total: 748 sq km


land: 718 sq km


water: 30 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania four 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. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent. Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.
Birth rate 38.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 25.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $786 million


expenditures: $1.024 billion (2006 est.)
revenues: $56.97 million


expenditures: $83.88 million; including capital expenditures of $1.9 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)
name: Nuku'alofa


geographic coordinates: 21 08 S, 175 12 W


time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)
Coastline 121 km 419 km
Constitution adopted by referendum 2 December 1990 4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967
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 Tonga


conventional short form: Tonga


local long form: Pule'anga Tonga


local short form: Tonga


former: Friendly Islands
Death rate 11.94 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 5.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $1.6 billion (2000) $80.7 million (2004)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Gayleatha B. BROWN


embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou


mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou


telephone: [229] 21-30-06-50


FAX: [229] 21-30-06-70
the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga
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 Fekitamoeloa 'UTOIKAMANU


chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022


telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025


FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024


consulate(s) general: San Francisco
Disputes - international two villages remain in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso; Benin accused Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin, but border relations remain strained by rival gang clashes; Benin and Togo announced plans in 2006 to construct a joint hydroelectric dam on the Mona River at the southern end of the border none
Economic aid - recipient $349.1 million (2005) $19.3 million Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million (FY01/02)
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. Specific projects to improve the business climate by reforms to the land tenure system, the commercial justice system, and the financial sector were included in Benin's $307 million Millennium Challenge Account grant signed in February 2006. 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. Tonga, a small, open, South Pacific island economy, has a narrow export base in agricultural goods. Squash, coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans are the main crops, and agricultural exports make up two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. The country remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. The government is emphasizing the development of the private sector, especially the encouragement of investment, and is committing increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. High unemployment among the young, a continuing upturn in inflation, pressures for democratic reform, and rising civil service expenditures are major issues facing the government.
Electricity - consumption 587 million kWh (2005) 31.62 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 595 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 105 million kWh (2005) 34 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


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


highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification deforestation results as more and more land is being cleared for agriculture and settlement; some damage to coral reefs from starfish and indiscriminate coral and shell collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations
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, Whaling


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, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Fon and related 39.2%, Adja and related 15.2%, Yoruba and related 12.3%, Bariba and related 9.2%, Peulh and related 7%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4%, Dendi and related 2.5%, other 1.6% (includes Europeans), unspecified 2.9% (2002 census) Polynesian, Europeans
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002) pa'anga per US dollar - 1.96 (2005), 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003), 2.1952 (2002), 2.1236 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: President Thomas YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


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


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


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


election results: Thomas YAYI Boni elected president; percent of vote - Thomas YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5%
chief of state: King George TUPOU V (since 11 September 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Feleti SEVELE (since 11 February 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Viliami TANGI (since 16 May 2006)


cabinet: Cabinet currently consists of 14 members, 10 appointed by the monarch for life; 4 appointed from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly, including 2 each from the nobles and peoples representatives serving three year terms


note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch, the cabinet, and two governors


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the monarch
Exports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops
Exports - partners China 20.9%, Indonesia 7.7%, India 7%, Netherlands 6.2%, Niger 5.7%, Togo 4.6%, Nigeria 4.3% (2006) Japan 41.5%, US 33.1%, NZ 6.3% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 July - 30 June
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 32.8%


industry: 13.7%


services: 53.5% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 23%


industry: 27%


services: 50% (FY03/04 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4% (2006 est.) 2.4% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 20 00 S, 175 00 W
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA% (2003)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs transshipment point used by Nigerian traffickers for narcotics destined for Western Europe; vulnerable to money laundering due to poorly enforced financial regulations -
Imports NA bbl/day NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners China 46.6%, France 7.5%, Thailand 6% (2006) NZ 33.4%, Fiji 26.7%, Australia 10.5%, US 8.4% (2005)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)
Industrial production growth rate 8.3% (2001 est.) 1% (2003 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement tourism, fishing
Infant mortality rate total: 77.85 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 82.32 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 73.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 13.63 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 10.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.8% (2006 est.) 11.1% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land 120 sq km (2003) NA
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal (Chief Justice and high court justices from overseas chosen and approved by Privy Council)
Labor force 3.211 million (1996) 33,910 (2003)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: 65%


industry and services: 35% (1997 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: 23.53%


permanent crops: 2.37%


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


permanent crops: 14.67%


other: 65.33% (2005)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) Tongan, English
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on English law
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 31 March 2007 (next to be held by March 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FCBE 35, ADD 20, PRD 10, other and independents 18
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (32 seats - 14 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, 9 for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and 9 elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms)


elections: last held 21 March 2005 (next to be held in 2008)


election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote - HRDMT 70%; seats - HRDMT 7, independents 2
Life expectancy at birth total population: 53.44 years


male: 52.28 years


female: 54.63 years (2007 est.)
total population: 69.82 years


male: 67.32 years


female: 72.45 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 34.7%


male: 47.9%


female: 23.3% (2002 census)
definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English


total population: 98.9%


male: 98.8%


female: 99% (1999 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Oceania, archipelago 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


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine - total: 16 ships (1000 GRT or over) 62,185 GRT/72,960 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1


foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 1, Norway 1, Switzerland 1, UK 1) (2006)
Military branches Benin Armed Forces: Ground Forces Command, Benin Navy, Benin People's Air Force (Force Aerienne Populaire de Benin, FAPB) (2007) Tonga Defense Services: Land Force (Royal Guard), Naval Force (includes Royal Marines, Air Wing) (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.7% (2006) NA
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: Tongan(s)


adjective: Tongan
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber fish, fertile soil
Net migration rate 0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders Alliance for Dynamic Democracy or ADD [Nicephore SOGLO]; Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Force Cowrie for an Emerging Benin or FCBE; 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; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union of Tomorrow's Benin or UBF [Bruno AMOUSSOU]


note: approximately 20 additional minor parties
People's Democratic Party [Tesina FUKO]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote VEA, chairman]; Public Servant's Association [Finau TUTONE]
Population 8,078,314


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 2007 est.)
114,689 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 33% (2001 est.) 24% NA%
Population growth rate 2.674% (2007 est.) 2.01% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2004)
Railways total: 758 km


narrow gauge: 758 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
-
Religions Christian 42.8% (Catholic 27.1%, Celestial 5%, Methodist 3.2%, other Protestant 2.2%, other 5.3%), Muslim 24.4%, Vodoun 17.3%, other 15.5% (2002 census) Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.019 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.971 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.675 male(s)/female


total population: 0.983 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 21 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line network is almost saturated with fixed-line teledensity stuck at a meager 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of roughly 10 per 100 persons


domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections; four mobile-cellular providers


international: country code - 229; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth station - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
general assessment: competition between Tonga Telecommunications Corporation (TCC) and Shoreline Communications Tonga (SCT) is accelerating expansion of telecommunications; SCT recently granted authority to develop high-speed digital service for telephone, Internet, and television


domestic: fully automatic switched network


international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2004)
Telephones - main lines in use 76,300 (2005) 11,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 750,000 (2005) 16,400 (2004)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2001) 3 (2004)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
Total fertility rate 5.08 children born/woman (2007 est.) 3 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 13% (FY03/04 est.)
Waterways 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005) -
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