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Compare Dominican Republic (2001) - Benin (2008)

Compare Dominican Republic (2001) z Benin (2008)

 Dominican Republic (2001)Benin (2008)
 Dominican RepublicBenin
Administrative divisions 29 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure 0-14 years:
34.11% (male 1,495,477; female 1,431,406)

15-64 years:
60.99% (male 2,664,679; female 2,569,398)

65 years and over:
4.9% (male 199,240; female 221,277) (2001 est.)
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.)
Agriculture - products sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock
Airports 29 (2000 est.) 5 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total:
13

over 3,047 m:
3

2,438 to 3,047 m:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
4

914 to 1,523 m:
3

under 914 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
16

1,524 to 2,437 m:
2

914 to 1,523 m:
4

under 914 m:
10 (2000 est.)
total: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)
Area total:
48,730 sq km

land:
48,380 sq km

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


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of the 20th century was brought to an end in 1996 when free and open elections ushered in a new government. 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.
Birth rate 24.77 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 38.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues:
$2.3 billion

expenditures:
$2.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $867 million (1999 est.)
revenues: $936.9 million


expenditures: $1.226 billion (2007 est.)
Capital Santo Domingo 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)
Climate tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline 1,288 km 121 km
Constitution 28 November 1966 adopted by referendum 2 December 1990
Country name conventional long form:
Dominican Republic

conventional short form:
none

local long form:
Republica Dominicana

local short form:
none
conventional long form: Republic of Benin


conventional short form: Benin


local long form: Republique du Benin


local short form: Benin


former: Dahomey
Currency Dominican peso (DOP) -
Death rate 4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 11.94 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $4.7 billion (2000 est.) $1.2 billion (2007)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Charles T. MANATT

embassy:
corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo

mailing address:
Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500

telephone:
[1] (809) 221-2171

FAX:
[1] (809) 686-7437
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
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Roberto Bienvenido SALADIN-SELIN

chancery:
1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 332-6280

FAX:
[1] (202) 265-8057

consulate(s) general:
Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

consulate(s):
Houston, Jacksonville, Mobile, and Ponce (Puerto Rico)
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 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
Economic aid - recipient $239.6 million (1995) $374.7 million (2006)
Economy - overview The Dominican economy experienced dramatic growth over the last decade, even though the economy was hit hard by Hurricane Georges in 1998. Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer, due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest ten percent enjoy 40% of national income. In December 2000, the new MEJIA administration passed broad new tax legislation which it hopes will provide enough revenue to offset rising oil prices and to service foreign debt. 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.
Electricity - consumption 6.78 billion kWh (1999) 587 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 595 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 7.29 billion kWh (1999) 105 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
87.19%

hydro:
12.4%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0.41% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Lago Enriquillo -46 m

highest point:
Pico Duarte 3,175 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation; Hurricane Georges damage inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

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, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups white 16%, black 11%, mixed 73% 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)
Exchange rates Dominican pesos per US dollar - 16.888 (January 2001), 16.415 (2000), 16.033 (1999), 15.267 (1998), 14.265 (1997), 13.775 (1996) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state:
President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16 August 2000); Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16 August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (since 16 August 2000); Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16 August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Cabinet nominated by the president

elections:
president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year term; election last held 16 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2004)

election results:
Raphael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez elected president; percent of vote - Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 49.87%, Danilo MEDINA (PLD) 24.95%, Joaquin BALAGUER (PRSC) 24.6%
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%
Exports $5.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000) 0 bbl/day (2007)
Exports - commodities ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood
Exports - partners US 66.1%, Netherlands 7.8%, Canada 7.6%, Russia 7.4%, UK 4.5% (1999 est.) China 20.9%, Indonesia 7.7%, India 7%, Netherlands 6.2%, Niger 5.7%, Togo 4.6%, Nigeria 4.3% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms is at the center of the cross two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP purchasing power parity - $48.3 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
11.3%

industry:
32.2%

services:
56.5% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 33.2%


industry: 14.5%


services: 52.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,700 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 8% (2000 est.) 4.5% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 19 00 N, 70 40 W 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti) sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
Highways total:
12,600 km

paved:
6,224 km

unpaved:
6,376 km (1996)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
1.6%

highest 10%:
39.6% (1989)
lowest 10%: 3.1%


highest 10%: 29% (2003)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada transshipment point used by Nigerian traffickers for narcotics destined for Western Europe; vulnerable to money laundering due to poorly enforced financial regulations
Imports $9.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) 16,830 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners US 25.7%, Venezuela 9.2%, Mexico 4%, Japan 3%, Panama 2.6% (1999 est.) China 46.6%, France 7.5%, Thailand 6% (2006)
Independence 27 February 1844 (from Haiti) 1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 8% (2000 est.) 4.5% (2007 est.)
Industries tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement
Infant mortality rate 34.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7.9% (2000 est.) 2.5% (2007 est.)
International organization participation ACP, Caricom (observer), ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO 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
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 24 (2000) -
Irrigated land 2,300 sq km (1993 est.) 120 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are elected by a Council made up of members of the legislative and executive branches with the president presiding) Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force 2.3 million - 2.6 million 5.38 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation services and government 58.7%, industry 24.3%, agriculture 17% (1998 est.) -
Land boundaries total:
275 km

border countries:
Haiti 275 km
total: 1,989 km


border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
Land use arable land:
21%

permanent crops:
9%

permanent pastures:
43%

forests and woodland:
12%

other:
15% (1993 est.)
arable land: 23.53%


permanent crops: 2.37%


other: 74.1% (2005)
Languages Spanish French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system based on French civil codes based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (149 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
Senate - last held 16 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2002); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2002)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 24, PLD 3, PRSC 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 83, PLD 49, PRSC 17
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
Life expectancy at birth total population:
73.44 years

male:
71.34 years

female:
75.64 years (2001 est.)
total population: 53.44 years


male: 52.28 years


female: 54.63 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
82.1%

male:
82%

female:
82.2% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 34.7%


male: 47.9%


female: 23.3% (2002 census)
Location Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
6 NM
territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 1 (2000 est.)
-
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police 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 - dollar figure $180 million (FY98) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.1% (FY98) 1.7% (2006)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
2,281,035 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
1,430,776 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
87,404 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 27 February (1844) National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality noun:
Dominican(s)

adjective:
Dominican
noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources nickel, bauxite, gold, silver small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate -3.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 96 km; petroleum products 8 km -
Political parties and leaders Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Hatuey DE CAMPS]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Joaquin BALAGUER Ricardo] 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
Political pressure groups and leaders Collective of Popular Organizations or COP NA
Population 8,581,477 (July 2001 est.) 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.)
Population below poverty line 25% (1999 est.) 37.4% (2007 est.)
Population growth rate 1.63% (2001 est.) 2.674% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Barahona, La Romana, Puerto Plata, San Pedro de Macoris, Santo Domingo -
Radio broadcast stations AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 1, FM 34, shortwave 1 (2007)
Radios 1.44 million (1997) -
Railways total:
757 km

standard gauge:
375 km 1.435-m gauge (Central Romana Railroad)

narrow gauge:
142 km 0.762-m gauge (Dominican Republic Government Railway)

note:
240 km operated by sugar companies in various gauges (0.558-m, 0.762-m, 1.067-m gauges) (2000)
total: 758 km


narrow gauge: 758 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Religions Roman Catholic 95% 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)
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
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.)
Suffrage 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age

note:
members of the armed forces and police cannot vote
18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
NA

domestic:
relatively efficient system based on islandwide microwave radio relay network

international:
1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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)
Telephones - main lines in use 709,000 (1997) 77,300 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 130,149 (1997) 1.056 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 25 (1997) 6 (2007)
Terrain rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate 2.97 children born/woman (2001 est.) 5.08 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 13.8% (1999 est.) NA%
Waterways none 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)
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