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Compare Liechtenstein (2002) - Benin (2005)
Compare Liechtenstein (2002) z Benin (2005)
| Liechtenstein (2002) | Benin (2005) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 11 communes (Gemeinden, singular - Gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz | 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 18.3% (male 3,003; female 3,001)
15-64 years: 70.5% (male 11,530; female 11,639) 65 years and over: 11.2% (male 1,494; female 2,175) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 46.5% (male 1,752,243/female 1,719,458)
15-64 years: 51.2% (male 1,868,630/female 1,948,610) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 70,367/female 100,717) (2005 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy products | cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) |
| Airports | none (2001) | 5 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | - | 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: 160 sq km
land: 160 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 112,620 sq km
land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Pennsylvania |
| Background | The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719; it became a sovereign state in 1806. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to conclude a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral) the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. However, shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight have resulted in concerns about the use of the financial institutions for money laundering. | 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 | 11.24 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 41.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $424.2 million
expenditures: $414.1 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) |
revenues: $869.4 million
expenditures: $720.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
| Capital | Vaduz | Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government |
| Climate | continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers | tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north |
| Coastline | 0 km (doubly landlocked) | 121 km |
| Constitution | 5 October 1921 | December 1990 |
| Country name | conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein
conventional short form: Liechtenstein local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein local short form: Liechtenstein |
conventional long form: Republic of Benin
conventional short form: Benin local long form: Republique du Benin local short form: Benin former: Dahomey |
| Currency | Swiss franc (CHF) | - |
| Death rate | 6.76 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 13.76 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Debt - external | $0 (1996) (2001) | $1.6 billion (2000) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Liechtenstein, but the US Ambassador to Switzerland is also accredited to Liechtenstein | 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 Claudia FRITSCHE
chancery: 1300 Eye Street NW, Suite 550W, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 216-0460 FAX: [1] (202) 216-0459 |
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 | Liechtenstein's royal family claims restitution for 1,600 sq km of land in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1918 | 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 the states expect a ruling in 2005 from the ICJ over the disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; a joint task force was established in 2004 that resolved disputes over and redrew the maritime and the 870-km land boundary with Nigeria, including the sovereignty over seven villages along the Okpara River; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones |
| Economic aid - recipient | none | $342.6 million (2000) |
| Economy - overview | Despite its small size and limited natural resources, Liechtenstein has developed into a prosperous, highly industrialized, free-enterprise economy with a vital financial service sector and living standards on a par with the urban areas of its large European neighbors. The Liechtenstein economy is widely diversified with a large number of small businesses. Low business taxes - the maximum tax rate is 20% - and easy incorporation rules have induced a large number of holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in Liechtenstein, providing 30% of state revenues. The country participates in a customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its national currency. It imports more than 90% of its energy requirements. Liechtenstein has been a member of the European Economic Area (an organization serving as a bridge between European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and EU) since May 1995. The government is working to harmonize its economic policies with those of an integrated Europe. | 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. 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 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. As a result, smuggling and criminality along the Benin-Nigeria border has been on the rise. |
| Electricity - consumption | 313.45 million kWh NA kWh (2001) | 565.2 million kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - exports | NA kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - imports | 232.847 million kWh NA kWh (2001) | 300 million kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - production | - | 285.2 million kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA% 98% nuclear: NA% other: NA% 2% (2001) |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m
highest point: Grauspitz 2,599 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: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | Alemannic 86%, Italian, Turkish, and other 14% | African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 |
| Exchange rates | Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.6668 (January 2002), 1.6876 (2001), 1.6888 (2000), 1.5022 (1999), 1.4498 (1998), 1.4513 (1997) | Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000) |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13 November 1989, assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince ALOIS, son of the monarch (born 11 June 1968)
head of government: Head of Government Otmar HASLER (since 5 April 2001) and Deputy Head of Government Rita KIEBER-BECK (since 5 April 2001) cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Parliament, confirmed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the Diet is usually appointed the head of government by the monarch and the leader of the largest minority party in the Diet is usually appointed the deputy head of government by the monarch |
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 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 SOGLO (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 SOGLO 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 | $2.47 billion (1996) | NA |
| Exports - commodities | small specialty machinery, connectors for audio and video, parts for motor vehicles, dental products, hardware, prepared foodstuffs, electronic equipment, optical products | cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa |
| Exports - partners | EU 62.6% (Germany 24.3%, Austria 9.5%, France 8.9%, Italy 6.6%, UK 4.6%), US 18.9%, Switzerland 15.7% | China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%, Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
| Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band | two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $730 million (1998 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% 40% services: NA% (1999) |
agriculture: 36.3%
industry: 14.3% services: 49.4% (2004 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $23,000 (1998 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2004 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 5% (2004 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 47 16 N, 9 32 E | 9 30 N, 2 15 E |
| Geography - note | along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation | sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands |
| Highways | total: 250 km
paved: 250 km unpaved: 0 km |
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 | multilateral organizations engaged in issuing international guidelines for financial sector oversight found gaps in Liechtenstein's financial services controls that made it vulnerable to money laundering, but Liechtenstein has become less attractive as a haven for illicit funds, based on implementation in 2001 of new anti-money-laundering legislation and improved mutual legal assistance cooperation with other countries | 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 | $917.3 million (1996) | NA |
| Imports - commodities | agricultural products, raw materials, machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles | foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products |
| Imports - partners | EU countries, Switzerland | China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004) |
| Independence | 23 January 1719 Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein established; 12 July 1806 established independence from the Holy Roman Empire | 1 August 1960 (from France) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 8.3% (2001 est.) |
| Industries | electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism, optical instruments | textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001) |
| Infant mortality rate | 4.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 90 deaths/1,000 live births female: 79.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1% (2001) | 2.8% (2004 est.) |
| International organization participation | CE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, IAEA, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WIPO, 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, 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 |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 44 (Liechtenstein and Switzerland) (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | 120 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Court of Appeal or Obergericht | Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice |
| Labor force | 28,783 of which 13,847 are foreigners; 8,231 commute from Austria and Switzerland to work each day | NA (1996) |
| Labor force - by occupation | industry, trade, and building 48%, services 51%, agriculture, fishing, forestry, and horticulture 1% (37256 est.) | - |
| Land boundaries | total: 76 km
border countries: Austria 34.9 km, Switzerland 41.1 km |
total: 1,989 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km |
| Land use | arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 0% other: 75% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 18.08%
permanent crops: 2.4% other: 79.52% (2001) |
| Languages | German (official), Alemannic dialect | French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) |
| Legal system | local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote under proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 11 February 2001 (next to be held by NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 49.90%, VU 41.35%, FL 8.71%; seats by party - FBP 13, VU 11, FL 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 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: 79.1 years
male: 75.47 years female: 82.74 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 52.66 years
male: 51.53 years female: 53.82 years (2005 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (1981 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 33.6% male: 46.4% female: 22.6% (2002 est.) |
| Location | Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland | Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo |
| Map references | Europe | Africa |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 200 nm |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Switzerland | - |
| Military branches | - | Army, Navy, Air Force |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $96.5 million (2004) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 2.4% (2004) |
| National holiday | Assumption Day, 15 August | National Day, 1 August (1960) |
| Nationality | noun: Liechtensteiner(s)
adjective: Liechtenstein |
noun: Beninese (singular and plural)
adjective: Beninese |
| Natural hazards | NA | hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March |
| Natural resources | hydroelectric potential, arable land | small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber |
| Net migration rate | 4.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Political parties and leaders | Fatherland Union or VU [Dr. Heinz FROMMELT]; Progressive Citizens' Party or FBP [Johannes MATT]; The Free List or FL [Dr. Pepo FRICK, Karin JENNY, Rene HASLER] | 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 four 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 | NA | NA |
| Population | 32,842 (July 2002 est.) | 7,460,025
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.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | 33% (2001 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 0.94% (2002 est.) | 2.82% (2005 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | none | Cotonou |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) |
| Radios | 21,000 (1997) | - |
| Railways | total: 18.5 km
standard gauge: 18.5 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified) note: owned, operated, and included in statistics of Austrian Federal Railways (2001) |
total: 578 km
narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%, other 6.2% (June 2002) | indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: automatic telephone system
domestic: NA international: linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave radio relay |
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 | 20,072 (2000) | 66,500 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 236,200 (2003) |
| Television broadcast stations | NA (linked to Swiss networks) (1997) | 1 (2001) |
| Terrain | mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third | mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains |
| Total fertility rate | 1.5 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 1.3% (1999) | NA |
| Waterways | none | 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004) |
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