Compare French Southern and Antarctic Lands (2002) - Benin (2002)

Compare French Southern and Antarctic Lands (2002) z Benin (2002)

	French Southern and Antarctic Lands (2002)	Benin (2002)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 districts named Ile Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, and Iles Saint-Paul et Amsterdam; excludes "Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US	12 provinces; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Couffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 47.2% (male 1,616,138; female 1,585,463) 15-64 years: 50.5% (male 1,665,439; female 1,764,966) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 65,877; female 89,742) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)
Airports	none (2001)	5 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	-	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: 7,829 sq km land: 7,829 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet and Iles Kerguelen; excludes "Adelie Land" claim of about 500,000 sq km in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US	total: 112,620 sq km land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly less than 1.3 times the size of Delaware	slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background	The Southern Lands consist of two archipelagos, Iles Crozet and Iles Kerguelen, and two volcanic islands, Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul. They contain no permanent inhabitants and are visited only by researchers studying the native fauna. The Antarctic portion consists of "Adelie Land," a thin slice of the Antarctic continent discovered and claimed by the French in 1840.	Dahomey gained its independence from France in 1960; the name was changed to Benin in 1975. From 1974 to 1989 the country was a socialist state; free elections were reestablished in 1991.
Birth rate	-	43.66 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $377.4 million expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
Capital	-	Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government
Climate	antarctic	tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline	1,232 km	121 km
Constitution	-	December 1990
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands conventional short form: French Southern and Antarctic Lands local long form: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises local short form: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises	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	-	14.52 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	-	$1.18 billion (2000)
Dependency status	overseas territory of France since 1955; administered from Paris by Administrateur Superieur Francois GARDE (since 24 May 2000), assisted by Secretary General Jean-Yves HERMOSO (since NA)	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of France)	chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela E. BRIDGEWATER 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 (overseas territory of France)	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	"Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica is not recognized by the US	Benin and Niger have refered to the ICJ the dispute over l'Ete and 14 smaller disputed islands in the Niger River, which has never been delimited; with Nigeria, several villages are in dispute along the Okpara River and only 35 km of the 436 km boundary are demarcated; the Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint remains undemarcated; Benin accuses Togo of moving boundary markers and stationing troops in its territory; two villages are in dispute with Burkina Faso
Economic aid - recipient	-	$342.6 million (2000)
Economy - overview	Economic activity is limited to servicing meteorological and geophysical research stations and French and other fishing fleets. The fish catches landed on Iles Kerguelen by foreign ships are exported to France and Reunion.	The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output averaged a stable 5% in the past five years, but rapid population rise 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.
Electricity - consumption	-	523.2 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	-	300 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	-	240 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 17% hydro: 83% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Ross on Iles Kerguelen 1,850 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues	NA	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	-	African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Exchange rates	-	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro
Executive branch	-	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	-	$35.3 million f.o.b. (2000)
Exports - commodities	-	cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners	-	Brazil, France, Indonesia, Thailand, Morocco, Portugal, Cote d'Ivoire (2001)
Fiscal year	-	calendar year
Flag description	the flag of France is used	two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $6.8 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 36% industry: 14% services: 50% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $1,040 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	5.4% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	43 00 S, 67 00 E	9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note	islands component is widely scattered across remote locations in the southern Indian Ocean	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 (1997 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	-	$437.6 million c.i.f. (2000)
Imports - commodities	-	foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners	-	France, US, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Netherlands, Japan (2001)
Independence	-	1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	-	8.3% (2001 est.)
Industries	-	textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001)
Infant mortality rate	-	88.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	3% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	-	ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	4 (2002)
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	120 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	-	Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force	-	NA
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% (1998 est.)	arable land: 15.28% permanent crops: 1.36% other: 83.36% (1998 est.)
Languages	-	French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system	the laws of France, where applicable, apply	based on French civil law and customary law; 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 30 March 1999 (next to be held 30 March 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RB 27, PRD 11, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 9, MADEP 6, Alliance E'toile 4, IPD 4, other 12
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 49.69 years male: 48.81 years female: 50.61 years (2002 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 37.5% male: 52.2% female: 23.6% (2000)
Location	south of Africa, islands in the southern Indian Ocean, about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia; note - French Southern and Antarctic Lands include Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, and Iles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean, along with the French-claimed sector of Antarctica, "Adelie Land"; the US does not recognize the French claim to "Adelie Land"	Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references	Antarctic Region	Africa
Maritime claims	exclusive economic zone: 200 NM from Iles Kerguelen only territorial sea: 12 NM	territorial sea: 200 NM
Merchant marine	total: 71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,815,472 GRT/4,806,161 DWT ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 5, chemical tanker 13, container 11, liquefied gas 7, petroleum tanker 19, roll on/roll off 11 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 2, France 62, Japan 3, Monaco 1, Norway 5, Sweden 1 (2002 est.)	none (2002 est.)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of France	-
Military branches	-	Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$27 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	1.2% (FY96)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 1,509,760 females age 15-49: 1,536,036 note: both sexes are liable for military service (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 771,373 females age 15-49: 778,730 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 71,278 females: 70,088 (2002 est.)
National holiday	-	National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality	-	noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards	Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes	hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources	fish, crayfish	small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate	-	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Front for Renewal and Development or FARD-ALAFIA [Saka SALEY]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD [Bertin BORNA]; Movement for Citizens' Commitment and Awakening or MERCI [Severin ADJOVI]; Renaissance Party du Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA] note: approximately 20 additional minor parties; the Coalition of Democratic Forces, [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI], an alliance of parties and organizations supporting President KEREKOU
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	no indigenous inhabitants (July 2002 est.) note: in 2002, there were 145 researchers whose numbers vary from winter (July) to summer (January)	6,787,625 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 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	37% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate	-	2.91% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	none; offshore anchorage only	Cotonou, Porto-Novo
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Radios	-	660,000 (2000)
Railways	-	total: 578 km narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2000 est.)
Religions	-	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: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	-	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	-	51,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	55,500 (2000)
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (2001)
Terrain	volcanic	mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate	-	6.14 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	NA%
Waterways	none	streams navigable along small sections, important only locally

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