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Compare Mexico (2007) - Benin (2001)

Compare Mexico (2007) z Benin (2001)

 Mexico (2007)Benin (2001)
 MexicoBenin
Administrative divisions 31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave, Yucatan, Zacatecas 6 provinces; Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Mono, Oueme, Zou; note - six additional provinces have been reported but not confirmed; they are Alibori, Collines, Couffo, Donga, Littoral, and Plateau; moreover, the term "province" may have been changed to "department"
Age structure 0-14 years: 30.1% (male 16,696,089/female 16,011,563)


15-64 years: 64% (male 33,624,812/female 35,925,372)


65 years and over: 5.9% (male 2,917,563/female 3,525,492) (2007 est.)
0-14 years:
47.32% (male 1,574,124; female 1,544,741)

15-64 years:
50.38% (male 1,607,900; female 1,712,360)

65 years and over:
2.3% (male 64,756; female 86,901) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products corn, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, rice, cotton, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, livestock
Airports 1,834 (2007) 5 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 231


over 3,047 m: 12


2,438 to 3,047 m: 29


1,524 to 2,437 m: 84


914 to 1,523 m: 77


under 914 m: 29 (2007)
total:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1,603


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 63


914 to 1,523 m: 408


under 914 m: 1,131 (2007)
total:
4

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
2 (2000 est.)
Area total: 1,972,550 sq km


land: 1,923,040 sq km


water: 49,510 sq km
total:
112,620 sq km

land:
110,620 sq km

water:
2,000 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than three times the size of Texas slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON. Dahomey gained its independence from France in 1960; the name was changed to Benin in 1975. From 1974 to 1989 the country was a socialist state; free elections were reestablished in 1991.
Birth rate 20.36 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 44.23 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $207.7 billion


expenditures: $206.9 billion (2006 est.)
revenues:
$299 million

expenditures:
$445 million, including capital expenditures of $14 million (1995 est.)
Capital name: Mexico (Distrito Federal)


geographic coordinates: 19 26 N, 99 08 W


time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October


note: Mexico is divided into four time zones
Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government
Climate varies from tropical to desert tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline 9,330 km 121 km
Constitution 5 February 1917 December 1990
Country name conventional long form: United Mexican States


conventional short form: Mexico


local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos


local short form: Mexico
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 4.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 14.51 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $164.7 billion (2006 est.) $1.6 billion (1998 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA, Jr.


embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal


mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000


telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000


FAX: [52] (55) 5511-9980


consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana


consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo
chief of mission:
Ambassador Pamela E. BRIDGEWATER

embassy:
Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou

mailing address:
B. P. 2012, Cotonou

telephone:
[229] 30-06-50, 30-05-13, 30-17-92

FAX:
[229] 30-14-39, 30-19-74
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo SARUKHAN Casamitjana


chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006


telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600


FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Omaha, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)


consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo (Texas), Las Vegas, McAllen (Texas), Midland (Texas), Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Saint Paul (Minnesota), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona)
chief of mission:
Ambassador Lucien Edgar TONOUKOUIN

chancery:
2737 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 232-6656

FAX:
[1] (202) 265-1996
Disputes - international abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; the US has intensified security measures to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across its border with Mexico; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States none
Economic aid - recipient $189.4 million (2005) $274.6 million (1997)
Economy - overview Mexico has a free market economy that recently entered the trillion dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas distribution, and airports. Per capita income is one-fourth that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries including, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. The new Felipe CALDERON administration that took office in December 2006 faces many of the same challenges that former President FOX tried to tackle, including the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize the tax system and labor laws, and allow private investment in the energy sector. CALDERON has stated that his top priorities include reducing poverty and creating jobs. The success of his economic agenda will depend on his ability to garner support from the opposition. The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output averaged a sound 5% in 1996-99, but a rapid population rise offset much of this growth. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. Commercial and transport activities, which make up a large part of GDP, are vulnerable to developments in Nigeria, particularly fuel shortages. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation in recent years. While high fuel prices constrained growth in 2000, increased cotton production - enabled by a major restructuring program - and an expansion of the Cotonou port, may lead to increased growth in 2001.
Electricity - consumption 183.3 billion kWh (2005) 510.2 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 1.597 billion kWh (2005) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 470.7 million kWh (2005) 300 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 222.4 billion kWh (2005) 226 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
24.78%

hydro:
75.22%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m


highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion


note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues
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, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1% African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Exchange rates Mexican pesos per US dollar - 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004), 10.789 (2003), 9.656 (2002) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999, the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro
Executive branch chief of state: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general requires consent of the Senate


elections: president elected by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held on 2 July 2006 (next to be held 1 July 2012)


election results: Felipe CALDERON elected president; percent of vote - Felipe CALDERON 35.89%, Andres Manuel Lopez OBRADOR 35.31%, Roberto MADRAZO 22.26%, other 6.54%
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, 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 2.268 million bbl/day (2004) $396 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners US 84.7%, Canada 2.1%, Spain 1.3% (2006) Brazil 14%, Libya 5%, Indonesia 4%, Italy 4% (1999)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak) is centered in the white band two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP - purchasing power parity - $6.6 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3.9%


industry: 26.7%


services: 69.4% (2006 est.)
agriculture:
37.9%

industry:
13.5%

services:
48.6% (1999)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $1,030 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.8% (2006 est.) 5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 23 00 N, 102 00 W 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico no natural harbors
Heliports 1 (2007) -
Highways - total:
6,787 km

paved:
1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways)

unpaved:
5,430 km (1997 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.6%


highest 10%: 39.4% (2004)
lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
Illicit drugs major drug-producing nation; cultivation of opium poppy in 2005 amounted to 3,300 hectares yielding a potential production of 8 metric tons of pure heroin, or 17 metric tons of "black tar" heroin, the dominant form of Mexican heroin in the western United States; marijuana cultivation decreased 3% to 5,600 hectares in 2005 - just two years after a decade-high cultivation peak in 2003 - and yielded a potential production of 10,100 metric tons; government conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in the world; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America, with an estimated 90% of annual cocaine movements towards the US stopping in Mexico; major drug syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western Europe and the US
Imports 308,500 bbl/day (2004) $566 million (c.i.f., 1999)
Imports - commodities metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts foodstuffs, tobacco, petroleum products, capital goods
Imports - partners US 50.9%, China 9.5%, Japan 6%, South Korea 4.2% (2006) France 38%, China 16%, UK 9%, Cote d'Ivoire 5% (1999)
Independence 16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain) 1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 3.6% (2006 est.) 6.9% (2000 est.)
Industries food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism textiles, cigarettes; beverages, food; construction materials, petroleum
Infant mortality rate total: 19.63 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.54 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
89.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.6% (2006 est.) 3% (2000 est.)
International organization participation APEC, BCIE, BIS, CAN (observer), Caricom (observer), CDB, CE (observer), CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNTAET, UPU, WADB, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 63,200 sq km (2003) 100 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacion (justices or ministros are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate) Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force 44.51 million (2006 est.) NA
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 18%


industry: 24%


services: 58% (2003)
-
Land boundaries total: 4,353 km


border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km
total:
1,989 km

border countries:
Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
Land use arable land: 12.66%


permanent crops: 1.28%


other: 86.06% (2005)
arable land:
13%

permanent crops:
4%

permanent pastures:
4%

forests and woodland:
31%

other:
48% (1993 est.)
Languages Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 seats are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are elected by popular vote; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote; to serve three-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2006 for all of the seats (next to be held 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2006 (next to be held 5 July 2009)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAN 52, PRI 33, PRD 26, PVEM 6, CD 5, PT 5, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAN 206, PRD 127, PRI 106, PVEM 17, CD 17, PT 12, other 18
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 30 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RB 27, PRD 11, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 9, MADEP 6, E'toile 4, Alliance IPD 4, Car-DUNYA 3, MERCI 2, other 7
Life expectancy at birth total population: 75.63 years


male: 72.84 years


female: 78.56 years (2007 est.)
total population:
49.94 years

male:
49.02 years

female:
50.88 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 91%


male: 92.4%


female: 89.6% (2004 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
37.5%

male:
52.2%

female:
23.6% (2000)
Location Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references North America Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea:
200 NM
Merchant marine total: 60 ships (1000 GRT or over) 802,128 GRT/1,157,971 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 7, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 4, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 5


foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 2, Norway 1, UAE 1)


registered in other countries: 14 (Brazil 1, Honduras 1, Liberia 1, Panama 4, Portugal 1, Spain 3, Venezuela 3) (2007)
none (2000 est.)
Military branches Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, Sedena): Army (Ejercito), Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, Semar): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico, ARM, includes Naval Air Force (FAN) and Marines) (2007) Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $27 million (FY96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.5% (2006 est.) 1.2% (FY96)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
1,455,433

females age 15-49:
1,489,947

note:
both sexes are liable for military service (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
743,980

females age 15-49:
755,149 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
70,088

females:
73,618 (2001 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 16 September (1810) National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality noun: Mexican(s)


adjective: Mexican
noun:
Beninese (singular and plural)

adjective:
Beninese
Natural hazards tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter
Natural resources petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate -4.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines gas 22,705 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,875 km; oil 8,688 km; oil/gas/water 228 km; refined products 6,520 km (2006) -
Political parties and leaders Convergence for Democracy or CD [Luis MALDONADO Venegas]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Beatriz PAREDES]; Labor Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [Manuel ESPINO Barrientos]; New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA [Miguel Angel JIMENEZ Godinez]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Leonel COTA Montano]; Social Democratic and Peasant Alternative Party (Partido Alternativa Socialdemocrata y Campesina) or Alternativa [Alberto BEGNE Guerra] African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Sylvain Adekpedjou AKINDES]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party or PSD and the National Union for Solidarity and Progress or UNSP [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Cameleon Alliance or AC [leader NA]; Car-DUNYA [Saka SALEY]; Communist Party of Benin or PCB [Pascal FANTONDJI, first secretary]; 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]; Liberal Democrats' Rally for National Reconstruction-Vivoten or RDL-Vivoten [Severin ADJOVI]; Movement for Citizens' Commitment and Awakening or MERCI [Severin ADJOVI]; New Generation for the Republic or NGR [Paul DOSSOU]; Our Common Cause or NCC [Francois Odjo TANKPINON]; Party Democratique du Benin or PDB [Col. Soule DANKORO]; Rally for Democracy and Pan-Africanism or RDP [Dominique HOYMINOU, Dr. Giles Auguste MINONTIN]; Renaissance Party du Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union for National Democracy and Solidarity or UDS [Adamou N'Diaye MAMA]

note:
the Coalition of Democratic Forces is an alliance of parties and organizations supporting President KEREKOU [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI]
Political pressure groups and leaders Broad Progressive Front or FAP; Businessmen's Coordinating Council or CCE; Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Small Business Chamber or CANACOPE; National Syndicate of Education Workers or SNTE; National Union of Workers or UNT; Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca or APPO; Roman Catholic Church NA
Population 108,700,891 (July 2007 est.) 6,590,782

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.)
Population below poverty line 17.6% (2004) 37.2% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 1.153% (2007 est.) 2.97% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - Cotonou, Porto-Novo
Radio broadcast stations AM 850, FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003) AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios - 620,000 (1997)
Railways total: 17,665 km


standard gauge: 17,665 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
total:
578 km (single track)

narrow gauge:
578 km 1.000-m gauge (2000)
Religions Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census) indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.043 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.936 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.828 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.02 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced) 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: low telephone density with about 18 main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening to competition in January 1997 improved prospects for development, but Telmex remains dominant


domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; mobile subscribers far outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable


international: country code - 52; satellite earth stations - 32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), 1 Panamsat, numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections; high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (2005)
general assessment:
NA

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

international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); submarine cable
Telephones - main lines in use 19.861 million (2006) 36,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 57.016 million (2006) 4,295 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 236 (plus repeaters) (1997) 2 (one privately-owned) (1997)
Terrain high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate 2.39 children born/woman (2007 est.) 6.23 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 3.2% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2006 est.) NA%
Waterways 2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals) (2007) streams navigable along small sections, important only locally
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