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Compare Benin (2008) - Guam (2005)

Compare Benin (2008) z Guam (2005)

 Benin (2008)Guam (2005)
 BeninGuam
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou none (territory of the US)
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: 29.4% (male 25,645/female 23,887)


15-64 years: 64.1% (male 55,115/female 52,935)


65 years and over: 6.5% (male 5,157/female 5,825) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork, poultry, beef
Airports 5 (2007) 5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
total: 4


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (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: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total: 549 sq km


land: 549 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania three 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. YAYI has begun a high profile fight against corruption and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth. Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military installation on the island is one of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific.
Birth rate 38.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 19.03 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $936.9 million


expenditures: $1.226 billion (2007 est.)
revenues: $340 million


expenditures: $445 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 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)
Hagatna (Agana)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to June, rainy season from July to December; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline 121 km 125.5 km
Constitution adopted by referendum 2 December 1990 Organic Act of 1 August 1950
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: Territory of Guam


conventional short form: Guam


local long form: Guahan
Death rate 11.94 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 4.41 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $1.2 billion (2007) NA
Dependency status - organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between Guam and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior
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] 21-30-03-84
none (territory of the US)
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
none (territory of the US)
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 $374.7 million (2006) Guam receives large transfer payments from the US Federal Treasury ($143 million in 1997) into which Guamanians pay no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam Treasury, rather than the US Treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by military and civilian Federal employees stationed in Guam (2001 est.)
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 seven 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 though the government annulled the privatization of Benin's state cotton company in November 2007 after the discovery of irregularities in the bidding process. 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. An insufficient electrical supply continues to adversely affect Benin's economic growth though the government recently has taken steps to increase domestic power production. The economy depends on US military spending, tourism, and the export of fish and handicrafts. Total US grants, wage payments, and procurement outlays amounted to $1 billion in 1998. Over the past 20 years, the tourist industry has grown rapidly, creating a construction boom for new hotels and the expansion of older ones. More than 1 million tourists visit Guam each year. The industry had recently suffered setbacks because of the continuing Japanese slowdown; the Japanese normally make up almost 90% of the tourists. Most food and industrial goods are imported. Guam faces the problem of building up the civilian economic sector to offset the impact of military downsizing.
Electricity - consumption 587 million kWh (2005) 776.6 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 595 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 105 million kWh (2005) 835 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


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


highest point: Mount Lamlam 406 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification extirpation of native bird population by the rapid proliferation of the brown tree snake, an exotic, invasive species
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
-
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) Chamorro 37.1%, Filipino 26.3%, other Pacific islander 11.3%, white 6.9%, other Asian 6.3%, other ethnic origin or race 2.3%, mixed 9.8% (2000 census)
Exchange rates Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) the US dollar is used
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 George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)


head of government: Governor Felix P. P. CAMACHO (since 6 January 2003) and Lieutenant Governor Kaleo MOYLAN (since 6 January 2003)


cabinet: executive departments; heads appointed by the governor with the consent of the Guam legislature


elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for a four-year term; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year term; election last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held November 2006)


election results: Felix P. P. CAMACHO elected governor; percent of vote - Felix P. P. CAMACHO (Republican Party) 55.4%, Robert A. UNDERWOOD (Democratic Party) 44.6%
Exports 0 bbl/day (2007) NA
Exports - commodities cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood mostly transshipments of refined petroleum products; construction materials, fish, food and beverage products
Exports - partners China 20.9%, Indonesia 7.7%, India 7%, Netherlands 6.2%, Niger 5.7%, Togo 4.6%, Nigeria 4.3% (2006) Japan 66.1%, South Korea 9.9%, Singapore 8.4% (2004)
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 territorial flag is dark blue with a narrow red border on all four sides; centered is a red-bordered, pointed, vertical ellipse containing a beach scene, outrigger canoe with sail, and a palm tree with the word GUAM superimposed in bold red letters; US flag is the national flag
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 33.2%


industry: 14.5%


services: 52.3% (2007 est.)
agriculture: 7%


industry: 15%


services: 78% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $21,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.5% (2007 est.) NA
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 13 28 N, 144 47 E
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago; strategic location in western North Pacific Ocean
Highways - total: 977 km


paved: 962 km


unpaved: 15 km (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.1%


highest 10%: 29% (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 16,830 bbl/day (2007 est.) NA
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products petroleum and petroleum products, food, manufactured goods
Imports - partners China 46.6%, France 7.5%, Thailand 6% (2006) Singapore 39.5%, South Korea 20.8%, Japan 19%, Hong Kong 9%, Philippines 4.3% (2004)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) none (territory of the US)
Industrial production growth rate 4.5% (2007 est.) NA
Industries textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement US military, tourism, construction, transshipment services, concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles
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: 6.94 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 7.61 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 6.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.5% (2007 est.) 0% (1999 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, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU
Irrigated land 120 sq km (2003) NA
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the president); Territorial Superior Court (judges appointed for eight-year terms by the governor)
Labor force 5.38 million (2007 est.) 60,000 (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation - private 74% (industry 10%, trade 24%, other services 40%), federal and territorial government 26% (2000 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: 9.09%


permanent crops: 16.36%


other: 74.55% (2001)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) English 38.3%, Chamorro 22.2%, Philippine languages 22.2%, other Pacific island languages 6.8%, Asian languages 7%, other languages 3.5% (2000 census)
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction modeled on US; US federal laws apply
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 Legislature (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)


elections: last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2006)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 6, Republican Party 9


note: Guam elects one nonvoting delegate to the US House of Representatives; election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2006); results - Madeleine BORDALLO (Democratic Party) was elected as delegate; percent of vote by party - Democratic Party 64.6%, Republican Party 35.4%; seats by party - Democratic Party 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 53.44 years


male: 52.28 years


female: 54.63 years (2007 est.)
total population: 78.4 years


male: 75.34 years


female: 81.64 years (2005 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: 99%


male: 99%


female: 99% (1990 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines
Map references Africa Oceania
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the US
Military branches Benin Armed Forces (FAB): Army (l'Arme de Terre), Benin Navy (Forces Navales Beninois, FNB), Benin People's Air Force (Force Aerienne Populaire de Benin, FAPB) (2008) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.7% (2006) -
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Discovery Day, first Monday in March (1521)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: Guamanian(s)


adjective: Guamanian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (June - December)
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber fishing (largely undeveloped), tourism (especially from Japan)
Net migration rate 0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders Alliance for Dynamic Democracy or ADD; Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Benin Renaissance or RB [Rosine SOGLO]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Force Cowrie for an Emerging Benin or FCBE; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD [Theophile NATA]; Key Force or FC [Lazare SÈHOUÉTO]; Movement for the People's Alternative or MAP [Olivier CAPO-CHICHI]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Dominique HOUNGNINOU]; Social Democrat Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Union for the Relief or UPR [Issa SALIFOU]; Union for Democracy and National Solidarity or UDS [Sacca LAFIA]


note: approximately 20 additional minor parties
Democratic Party [leader Michael PHILLIPS]; Republican Party (controls the legislature) [leader Philip J. FLORES]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
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.)
168,564 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 37.4% (2007 est.) 23% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 2.674% (2007 est.) 1.46% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors - Apra Harbor
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 34, shortwave 1 (2007) AM 4, FM 7, shortwave 2 (2003)
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) Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.)
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: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections
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 subscribership is increasing


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: modern system, integrated with US facilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers


domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service and local access to the Internet


international: country code - 1-671; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); submarine cables to US and Japan (Guam is a trans-Pacific communications hub for MCI, Sprint, AT&T, IT&E, and GTE, linking the US and Asia)
Telephones - main lines in use 77,300 (2006) 84,134 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1.056 million (2006) 32,600 (2001)
Television broadcast stations 6 (2007) 5 (1997)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in center, mountains in south
Total fertility rate 5.08 children born/woman (2007 est.) 2.6 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 15% (2000 est.)
Waterways 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005) -
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