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Compare Benin (2008) - Trinidad and Tobago (2007)

Compare Benin (2008) z Trinidad and Tobago (2007)

 Benin (2008)Trinidad and Tobago (2007)
 BeninTrinidad and Tobago
Administrative divisions 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou 9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward


regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco


city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando


borough corporations: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin


ward: Tobago
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: 19.5% (male 105,994/female 100,156)


15-64 years: 71.6% (male 397,699/female 358,755)


65 years and over: 8.9% (male 42,039/female 51,965) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry
Airports 5 (2007) 6 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
total: 3


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
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: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Area total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
total: 5,128 sq km


land: 5,128 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly smaller than Delaware
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. First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under British control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export. Independence was attained in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing.
Birth rate 38.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 13.07 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $936.9 million


expenditures: $1.226 billion (2007 est.)
revenues: $6.096 billion


expenditures: $4.919 billion (2006 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: Port-of-Spain


geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north tropical; rainy season (June to December)
Coastline 121 km 362 km
Constitution adopted by referendum 2 December 1990 1 August 1976
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 Trinidad and Tobago


conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago
Death rate 11.94 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 10.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $1.2 billion (2007) $2.729 billion (2006 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] 21-30-03-84
chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN


embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain


mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain


telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376


FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462
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 Marina Annette VALERE


chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036


telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490


FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130


consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
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 in April 2006, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing agreement that limited Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela maritime boundary may extend into its waters as well
Economic aid - recipient $374.7 million (2006) $2.09 million (2005 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. Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. Tourism is a growing sector, although it is not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. Economic growth in 2006 reached 12.6% as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied natural gas remained high, and foreign direct investment continued to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.
Electricity - consumption 587 million kWh (2005) 6.163 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 595 million kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 105 million kWh (2005) 6.627 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


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


highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m
Environment - current issues inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion
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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


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) Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (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) Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.3107 (2006), 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002)
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 Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003)


head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament


elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 14 February 2003 (next to be held by January 2008); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives


election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 43%
Exports 0 bbl/day (2007) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers
Exports - partners China 20.9%, Indonesia 7.7%, India 7%, Netherlands 6.2%, Niger 5.7%, Togo 4.6%, Nigeria 4.3% (2006) US 59.8%, Spain 5.3%, Jamaica 5.2% (2006)
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 red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 33.2%


industry: 14.5%


services: 52.3% (2007 est.)
agriculture: 0.7%


industry: 59.8%


services: 39.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.5% (2007 est.) 11.7% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 9 30 N, 2 15 E 11 00 N, 61 00 W
Geography - note sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt
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 transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis
Imports 16,830 bbl/day (2007 est.) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals
Imports - partners China 46.6%, France 7.5%, Thailand 6% (2006) US 30.6%, Brazil 12%, Venezuela 6.8%, Gabon 4.8%, Colombia 4.6% (2006)
Independence 1 August 1960 (from France) 31 August 1962 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 4.5% (2007 est.) 17% (2006 est.)
Industries textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton 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: 24.33 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.15 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 22.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.5% (2007 est.) 8.3% (2006 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 ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land 120 sq km (2003) 40 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Caribbean Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London
Labor force 5.38 million (2007 est.) 625,000 (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1% (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: 14.62%


permanent crops: 9.16%


other: 76.22% (2005)
Languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Legal system based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; 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 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
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, nine by the President, six by the opposition party to serve a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Representatives - last held on 5 November 2007 (next to be held in 2012)


election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 46%, UNC 29.7%; seats by party - PNM 26, UNC 15


note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held in January 2005; seats by party - PNM 11, DAC 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 53.44 years


male: 52.28 years


female: 54.63 years (2007 est.)
total population: 66.85 years


male: 65.87 years


female: 67.87 years (2007 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: 98.6%


male: 99.1%


female: 98% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm measured from claimed archipelagic baselines


territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine - total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 27,599 GRT/8,081 DWT


by type: passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2


foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)


registered in other countries: 1 (Bahamas 1, unknown 1) (2007)
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) Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard (includes air wing) (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.7% (2006) 0.3% (2006)
National holiday National Day, 1 August (1960) Independence Day, 31 August (1962)
Nationality noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)


adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms
Natural resources small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber petroleum, natural gas, asphalt
Net migration rate 0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -11.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - condensate 253 km; gas 1,278 km; oil 571 km (2006)
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
Congress of the People [Winston DOOKERAN]; Democratic Action Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in Tobago); Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Gerald YETMING] (coalition of NAR, DDPT, MND); Movement for National Development or MND [Garvin NICHOLAS]; National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Dr. Carson CHARLES]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]
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.)
1,056,608 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 37.4% (2007 est.) 21% (1992 est.)
Population growth rate 2.674% (2007 est.) -0.883% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 34, shortwave 1 (2007) AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2001)
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 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census)
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: 1.058 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.109 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.809 male(s)/female


total population: 1.068 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 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 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: excellent international service; good local service


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana
Telephones - main lines in use 77,300 (2006) 325,500 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1.056 million (2006) 1.655 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 6 (2007) 6 (2005)
Terrain mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate 5.08 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.74 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 7% (2006 est.)
Waterways 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005) -
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