Compare Benin (2007) - Tunisia (2004)

Compare Benin (2007) z Tunisia (2004)

	Benin (2007)	Tunisia (2004)

Administrative divisions	12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou	24 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan)
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: 26% (male 1,337,546; female 1,253,814) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 3,373,199; female 3,360,402) 65 years and over: 6.5% (male 315,151; female 334,610) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock	olives, olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds
Airports	5 (2007)	30 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)	total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (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 (2007)	total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 112,620 sq km land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km	total: 163,610 sq km land: 155,360 sq km water: 8,250 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Pennsylvania	slightly larger than Georgia
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.	Following independence from France in 1956, President Habib BOURGUIBA established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In recent years, Tunisia has taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society.
Birth rate	38.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	15.74 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $786 million expenditures: $1.024 billion (2006 est.)	revenues: $6.101 billion expenditures: $6.855 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (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)	Tunis
Climate	tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north	temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
Coastline	121 km	1,148 km
Constitution	adopted by referendum 2 December 1990	1 June 1959; amended 12 July 1988
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: Tunisian Republic conventional short form: Tunisia local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah local short form: Tunis
Currency	-	Tunisian dinar (TND)
Death rate	11.94 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	5.05 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$1.6 billion (2000)	$14.39 billion (2003 est.)
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	chief of mission: Ambassador William J. HUDSON embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis, 2045 La Goulette, Tunisia mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [216] 71 107-000 FAX: [216] 71 962-115
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 Tarek Azouz chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850 FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858
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)	$378 million (2001)
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.	Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Real growth, averaging 5% for the latter half of the last decade, slowed to a 15-year low of 1.9% in 2002 because of agricultural drought, slow investment, and lackluster tourism. Better rains in 2003, however, pushed GDP growth up to an estimated 6 percent, and tourism also recovered after the end of combat operations in Iraq. GDP growth remained at 6% in 2004. Tunisia has agreed to gradually remove barriers to trade with the European Union over the next decade. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency, and reduction of the trade deficit are among the challenges for the future.
Electricity - consumption	587 million kWh (2005)	9.748 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	595 million kWh (2005)	1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	105 million kWh (2005)	10.48 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m	lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
Environment - current issues	inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification	toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
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)	Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%
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)	Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.2885 (2003), 1.4217 (2002), 1.4387 (2001), 1.3707 (2000), 1.1862 (1999)
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: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17 November 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a fourth term; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI 94.5%, Mohamed BOUCHIHA 3.8%, Mohamed Ali HALOUANI 1%
Exports	NA bbl/day	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood	textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons
Exports - partners	China 20.9%, Indonesia 7.7%, India 7%, Netherlands 6.2%, Niger 5.7%, Togo 4.6%, Nigeria 4.3% (2006)	France 32.6%, Italy 21.9%, Germany 10.7%, Spain 4.7%, Libya 4.4% (2003)
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	red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $68.23 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 32.8% industry: 13.7% services: 53.5% (2006 est.)	agriculture: 13.9% industry: 32.2% services: 53.9% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $6,900 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	4% (2006 est.)	5.1% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	9 30 N, 2 15 E	34 00 N, 9 00 E
Geography - note	sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands	strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration
Highways	-	total: 18,997 km paved: 12,310 km (including 142 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,687 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% (2003)	lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 31.8% (1995)
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 (2001)
Imports - commodities	foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products	textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food
Imports - partners	China 46.6%, France 7.5%, Thailand 6% (2006)	France 26.1%, Italy 19.8%, Germany 8.9%, Spain 5.2% (2003)
Independence	1 August 1960 (from France)	20 March 1956 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	8.3% (2001 est.)	-0.1% (2003 est.)
Industries	textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement	petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages
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: 25.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.8% (2006 est.)	2.7% (2003 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	ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	120 sq km (2003)	3,800 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice	Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation
Labor force	3.211 million (1996)	3.461 million note: shortage of skilled labor (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	services 55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 1,989 km border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km	total: 1,424 km border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
Land use	arable land: 23.53% permanent crops: 2.37% other: 74.1% (2005)	arable land: 17.86% permanent crops: 13.74% other: 68.4% (2001)
Languages	French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)	Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)
Legal system	based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session
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 Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (189 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RCD 152, MDS 14, PUP 11, UDU 7, Al-Tajdid 3, PSL 2
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 53.44 years male: 52.28 years female: 54.63 years (2007 est.)	total population: 74.66 years male: 73 years female: 76.44 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 34.7% male: 47.9% female: 23.3% (2002 census)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.2% male: 84% female: 64.4% (2003 est.)
Location	Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo	Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
Map references	Africa	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm
Merchant marine	-	total: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 124,733 GRT/122,664 DWT by type: bulk 2, cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 1, short-sea/passenger 3 registered in other countries: 2 (2004 est.)
Military branches	Benin Armed Forces: Ground Forces Command, Benin Navy, Benin People's Air Force (Force Aerienne Populaire de Benin, FAPB) (2007)	Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$356 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	1.7% (2006)	1.5% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 2,918,524 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 1,655,910 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 106,565 (2004 est.)
National holiday	National Day, 1 August (1960)	Independence Day, 20 March (1956)
Nationality	noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese	noun: Tunisian(s) adjective: Tunisian
Natural hazards	hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March	NA
Natural resources	small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber	petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
Net migration rate	0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-0.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 3,059 km; oil 1,203 km; refined products 345 km (2004)
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	Al-Tajdid Movement [Ali HALOUANI]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (official ruling party)]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS [Ismail BOULAHYA]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed BOUCHIHA]; Progressive Democratic Party [Nejib CHEBBI]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Abderrahmane TLILI]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed
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.)	9,974,722 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	33% (2001 est.)	7.6% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate	2.674% (2007 est.)	1.01% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)	AM 7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998)
Railways	total: 758 km narrow gauge: 758 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)	total: 2,152 km standard gauge: 468 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) dual gauge: 10 km 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2003)
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)	Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
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: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	20 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: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and microwave radio relay international: country code - 216; 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches
Telephones - main lines in use	76,300 (2005)	1,163,800 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	750,000 (2005)	1,899,900 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2001)	26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain	mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains	mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara
Total fertility rate	5.08 children born/woman (2007 est.)	1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	NA%	14.3% (2003 est.)
Waterways	150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)	-

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