Compare Guyana (2005) - Benin (2007)

Compare Guyana (2005) z Benin (2007)

	Guyana (2005)	Benin (2007)

Administrative divisions	10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo	12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure	0-14 years: 26.4% (male 103,054/female 99,279) 15-64 years: 68.5% (male 263,953/female 260,000) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 16,801/female 22,196) (2005 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, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish, shrimp	cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock
Airports	49 (2004 est.)	5 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 41 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 32 (2004 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: 214,970 sq km land: 196,850 sq km water: 18,120 sq km	total: 112,620 sq km land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Idaho	slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background	Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, but until the early 1990s it was ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president, in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. Upon his death five years later, he was succeeded by his wife Janet, who resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001.	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.
Birth rate	18.45 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	38.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $287.6 million expenditures: $371.6 million, including capital expenditures of $93.4 million (2004 est.)	revenues: $786 million expenditures: $1.024 billion (2006 est.)
Capital	Georgetown	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; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to mid-August, mid-November to mid-January)	tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline	459 km	121 km
Constitution	6 October 1980	adopted by referendum 2 December 1990
Country name	conventional long form: Co-operative Republic of Guyana conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana	conventional long form: Republic of Benin conventional short form: Benin local long form: Republique du Benin local short form: Benin former: Dahomey
Death rate	8.32 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	11.94 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$1.2 billion (2002)	$1.6 billion (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Roland BULLEN embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909 FAX: [592] 225-8497	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] 21-30-06-70
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297 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	all of the area west of the Essequibo (river) is claimed by Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks UNCLOS arbitration to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters	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	$84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997)	$349.1 million (2005)
Economy - overview	The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02, based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of international organizations. Growth then slowed in 2003 and came back gradually in 2004, buoyed largely by increased export earnings. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public investment. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization.	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 six 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 in spite of government reluctance. 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. Benin continues to be hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing list of products from Benin and elsewhere, which has resulted in increased smuggling and criminality in the border region.
Electricity - consumption	751.4 million kWh (2002)	587 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	595 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	808 million kWh (2002)	105 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues	water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation	inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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
Ethnic groups	East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and mixed 7%	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	Guyanese dollars per US dollar - 198.33 (2004), 193.88 (2003), 190.67 (2002), 187.32 (2001), 182.43 (2000)	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since December 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature elections: president elected by the majority party in the National Assembly following legislative elections, which must be held at least every five years; elections last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held by March 2006); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of legislative vote - NA%	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	NA	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber	cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood
Exports - partners	Canada 23.2%, US 19.2%, UK 10.9%, Portugal 9%, Belgium 6.4%, Jamaica 5.2% (2004)	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	green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green	two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 38.3% industry: 19.9% services: 41.8% (2004 est.)	agriculture: 32.8% industry: 13.7% services: 53.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $3,800 (2004 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	1.9% (2004 est.)	4% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates	5 00 N, 59 00 W	9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note	the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively	sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
Highways	total: 7,970 km paved: 590 km unpaved: 7,380 km (1999 est.)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% (2003)
Illicit drugs	transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis	transshipment point used by Nigerian traffickers for narcotics destined for Western Europe; vulnerable to money laundering due to poorly enforced financial regulations
Imports	NA	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food	foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners	Trinidad and Tobago 24.8%, US 24.5%, Cuba 6.8%, UK 5.4% (2004)	China 46.6%, France 7.5%, Thailand 6% (2006)
Independence	26 May 1966 (from UK)	1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	7.1% (1997 est.)	8.3% (2001 est.)
Industries	bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining	textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement
Infant mortality rate	total: 33.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 36.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 29.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 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)	4.5% (2004 est.)	3.8% (2006 est.)
International organization participation	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO	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, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land	1,500 sq km (1998 est.)	120 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court of Judicature; Judicial Court of Appeal; High Court	Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force	418,000 (2001 est.)	3.211 million (1996)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%	-
Land boundaries	total: 2,462 km border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km	total: 1,989 km border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
Land use	arable land: 2.44% permanent crops: 0.15% other: 97.41% (2001)	arable land: 23.53% permanent crops: 2.37% other: 74.1% (2005)
Languages	English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu	French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system	based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch 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 (68 seats, 65 elected by popular vote, 1 elected Speaker of the National Assembly, and 2 nonvoting members appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPP/C 34, PNC 27, GAP and WPA 2, ROAR 1, TUF 1	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: 65.5 years male: 62.86 years female: 68.28 years (2005 est.)	total population: 53.44 years male: 52.28 years female: 54.63 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98.8% male: 99.1% female: 98.5% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 34.7% male: 47.9% female: 23.3% (2002 census)
Location	Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Suriname and Venezuela	Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references	South America	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin	territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,475 GRT/8,758 DWT by type: cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1 registered in other countries: 3 (2005)	-
Military branches	Guyana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Corps, Guyana People's Militia	Benin Armed Forces: Ground Forces Command, Benin Navy, Benin People's Air Force (Force Aerienne Populaire de Benin, FAPB) (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$6.5 million (2003)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	0.9% (2004)	1.7% (2006)
National holiday	Republic Day, 23 February (1970)	National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality	noun: Guyanese (singular and plural) adjective: Guyanese	noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards	flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons	hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources	bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish	small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate	-7.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Alliance for Guyana or AFG (includes Guyana Labor Party or GLP and Working People's Alliance or WPA) [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Guyana Labor Party or GLP [leader NA]; People's National Congress or PNC [Robert Herman Orlando CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]	Alliance for Dynamic Democracy or ADD [Nicephore SOGLO]; Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Force Cowrie for an Emerging Benin or FCBE; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD; Key Force or FC; Movement for Development and Solidarity or MDS; Movement for Development by the Culture-Salute Party-Congress of People for Progress Alliance or Alliance MDC-PS-CPP; New Alliance or NA; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP; 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	Civil Liberties Action Committee or CLAC; Guyana Council of Indian Organizations or GCIO; Trades Union Congress or TUC note: the GCIO and the CLAC are small and active but not well organized	NA
Population	765,283 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 2005 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	NA	33% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate	0.26% (2005 est.)	2.674% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors	Georgetown	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Railways	total: 187 km standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.)	total: 758 km narrow gauge: 758 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Religions	Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5%	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: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 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	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: fair system for long-distance service domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; 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 density of roughly 10 per 100 persons 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	80,400 (2002)	76,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	87,300 (2002)	750,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations	3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)	1 (2001)
Terrain	mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south	mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate	2.05 children born/woman (2005 est.)	5.08 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	9.1% (understated) (2000)	NA%
Waterways	1,077 km note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2004)	150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.