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Compare Norfolk Island (2005) - Benin (2006)

Compare Norfolk Island (2005) z Benin (2006)

 Norfolk Island (2005)Benin (2006)
 Norfolk IslandBenin
Administrative divisions none (territory of Australia) 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure 0-14 years: 20.2%


15-64 years: 63.9%


65 years and over: 15.9% (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 44.1% (male 1,751,709/female 1,719,138)


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


65 years and over: 2.4% (male 75,694/female 110,198) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts; livestock
Airports 1 (2004 est.) 5 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
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 (2006)
Area total: 34.6 sq km


land: 34.6 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 112,620 sq km


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. 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 NA 38.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $20 million


expenditures: $20 million, including capital expenditures of $2 million (FY99/00)
revenues: $766.8 million


expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital Kingston name: Porto-Novo (official capital)


geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: Cotonou (seat of government)
Climate subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline 32 km 121 km
Constitution Norfolk Island Act of 1979 December 1990
Country name conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island


conventional short form: Norfolk Island
conventional long form: Republic of Benin


conventional short form: Benin


local long form: Republique du Benin


local short form: Benin


former: Dahomey
Death rate NA 12.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external NA $1.6 billion (2000)
Dependency status territory of Australia; Canberra administers Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island through the Department of Environment, Sport, and Territories -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (territory of Australia) 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 (territory of Australia) 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 Benin and Burkina Faso military clash in 2006 over sections of riverine boundary involving disputed villages and squatters; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin as a consequence of a 2004 joint task force to resolve maritime and land boundary disputes, but clashes among rival gangs along the border persist; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones
Economic aid - recipient NA $342.6 million (2000)
Economy - overview Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past six years, but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. Many of these proposals are included in Benin's application to receive Millennium Challenge Account funding - for which it was a finalist in 2004-05. The 2001 privatization policy continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while pressing for more rapid structural reforms. Benin continues to be hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing list of products from Benin and elsewhere, which has resulted in increased smuggling and criminality in the border region.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 538.2 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports - 474 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production NA kWh 69 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Bates 319 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: 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 descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesians African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Exchange rates Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and Australia are represented by Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003)


head of government: Assembly President and Chief Minister Geoffrey Robert GARDNER (since 5 December 2001)


cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator


elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia; chief minister elected by the Legislative Assembly for a term of not more than three years; election last held 20 Ocotber 2004 (next to be held by December 2007)


election results: Geoffrey Robert GARDNER elected chief minister; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - 17.2%
chief of state: President YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


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


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


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


election results: YAYI Boni elected president; percent of vote - YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5%
Exports $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY99/00) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe China 31.3%, Indonesia 8.1%, India 7.4%, Niger 6%, Togo 4.8%, Thailand 4.8%, Nigeria 4.6% (2005)
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June calendar year
Flag description three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: NA
agriculture: 31.6%


industry: 13.8%


services: 54.6% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - NA -
GDP - real growth rate NA 3.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 29 02 S, 167 57 E 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note most of the 32-km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
Highways total: 80 km


paved: 53 km


unpaved: 27 km (2001)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs - 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 $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities NA foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe France 21.8%, Ghana 7.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, China 6.7%, UK 5.2%, Belgium 4.9%, Togo 4.5%, Thailand 4.2%, Nigeria 4% (2005)
Independence none (territory of Australia) 1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate NA 8.3% (2001 est.)
Industries tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 79.56 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 84.09 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 74.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 3.5% (2005 est.)
International organization participation 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, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land NA 120 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force 1,345 3.211 million
Labor force - by occupation tourism 90%, subsistence agriculture 10% -
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: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (2001)
arable land: 23.53%


permanent crops: 2.37%


other: 74.1% (2005)
Languages English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; members serve three-year terms)


elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties)
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)


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


male: NA


female: NA
total population: 53.04 years


male: 51.9 years


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


total population: 33.6%


male: 46.4%


female: 22.6% (2002 est.)
Location Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references Oceania Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 200 nm
Military - note defense is the responsibility of Australia -
Military branches - Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $100.9 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2.3% (2005 est.)
National holiday Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality noun: Norfolk Islander(s)


adjective: Norfolk Islander(s)
noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards typhoons (especially May to July) hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources fish small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate NA 0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders none Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD; Key Force or FC; Movement for Development and Solidarity or MDS; Movement for Development by the Culture-Salute Party-Congress of People for Progress Alliance or Alliance MDC-PS-CPP; New Alliance or NA; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP; Renaissance Party du Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [Sacca LAFIA]; Union of Tomorrow's Benin or UBF [Bruno AMOUSSOU]


note: approximately 20 additional minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders none NA
Population 1,828 (July 2005 est.) 7,862,944


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 33% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate -0.01% (2005 est.) 2.73% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Railways - total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Religions Anglican 34.9%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 11.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2.8%, Australian Christian 2.4%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 2.7%, unspecified 15.3%, none 18.1% (2001 census) indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


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


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


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


domestic: free local calls


international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite earth station
general assessment: NA


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


international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Telephones - main lines in use 2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) 76,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum) (2002) 386,700 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 1 (local programming station plus two repeaters that bring in Australian programs by satellite) (2005) 1 (2001)
Terrain volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate NA 5.2 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 0% NA%
Waterways - 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)
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