Compare Hong Kong (2006) - Benin (2004)

Compare Hong Kong (2006) z Benin (2004)

	Hong Kong (2006)	Benin (2004)

Administrative divisions	none (special administrative region of China)	12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure	0-14 years: 13.5% (male 488,607/female 445,593) 15-64 years: 73.7% (male 2,495,679/female 2,620,336) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 413,031/female 477,186) (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 46.8% (male 1,711,075; female 1,679,439) 15-64 years: 51% (male 1,802,990; female 1,890,915) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 68,890; female 96,724) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish	cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)
Airports	3 (2006)	5 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006)	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 1,092 sq km land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km	total: 112,620 sq km land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative	six times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background	Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.	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	7.29 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	42.57 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $31.31 billion expenditures: $32.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (2005 est.)	revenues: $698.9 million expenditures: $613.2 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)
Capital	-	Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government
Climate	subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall	tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline	733 km	121 km
Constitution	Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"	December 1990
Country name	conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region conventional short form: Hong Kong local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu local short form: Xianggang abbreviation: HK	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	6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	13.69 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$72.04 billion (2005 est.)	$1.6 billion (2000)
Dependency status	special administrative region of China	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Consul General James B. CUNNINGHAM consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006 telephone: [852] 2523-9011 FAX: [852] 2845-1598	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 (special administrative region of China)	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; accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and ICJ ad hoc judges have been selected to rule on disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; several villages along the Okpara River are in dispute with Nigeria; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones
Economic aid - recipient	-	$342.6 million (2000)
Economy - overview	Hong Kong has a free market, entrepot economy, highly dependent on international trade. Natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. Gross imports and exports (i.e., including reexports to and from third countries) each exceed GDP in dollar value. Even before Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration on 1 July 1997, it had extensive trade and investment ties with China. Hong Kong has been further integrating its economy with China because China's growing openness to the world economy has made manufacturing in China much more cost effective. Hong Kong's reexport business to and from China is a major driver of growth. Per capita GDP is comparable to that of the four big economies of Western Europe. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2005, but Hong Kong suffered two recessions in the past eight years because of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-1998 and the global downturn in 2001-2002. Although the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 also battered Hong Kong's economy, a solid rise in exports, a boom in tourism from the mainland because of China's easing of travel restrictions, and a return of consumer confidence resulted in the resumption of strong growth from late 2003 through 2005.	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	39.22 billion kWh (2004)	631.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	3.086 billion kWh (2004)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	9.84 billion kWh (2004)	376 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	37.3 billion kWh (2004)	274.3 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues	air and water pollution from rapid urbanization	inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements	party to: Marine Dumping (associate member)	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	Chinese 95%, other 5%	African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Exchange rates	Hong Kong dollars per US dollar - 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003), 7.7989 (2002), 7.7988 (2001)	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999)
Executive branch	chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) head of government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June 2005) cabinet: Executive Council consists of 14 official members and 15 non-official members elections: previous chief executive TUNG Chee-hwa was elected to second five-year term in March 2002 by 800-member election committee dominated by pro-Beijing forces, resignation accepted 12 March 2005; Donald TSANG acted as chief executive between 12 March 2005 and 25 May 2005; Henry TANG acted as chief executive between 25 May 2005 and 24 June 2005; TSANG was elected on 16 June 2005 to fill final two years of TUNG's term (next election to be held in March 2007)	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 bbl/day	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material	cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners	China 45%, US 16.1%, Japan 5.3% (2005)	China 21.1%, India 18%, Thailand 6.8%, Ghana 5.8%, Niger 4.4%, Indonesia 4.1% (2003)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center	two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $7.742 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 0.1% industry: 9.2% services: 90.6% (2005 est.)	agriculture: 36.4% industry: 14.5% services: 49.1% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	7.3% (2005 est.)	5.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	22 15 N, 114 10 E	9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note	more than 200 islands	sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
Heliports	3 (2006)	-
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%	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs	makes strenuous law enforcement efforts, but faces difficult challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets; modern banking system provides conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs, especially among young people	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 bbl/day	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported)	foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners	China 45%, Japan 11%, Taiwan 7.2%, Singapore 5.8%, US 5.1%, South Korea 4.4% (2005)	China 29.5%, France 14.9%, UK 4.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.7%, Thailand 4.6% (2003)
Independence	none (special administrative region of China)	1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	-0.6% (2005 est.)	8.3% (2001 est.)
Industries	textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks	textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001)
Infant mortality rate	total: 2.95 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.13 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	total: 85.88 deaths/1,000 live births male: 90.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 80.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	0.9% (2005 est.)	1.5% (2003 est.)
International organization participation	APEC, AsDB, BIS, ICC, ICFTU, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO (correspondent), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO, WToO (associate), WTO	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, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	20 sq km (1998 est.)	120 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region	Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force	3.61 million (October 2005)	NA (1996)
Labor force - by occupation	manufacturing 7.5%, construction 2.9%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.9%, financing, insurance, and real estate 19.6%, transport and communications 7.1%, community and social services 18.8% note: above data exclude public sector (2005 est.)	-
Land boundaries	total: 30 km regional border: China 30 km	total: 1,989 km border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
Land use	arable land: 5.05% permanent crops: 1.01% other: 93.94% (2001)	arable land: 18.08% permanent crops: 2.4% other: 79.52% (2001)
Languages	Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official	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	based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; in 2004 30 seats indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 12 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - pro-democracy group 62%; seats by party - (pro-Beijing 34) DAB 12, Liberal Party 10, independents 11, FTU 1; (pro-democracy 25) independents 11, Democratic Party 9, CTU 2, ADPL 1, Frontier Party 1, NWSC 1; non-voting LEGCO president 1	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: 81.59 years male: 78.9 years female: 84.5 years (2006 est.)	total population: 50.81 years male: 50.25 years female: 51.39 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 93.5% male: 96.9% female: 89.6% (2002)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.9% male: 56.2% female: 26.5% (2000)
Location	Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China	Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references	Southeast Asia	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm	territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 924 ships (1000 GRT or over) 30,838,025 GRT/51,957,682 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 495, cargo 121, chemical tanker 44, container 133, liquefied gas 22, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 76, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 7, vehicle carrier 8 foreign-owned: 562 (Australia 1, Belgium 3, Canada 28, China 274, Denmark 6, Germany 6, Greece 27, Indonesia 4, Japan 67, South Korea 6, Norway 26, Philippines 16, Portugal 1, Singapore 24, Syria 1, Taiwan 6, UAE 2, UK 43, US 21) registered in other countries: 417 (Bahamas 8, Belize 8, Bermuda 10, Cambodia 15, China 7, Cyprus 1, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2, Greece 1, Honduras 2, India 1, Liberia 37, Malaysia 14, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 7, Norway 55, Panama 169, Philippines 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 50, Taiwan 3, Tuvalu 8, unknown 7) (2006)	none
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of China	-
Military branches	no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of the PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force; these forces are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Guangzhou Military Region	Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	Hong Kong garrison is funded by China; figures are NA	$98.3 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	2.7% (2003)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 1,638,010 females age 15-49: 1,647,850 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 835,561 females age 15-49: 835,633 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 77,552 females: 81,841 (2004 est.)
National holiday	National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day	National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality	noun: Chinese/Hong Konger adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong	noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards	occasional typhoons	hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources	outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar	small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate	4.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee]; Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [MA Lik]; Democratic Party [LEE Wing-tat]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun] note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party	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	Article 45 Concern Group (pro-democracy); Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong, executive councilor]; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president]; Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or NWSC (pro-democracy); The Alliance [Bernard CHAN, exco member]	NA
Population	6,940,432 (July 2006 est.)	7,250,033 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 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	37% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate	0.59% (2006 est.)	2.89% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Cotonou, Porto-Novo
Radio broadcast stations	AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004)	AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Railways	-	total: 578 km narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Religions	eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%	indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)	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: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election limited to about 200,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network international: country code - 852; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China; access to 5 international submarine cables providing connections to ASEAN member nations, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe	general assessment: NA domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Telephones - main lines in use	3,794,600 (2005)	66,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	8.693 million (2005)	236,200 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	55 low power stations note: two TV networks, each one broadcasting on two channels (2006)	1 (2001)
Terrain	hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north	mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate	0.95 children born/woman (2006 est.)	5.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	5.5% (2005 est.)	NA
Waterways	-	150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004)

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