Compare Qatar (2006) - Benin (2008)

Compare Qatar (2006) z Benin (2008)

	Qatar (2006)	Benin (2008)

Administrative divisions	10 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan al Batinah, Madinat ash Shamal, Umm Sa'id, Umm Salal	12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure	0-14 years: 23.4% (male 105,546/female 101,371) 15-64 years: 73% (male 446,779/female 199,133) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 24,059/female 8,471) (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 43.9% (male 1,788,248/female 1,754,940) 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 2,138,649/female 2,203,291) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 77,844/female 115,342) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish	cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock
Airports	5 (2006)	5 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006)	total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)
Area	total: 11,437 sq km land: 11,437 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 112,620 sq km land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Connecticut	slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background	Ruled by the al-Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. His son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani, overthrew him in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Oil and natural gas revenues enable Qatar to have one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.	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. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent. YAYI has begun a high profile fight against corruption and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth.
Birth rate	15.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	38.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $17.31 billion expenditures: $11.31 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (2005 est.)	revenues: $936.9 million expenditures: $1.226 billion (2007 est.)
Capital	name: Doha geographic coordinates: 25 17 N, 51 32 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	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	arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers	tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline	563 km	121 km
Constitution	ratified by public referendum on 29 April 2003, endorsed by the amir on 8 June 2004, effective on 9 June 2005	adopted by referendum 2 December 1990
Country name	conventional long form: State of Qatar conventional short form: Qatar local long form: Dawlat Qatar local short form: Qatar note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar	conventional long form: Republic of Benin conventional short form: Benin local long form: Republique du Benin local short form: Benin former: Dahomey
Death rate	4.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	11.94 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$21.13 billion (2005 est.)	$1.2 billion (2007)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Chase UNTERMEYER embassy: Al-Luqta District, 22 February Road, Doha mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha telephone: [974] 488 4101 FAX: [974] 488 4176	chief of mission: Ambassador Gayleatha B. BROWN embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou telephone: [229] 21-30-06-50 FAX: [229] 21-30-03-84
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Hamad bin Mubarak al-KHALIFA chancery: 2555 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600 and 274-1603 FAX: [1] (202) 237-0061 consulate(s) general: Houston	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; Benin accused Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin, but border relations remain strained by rival gang clashes; Benin and Togo announced plans in 2006 to construct a joint hydroelectric dam on the Mona River at the southern end of the border
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	$374.7 million (2006)
Economy - overview	Oil and gas account for more than 60% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues. Oil and gas have given Qatar a per capita GDP about 80% of that of the leading West European industrial countries. Proved oil reserves of 16 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for 23 years. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas exceed 25 trillion cubic meters, more than 5% of the world total and third largest in the world. Qatar has permitted substantial foreign investment in the development of its gas fields during the last decade and is expected to become the world's top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter by 2007. In recent years, Qatar has consistently posted trade surpluses largely because of high oil prices and increased natural gas exports, becoming one of the world's fastest growing and highest per-capita income countries.	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 seven 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. Specific projects to improve the business climate by reforms to the land tenure system, the commercial justice system, and the financial sector were included in Benin's $307 million Millennium Challenge Account grant signed in February 2006. The 2001 privatization policy continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture though the government annulled the privatization of Benin's state cotton company in November 2007 after the discovery of irregularities in the bidding process. 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. An insufficient electrical supply continues to adversely affect Benin's economic growth though the government recently has taken steps to increase domestic power production.
Electricity - consumption	9.053 billion kWh (2003)	587 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2003)	595 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	9.735 billion kWh (2003)	105 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues	limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities	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, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Arab 40%, Indian 18%, Pakistani 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%	Fon and related 39.2%, Adja and related 15.2%, Yoruba and related 12.3%, Bariba and related 9.2%, Peulh and related 7%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4%, Dendi and related 2.5%, other 1.6% (includes Europeans), unspecified 2.9% (2002 census)
Exchange rates	Qatari rials per US dollar - 3.64 (2005), 3.64 (2004), 3.64 (2003), 3.64 (2002), 3.64 (2001)	Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
Executive branch	chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani (since 27 June 1995 when, as crown prince, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad al-Thani, in a bloodless coup); Crown Prince TAMIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, fourth son of the monarch (selected Heir Apparent by the monarch on 5 August 2003); note - Amir HAMAD also holds the positions of Minister of Defense and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa al-Thani, brother of the monarch (since 30 October 1996); Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani, brother of the monarch (since 20 January 1998); First Deputy Prime Minister HAMAD bin Jasim bin Jabir al-Thani (since 16 September 2003, also Foreign Minister since 1992); Second Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah bin Hamad al-ATIYAH (since 16 September 2003, also Electricity and Water Minister since 1999 and Energy and Industry Minister since 1992) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary note: in April 2003, Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member Central Municipal Council (CMC), which has consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services; the first election for the CMC was held in March 1999	chief of state: President Thomas YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Thomas YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); runoff election held 19 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2011) election results: Thomas YAYI Boni elected president; percent of vote - Thomas YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5%
Exports	NA bbl/day	0 bbl/day (2007)
Exports - commodities	liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products, fertilizers, steel	cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood
Exports - partners	Japan 37.1%, South Korea 19.5%, Singapore 8.3% (2005)	China 20.9%, Indonesia 7.7%, India 7%, Netherlands 6.2%, Niger 5.7%, Togo 4.6%, Nigeria 4.3% (2006)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side	two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 0.2% industry: 80.1% services: 19.7% (2005 est.)	agriculture: 33.2% industry: 14.5% services: 52.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	8.8% (2005 est.)	4.5% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates	25 30 N, 51 15 E	9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note	strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits	sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
Heliports	1 (2006)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 29% (2003)
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point used by Nigerian traffickers for narcotics destined for Western Europe; vulnerable to money laundering due to poorly enforced financial regulations
Imports	NA bbl/day	16,830 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment, food, chemicals	foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners	France 11.5%, Japan 10.5%, US 10.4%, Germany 8.4%, Saudi Arabia 7.3%, UK 7%, Italy 6.5%, South Korea 5.5%, UAE 4.8% (2005)	China 46.6%, France 7.5%, Thailand 6% (2006)
Independence	3 September 1971 (from UK)	1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate	10% (2003 est.)	4.5% (2007 est.)
Industries	crude oil production and refining, ammonia, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement, commercial ship repair	textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement
Infant mortality rate	total: 18.04 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	total: 77.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 82.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 73.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	8.8% (2005 est.)	2.5% (2007 est.)
International organization participation	ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land	130 sq km (2002)	120 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	Court of Appeal note: under a judiciary law issued in 2003, the former two court systems, civil and Islamic law, were merged under a higher court, the Court of Cassation, established for appeals	Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force	440,000 (2005 est.)	5.38 million (2007 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 60 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km	total: 1,989 km border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
Land use	arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 0.27% other: 98.09% (2005)	arable land: 23.53% permanent crops: 2.37% other: 74.1% (2005)
Languages	Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language	French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system	discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Shari'a law dominates family and personal matters	based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats; members appointed) note: no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their terms extended every four years since; the new constitution, which came into force on 9 June 2005, provides for a 45-member Consultative Council, or Majlis al-Shura; the public would elect two-thirds of the Majlis al-Shura; the amir would appoint the remaining members; preparations are underway to conduct elections to the Majlis al-Shura in early 2007	unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 31 March 2007 (next to be held by March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FCBE 35, ADD 20, PRD 10, other and independents 18
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 73.9 years male: 71.37 years female: 76.57 years (2006 est.)	total population: 53.44 years male: 52.28 years female: 54.63 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89% male: 89.1% female: 88.6% (2004 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 34.7% male: 47.9% female: 23.3% (2002 census)
Location	Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia	Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references	Middle East	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or the median line	territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 23 ships (1000 GRT or over) 750,669 GRT/1,177,673 DWT by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 3, container 8, liquefied gas 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 8 (Kuwait 7, US 1) registered in other countries: 4 (Honduras 1, Liberia 2, Panama 1) (2006)	-
Military branches	Qatari Amiri Land Force (QALF), Qatari Amiri Navy (QAN), Qatari Amiri Air Force (QAAF)	Benin Armed Forces (FAB): Army (l'Arme de Terre), Benin Navy (Forces Navales Beninois, FNB), Benin People's Air Force (Force Aerienne Populaire de Benin, FAPB) (2008)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$723 million (FY00)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	10% (FY00)	1.7% (2006)
National holiday	Independence Day, 3 September (1971)	National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality	noun: Qatari(s) adjective: Qatari	noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards	haze, dust storms, sandstorms common	hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources	petroleum, natural gas, fish	small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate	14.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines	condensate 319 km; condensate/gas 209 km; gas 1,024 km; liquid petroleum gas 87 km; oil 844 km (2006)	-
Political parties and leaders	none	Alliance for Dynamic Democracy or ADD; Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Benin Renaissance or RB [Rosine SOGLO]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Force Cowrie for an Emerging Benin or FCBE; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD [Theophile NATA]; Key Force or FC [Lazare SÈHOUÉTO]; Movement for the People's Alternative or MAP [Olivier CAPO-CHICHI]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Dominique HOUNGNINOU]; Social Democrat Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Union for the Relief or UPR [Issa SALIFOU]; Union for Democracy and National Solidarity or UDS [Sacca LAFIA] note: approximately 20 additional minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	NA
Population	885,359 (July 2006 est.)	8,078,314 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 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	37.4% (2007 est.)
Population growth rate	2.5% (2006 est.)	2.674% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 1, FM 34, shortwave 1 (2007)
Railways	-	total: 758 km narrow gauge: 758 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Religions	Muslim 95%	Christian 42.8% (Catholic 27.1%, Celestial 5%, Methodist 3.2%, other Protestant 2.2%, other 5.3%), Muslim 24.4%, Vodoun 17.3%, other 15.5% (2002 census)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.24 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.87 male(s)/female (2006 est.)	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.019 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.971 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.675 male(s)/female total population: 0.983 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: modern system centered in Doha domestic: NA international: country code - 974; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat	general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line network is almost saturated with fixed-line teledensity stuck at a meager 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership is increasing domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections; four mobile-cellular providers international: country code - 229; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth station - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean) (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use	205,400 (2005)	77,300 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular	716,800 (2005)	1.056 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus three repeaters) (2001)	6 (2007)
Terrain	mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel	mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate	2.81 children born/woman (2006 est.)	5.08 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	2.7% (2001)	NA%
Waterways	-	150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)

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