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Compare Haiti (2001) - Benin (2006)

Compare Haiti (2001) z Benin (2006)

 Haiti (2001)Benin (2006)
 HaitiBenin
Administrative divisions 9 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure 0-14 years:
40.31% (male 1,421,945; female 1,385,580)

15-64 years:
55.52% (male 1,869,323; female 1,997,246)

65 years and over:
4.17% (male 140,556; female 149,899) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 44.1% (male 1,751,709/female 1,719,138)


15-64 years: 53.5% (male 2,067,248/female 2,138,957)


65 years and over: 2.4% (male 75,694/female 110,198) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts; livestock
Airports 13 (2000 est.) 5 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total:
3

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
2 (2000 est.)
total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
10

914 to 1,523 m:
2

under 914 m:
8 (2000 est.)
total: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)
Area total:
27,750 sq km

land:
27,560 sq km

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


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background One of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. Over three decades of dictatorship followed by military rule ended in 1990 when Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE was elected president. Most of his term was usurped by a military takeover, but he was able to return to office in 1994 and oversee the installation of a close associate to the presidency in 1996. ARISTIDE won a second term as president in 2000, and took office early the following year. 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 31.68 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 38.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues:
$317 million

expenditures:
$362 million, including capital expenditures of $84 million (FY99/00 est.)
revenues: $766.8 million


expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital Port-au-Prince 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; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline 1,771 km 121 km
Constitution approved March 1987; suspended June 1988, with most articles reinstated March 1989; in October 1991, government claimed to be observing the constitution; return to constitutional rule, October 1994 December 1990
Country name conventional long form:
Republic of Haiti

conventional short form:
Haiti

local long form:
Republique d'Haiti

local short form:
Haiti
conventional long form: Republic of Benin


conventional short form: Benin


local long form: Republique du Benin


local short form: Benin


former: Dahomey
Currency gourde (HTG) -
Death rate 15 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 12.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $1 billion (1998 est.) $1.6 billion (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Brian Dean CURRAN

embassy:
5 Harry Truman Boulevard, Port-au-Prince

mailing address:
P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince

telephone:
[509] 222-0354, 222-0269, 222-0200, 223-4776

FAX:
[509] 23-1641
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 chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Louis Harold JOSEPH

chancery:
2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 332-4090

FAX:
[1] (202) 745-7215

consulate(s) general:
Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan (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 claims US-administered Navassa Island Benin and Burkina Faso military clash in 2006 over sections of riverine boundary involving disputed villages and squatters; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin as a consequence of a 2004 joint task force to resolve maritime and land boundary disputes, but clashes among rival gangs along the border persist; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones
Economic aid - recipient $730.6 million (1995) $342.6 million (2000)
Economy - overview About 80% of the population lives in abject poverty. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs about two-thirds of the economically active work force. The country has experienced little job creation since the former President PREVAL took office in February 1996, although the informal economy is growing. Following legislative elections in May 2000, fraught with irregularities, international donors - including the US and EU - suspended almost all aid to Haiti. This destabilized the Haitian currency, the gourde, and, combined with a 40% fuel price hike in September, caused widespread price increases. Prices appear to have leveled off in January 2001. 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. Many of these proposals are included in Benin's application to receive Millennium Challenge Account funding - for which it was a finalist in 2004-05. 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 625 million kWh (1999) 538.2 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 474 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 672 million kWh (1999) 69 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
52.83%

hydro:
47.17%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point:
Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:
Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban
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 black 95%, mulatto and white 5% African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Exchange rates gourdes per US dollar - 23.761 (January 2001), 22.524 (2000), 17.965 (1999), 16.505 (1998), 17.311 (1997), 15.093 (1996) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state:
President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February 2001)

head of government:
Prime Minister Jean-Marie CHERESTAL (since 9 February 2001)

cabinet:
Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the Congress

election results:
Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE elected president; percent of vote - Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 92%
chief of state: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); runoff election held 19 March 2006 (next to be held March 2011)


election results: YAYI Boni elected president; percent of vote - YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5%
Exports $186 million (f.o.b., 1999) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities manufactures, coffee, oils, mangoes cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners US 89%, EU 8% (1999) China 31.3%, Indonesia 8.1%, India 7.4%, Niger 6%, Togo 4.8%, Thailand 4.8%, Nigeria 4.6% (2005)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September calendar year
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength) two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP purchasing power parity - $12.7 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
32%

industry:
20%

services:
48% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 31.6%


industry: 13.8%


services: 54.6% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 1.2% (2000 est.) 3.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 19 00 N, 72 25 W 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic) sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
Highways total:
4,160 km

paved:
1,011 km

unpaved:
3,149 km (1996)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs major Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; vulnerable to money laundering 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 $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1999) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities food, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners US 60%, EU 13% (1999) France 21.8%, Ghana 7.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, China 6.7%, UK 5.2%, Belgium 4.9%, Togo 4.5%, Thailand 4.2%, Nigeria 4% (2005)
Independence 1 January 1804 (from France) 1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 0.6% (1997 est.) 8.3% (2001 est.)
Industries sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, tourism, light assembly industries based on imported parts textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement
Infant mortality rate 95.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 79.56 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 84.09 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 74.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 19% (2000 est.) 3.5% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, Caricom (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, 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, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 3 (2000) -
Irrigated land 750 sq km (1993 est.) 120 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force 3.6 million (1995)

note:
shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1998)
3.211 million
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9% -
Land boundaries total:
275 km

border countries:
Dominican Republic 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:
20%

permanent crops:
13%

permanent pastures:
18%

forests and woodland:
5%

other:
44% (1993 est.)
arable land: 23.53%


permanent crops: 2.37%


other: 74.1% (2005)
Languages French (official), Creole (official) French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (27 seats; members serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (83 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
Senate - last held for two-thirds of seats 21 May 2000, with runoffs on 9 July boycotted by the opposition; about eight seats still disputed; election for remaining one-third held on 26 November 2000 (next to be held NA 2002); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 May 2000, with runoffs on 30 July boycotted by the opposition; one vacant seat rerun 26 November 2000 (next election NA 2004)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FL 26, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FL 73, OPL 1, other minor parties and independents 9
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 March 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Presidential Movement (UBF, MADEP, FC, Alliance MDC-PC-CPP, IPD, AFP, MDS, RDP) 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31
Life expectancy at birth total population:
49.38 years

male:
47.67 years

female:
51.17 years (2001 est.)
total population: 53.04 years


male: 51.9 years


female: 54.22 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
45%

male:
48%

female:
42.2% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 33.6%


male: 46.4%


female: 22.6% (2002 est.)
Location Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic 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:
to depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine none (2000 est.) -
Military branches Haitian National Police (HNP)

note:
the regular Haitian Army, Navy, and Air Force have been demobilized but still exist on paper until constitutionally abolished
Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA; note - mainly for police and security activities $100.9 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 2.3% (2005 est.)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
1,635,253 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
888,305 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
87,049 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 1 January (1804) National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality noun:
Haitian(s)

adjective:
Haitian
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 and earthquakes; periodic droughts hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate -2.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders Alliance for the Liberation and Advancement of Haiti or ALAH [Reynold GEORGES]; Assembly of Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convergence (opposition coalition composed of ESPACE, OPL, and MOCHRENA) [Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES, Evans PAUL, Luc MESADIEU, Victor BENOIT]; Democratic Consultation Group coalition or ESPACE [Evans PAUL, Victor Benoit] composed of the following parties: National Congress of Democratic Movements or KONAKOM, National Progressive Revolutionary Party or PANPRA, Generation 2004, and Haiti Can; Haitian Christian Democratic Party or PDCH [Marie-France CLAUDE]; Haitian Democratic Party or PADEM [Clark PARENT]; Lavalas Family or FL [Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN [Hubert DE RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN [Rene THEODORE]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; Movement for the Organization of the Country or MOP [Gesner COMEAU and Jean MOLIERE]; National Front for Change and Democracy or FNCD [Evans PAUL and Turneb DELPE]; New Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Struggling People's Organization or OPL [Gerard PIERRE-CHARLES] Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; 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; Renaissance Party du Benin or RB [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 Autonomous Haitian Workers or CATH; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of Workers Trade Unions or FOS; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement or MPP; Popular Organizations Gathering Power or PROP; Roman Catholic Church NA
Population 6,964,549

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 2001 est.)
7,862,944


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 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 80% (1998 est.) 33% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 1.4% (2001 est.) 2.73% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Cap-Haitien, Gonaives, Jacmel, Jeremie, Les Cayes, Miragoane, Port-au-Prince, Port-de-Paix, Saint-Marc -
Radio broadcast stations AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999) AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Radios 415,000 (1997) -
Railways total:
40 km (single track; privately owned industrial line) - closed in early 1990s

narrow gauge:
40 km 0.760-m gauge
total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Religions Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982)

note:
roughly one-half of the population also practices Voodoo
indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female

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

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

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


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better

domestic:
coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service

international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: NA


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


international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Telephones - main lines in use 60,000 (1997) 76,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1995) 386,700 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997) 1 (2001)
Terrain mostly rough and mountainous mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate 4.4 children born/woman (2001 est.) 5.2 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (1999) NA%
Waterways NEGL; less than 100 km navigable 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)
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