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Compare Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) - Benin (2003)

Compare Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006) z Benin (2003)

 Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2006)Benin (2003)
 Cocos (Keeling) IslandsBenin
Administrative divisions none (territory of Australia) 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure 0-14 years: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 47% (male 1,668,817; female 1,638,291)


15-64 years: 50.7% (male 1,739,517; female 1,834,231)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 67,504; female 93,130) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)
Airports 1 (2006) 5 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
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 (2002)
Area total: 14 sq km


land: 14 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island
total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. Annexed by the UK in 1857, they were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island. 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 NA 43.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
revenues: $377.4 million


expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
Capital name: West Island


geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 55 E


time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government
Climate tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline 26 km 121 km
Constitution Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 December 1990
Country name conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands


conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands
conventional long form: Republic of Benin


conventional short form: Benin


local long form: Republique du Benin


local short form: Benin


former: Dahomey
Currency - Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 13.65 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external - $1.6 billion (2000)
Dependency status non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (territory of Australia) 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 (territory of Australia) 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 none two villages are in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, but states accept 2001 arbitration over disputed Niger River islands; several villages along the Okpara River are in dispute with Nigeria; in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved the boundary stones - joint commission presently resurveying the boundary
Economic aid - recipient $NA $342.6 million (2000)
Economy - overview Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. There is a small tourist industry. 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 - 631.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports - 376 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production - 274.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 14.2%


hydro: 85.8%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location 5 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Europeans, Cocos Malays African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Exchange rates Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general


head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006)


cabinet: NA


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia
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 $NA NA (2001)
Exports - commodities copra cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners Australia (2004) India 25%, Italy 11.1%, Indonesia 7.4%, China 7.2%, Thailand 6.7%, Brazil 6.1%, UK 4.4%, Niger 4% (2002)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June calendar year
Flag description the flag of Australia is used two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP - purchasing power parity - $7.38 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture: 38%


industry: 15%


services: 47% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - 6% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 12 30 S, 96 50 E 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
Highways - 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%
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 $NA NA (2001)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners Australia (2004) China 30.7%, France 15.7%, UK 4.8%, Italy 4.2% (2002)
Independence none (territory of Australia) 1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate - 8.3% (2001 est.)
Industries copra products and tourism textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001)
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 86.76 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 91.79 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 81.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 3.3% (2002 est.)
International organization participation none ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 4 (2002)
Irrigated land NA 120 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force NA NA
Labor force - by occupation note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others -
Land boundaries 0 km total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
Land use arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (2005)
arable land: 15.28%


permanent crops: 1.36%


other: 83.36% (1998 est.)
Languages Malay (Cocos dialect), English French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system based upon the laws of Australia and local laws based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (7 seats)


elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007)
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: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total population: 51.08 years


male: 50.35 years


female: 51.84 years (2003 est.)
Literacy NA definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 40.9%


male: 56.2%


female: 26.5% (2000)
Location Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references Southeast Asia Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 200 NM
Merchant marine - none (2002 est.)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force -
Military branches - Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $80.8 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2.7% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability - note: both sexes are liable for military service


males age 15-49: 1,597,562


females age 15-49: 1,536,036 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 805,603


females age 15-49: 809,961 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 75,021


females: 78,998 (2003 est.)
National holiday Australia Day, 26 January (1788) National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality noun: Cocos Islander(s)


adjective: Cocos Islander
noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards cyclone season is October to April hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources fish small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate NA 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Political parties and leaders none 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 none NA
Population 574 (July 2006 est.) 7,041,490


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 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line - 37% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 0% (2006 est.) 2.95% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors - Cotonou, Porto-Novo
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004) AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Railways - total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Religions Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.) indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Sex ratio - 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: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage NA 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: connected within Australia's telecommunication system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 INTELSAT satellite earth station
general assessment: NA


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


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); submarine cable
Telephones - main lines in use 287 (1992) 51,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular note - analog cellular service available 55,500 (2000)
Television broadcast stations NA 1;; (2001)
Terrain flat, low-lying coral atolls mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate NA 6.04 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 60% (2000 est.) NA%
Waterways - streams navigable along small sections, important only locally
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