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Compare Bhutan (2001) - Benin (2004)

Compare Bhutan (2001) z Benin (2004)

 Bhutan (2001)Benin (2004)
 BhutanBenin
Administrative divisions 18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Daga, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang

note:
there may be two new districts named Gasa and Yangtse
12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure 0-14 years:
39.99% (male 424,832; female 394,725)

15-64 years:
56.05% (male 591,152; female 557,498)

65 years and over:
3.96% (male 41,125; female 40,080) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 46.8% (male 1,711,075; female 1,679,439)


15-64 years: 51% (male 1,802,990; female 1,890,915)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 68,890; female 96,724) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products, eggs cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)
Airports 2 (2000 est.) 5 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Area total:
47,000 sq km

land:
47,000 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative about half the size of Indiana slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background Under British influence a monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later a treaty was signed whereby the country became a British protectorate. Independence was attained in 1949, with India subsequently guiding foreign relations and supplying aid. A refugee issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of these displaced persons are housed in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps. Maoist Assamese separatists from India, who have established themselves in the southeast portion of Bhutan, have drawn Indian cross-border incursions. 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.
Birth rate 35.73 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 42.57 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues:
$146 million

expenditures:
$152 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96 est.)

note:
the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of Bhutan's budget expenditures
revenues: $698.9 million


expenditures: $613.2 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)
Capital Thimphu Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government
Climate varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 121 km
Constitution no written constitution or bill of rights; note - Bhutan uses 1953 Royal decree for the Constitution of the National Assembly; on 7 July 1998, a Royal edict was ratified giving the National Assembly additional powers December 1990
Country name conventional long form:
Kingdom of Bhutan

conventional short form:
Bhutan
conventional long form: Republic of Benin


conventional short form: Benin


local long form: Republique du Benin


local short form: Benin


former: Dahomey
Currency ngultrum (BTN); Indian rupee (INR) Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Death rate 14.03 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 13.69 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $120 million (1998) $1.6 billion (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US and Bhutan have no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassy in New Delhi (India) 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
Diplomatic representation in the US none; note - Bhutan has a Permanent Mission to the UN; address: 2 United Nations Plaza, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone [1] (212) 826-1919; the Bhutanese mission to the UN has consular jurisdiction in the US

consulate(s) general:
New York
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
Disputes - international refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of approximately 98,700 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps two villages remain in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso; accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and ICJ ad hoc judges have been selected to rule on disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; several villages along the Okpara River are in dispute with Nigeria; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones
Economic aid - recipient $73.8 million (1995) $342.6 million (2000)
Economy - overview The economy, one of the world's smallest and least developed, is based on agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for more than 90% of the population. Agriculture consists largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned with India's through strong trade and monetary links. The industrial sector is technologically backward, with most production of the cottage industry type. Most development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Bhutan's hydropower potential and its attraction for tourists are key resources. The Bhutanese Government has made some progress in expanding the nation's productive base and improving social welfare. Model education, social, and environment programs in Bhutan are underway with support from multilateral development organizations. Each economic program takes into account the government's desire to protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. Detailed controls and uncertain policies in areas like industrial licensing, trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment. The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged a stable 5% in the past six years, but rapid population rise 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. The 2001 privatization policy should continue in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of initial government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, while pressing for speeded-up structural reforms.
Electricity - consumption 191.1 million kWh (1999) 631.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 1.55 billion kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 15 million kWh (1999) 376 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 1.856 billion kWh (1999) 274.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
0.05%

hydro:
99.95%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Drangme Chhu 97 m

highest point:
Kula Kangri 7,553 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues soil erosion; limited access to potable water inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban

signed, but not ratified:
Law of the Sea
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
Ethnic groups Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35%, indigenous or migrant tribes 15% African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Exchange rates ngultrum per US dollar - 46.540 (January 2001), 44.942 (2000), 43.055 (1999), 41.259 (1998), 36.313 (1997), 35.433 (1996); note - the Bhutanese ngultrum is at par with the Indian rupee which is also legal tender Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999)
Executive branch chief of state:
King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972)

head of government:
Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sangay NGEDUP (since NA 1999)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog) nominated by the monarch, approved by the National Assembly; members serve fixed, five-year terms; note - there is also a Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde), members nominated by the monarch

elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary, but democratic reforms in July 1998 give the National Assembly authority to remove the monarch with two-thirds vote
chief of state: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; runoff election held 22 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2006)


election results: Mathieu KEREKOU reelected president; percent of vote - Mathieu KEREKOU 84.1%, Bruno AMOUSSOU 15.9%


note: the four top-ranking contenders following the first-round presidential elections were: Mathieu KEREKOU (incumbent) 45.4%, Nicephore SOGOLO (former president) 27.1%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI (National Assembly Speaker) 12.6%, and Bruno AMOUSSOU (Minister of State) 8.6%; the second-round balloting, originally scheduled for 18 March 2001, was postponed four days because both SOGOLO and HOUNGBEDJI withdrew alleging electoral fraud; this left KEREKOU to run against his own Minister of State, AMOUSSOU, in what was termed a "friendly match"
Exports $154 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, electricity (to India), precious stones, spices cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners India 94%, Bangladesh China 21.1%, India 18%, Thailand 6.8%, Ghana 5.8%, Niger 4.4%, Indonesia 4.1% (2003)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June calendar year
Flag description divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP purchasing power parity - $2.3 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $7.742 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
38%

industry:
37%

services:
25% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 36.4%


industry: 14.5%


services: 49.1% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2000 est.) 5.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 27 30 N, 90 30 E 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
Highways total:
3,285 km

paved:
1,994 km

unpaved:
1,291 km (1996)
total: 6,787 km


paved: 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways)


unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
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
Imports $269 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics, rice foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners India 77%, Japan, UK, Germany, US China 29.5%, France 14.9%, UK 4.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.7%, Thailand 4.6% (2003)
Independence 8 August 1949 (from India) 1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 9.3% (1996 est.) 8.3% (2001 est.)
Industries cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001)
Infant mortality rate 108.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 85.88 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 90.89 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 80.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7% (2000 est.) 1.5% (2003 est.)
International organization participation AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO (observer) 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, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) NA -
Irrigated land 340 sq km (1993 est.) 120 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges appointed by the monarch) Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force NA

note:
massive lack of skilled labor
NA (1996)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry and commerce 2% -
Land boundaries total:
1,075 km

border countries:
China 470 km, India 605 km
total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
Land use arable land:
2%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
6%

forests and woodland:
66%

other:
26% (1993 est.)
arable land: 18.08%


permanent crops: 2.4%


other: 79.52% (2001)
Languages Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150 seats; 105 elected from village constituencies, 10 represent religious bodies, and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent government and other secular interests; members serve three-year terms)

elections:
last held NA (next to be held NA)

election results:
NA
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 NA March 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Presidential Movement 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31
Life expectancy at birth total population:
52.79 years

male:
53.16 years

female:
52.41 years (2001 est.)
total population: 50.81 years


male: 50.25 years


female: 51.39 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
42.2%

male:
56.2%

female:
28.1% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 40.9%


male: 56.2%


female: 26.5% (2000)
Location Southern Asia, between China and India Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references Asia Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine - none
Military branches Royal Bhutan Army, National Militia, Royal Bhutan Police, Royal Body Guards, Forest Guards (paramilitary) Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA $98.3 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 2.7% (2003)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
504,342 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 1,638,010


females age 15-49: 1,647,850 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
269,251 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 835,561


females age 15-49: 835,633 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
21,167 (2001 est.)
males: 77,552


females: 81,841 (2004 est.)
National holiday National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907) National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality noun:
Bhutanese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Bhutanese
noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards violent storms coming down from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders no legal parties African Congress for Renewal or DUNYA [Saka SALEY]; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Coalition of Democratic Forces [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Front for Renewal and Development or FARD-ALAFIA [Jerome Sakia KINA]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD [Bertin BORNA]; Key Force or FC [leader NA]; Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, IDP, and 4 other small parties); Renaissance Party du Benin or PRB [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
Political pressure groups and leaders Buddhist clergy; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign; Indian merchant community; United Front for Democracy (exiled) NA
Population 2,049,412 (July 2001 est.)

note:
other estimates range as low as 800,000
7,250,033


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 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 37% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 2.17% (2001 est.) 2.89% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors none Cotonou, Porto-Novo
Radio broadcast stations AM 0, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Radios 37,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Religions Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25% indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.08 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage each family has one vote in village-level elections 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
NA

domestic:
domestic telephone service is very poor with few telephones in use

international:
international telephone and telegraph service is by landline through India; a satellite earth station was planned (1990)
general assessment: NA


domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections


international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Telephones - main lines in use 6,000 (1997) 66,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 236,200 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 0 (1997) 1 (2001)
Terrain mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate 5.07 children born/woman (2001 est.) 5.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% NA
Waterways none 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004)
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