Compare Montserrat (2007) - Benin (2005)

Compare Montserrat (2007) z Benin (2005)

	Montserrat (2007)	Benin (2005)

Administrative divisions	3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter	12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure	0-14 years: 23.5% (male 1,144/female 1,094) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 2,989/female 3,281) 65 years and over: 10.8% (male 527/female 503) (2007 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	cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products	cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)
Airports	2 (2007)	5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)	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: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 112,620 sq km land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background	English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possession of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid 19th century. Much of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano that began on 18 July 1995. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in July 2003.	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	17.51 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	41.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $31.4 million expenditures: $31.6 million (1997 est.)	revenues: $869.4 million expenditures: $720.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital	name: Plymouth geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat	Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government
Climate	tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation	tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline	40 km	121 km
Constitution	effective 19 December 1989	December 1990
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Montserrat	conventional long form: Republic of Benin conventional short form: Benin local long form: Republique du Benin local short form: Benin former: Dahomey
Death rate	7.02 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	13.76 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$8.9 million (1997)	$1.6 billion (2000)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	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 (overseas territory of the UK)	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 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	Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.)	$342.6 million (2000)
Economy - overview	Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcanic activity and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade.	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	18.6 million kWh (2005)	565.2 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	300 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	20 million kWh (2005)	285.2 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006)	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues	land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation	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, 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, white	African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Exchange rates	East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002) note: fixed rate since 1976	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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Peter A. WATERWORTH (since 27 July 2007) head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister	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	NA bbl/day	NA
Exports - commodities	electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle	cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners	US, Antigua and Barbuda (2006)	China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%, Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross	two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1.2% industry: 23.1% services: 75.7% (1999 est.)	agriculture: 36.3% industry: 14.3% services: 49.4% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-1% (2002 est.)	5% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	16 45 N, 62 12 W	9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note	the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages	sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
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	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe	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
Imports - commodities	machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials	foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners	US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2006)	China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004)
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	8.3% (2001 est.)
Industries	tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances	textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001)
Infant mortality rate	total: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 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)	2.6% (2002 est.)	2.8% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU	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	NA	120 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court)	Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force	4,521 note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.)	NA (1996)
Land boundaries	0 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: 0% other: 80% (2005)	arable land: 18.08% permanent crops: 2.4% other: 79.52% (2001)
Languages	English	French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system	English common law and statutory law	based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms) note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1 note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council	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 years male: 76.8 years female: 81.31 years (2007 est.)	total population: 52.66 years male: 51.53 years female: 53.82 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1970 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 33.6% male: 46.4% female: 22.6% (2002 est.)
Location	Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico	Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 200 nm
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	-
Military branches	no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2005)	Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$96.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	2.4% (2004)
National holiday	Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)	National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality	noun: Montserratian(s) adjective: Montserratian	noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards	severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)	hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources	NEGL	small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE]	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	9,538 note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2007 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	1.048% (2007 est.)	2.82% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Cotonou
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Railways	-	total: 578 km narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
Religions	Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations	indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.046 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.911 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.048 male(s)/female total population: 0.955 male(s)/female (2007 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: modern and fully digitalized domestic: NA international: country code - 1-664	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	NA	66,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	236,200 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	1 (1997)	1 (2001)
Terrain	volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland	mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate	1.77 children born/woman (2007 est.)	5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	6% (1998 est.)	NA
Waterways	-	150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004)

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