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Compare Saint Lucia (2001) - Benin (2006)

Compare Saint Lucia (2001) z Benin (2006)

 Saint Lucia (2001)Benin (2006)
 Saint LuciaBenin
Administrative divisions 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux Fort 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Age structure 0-14 years:
32.13% (male 25,951; female 24,874)

15-64 years:
62.59% (male 48,568; female 50,430)

65 years and over:
5.28% (male 3,120; female 5,235) (2001 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 bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts; livestock
Airports 2 (2000 est.) 5 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total:
2

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2000 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:
620 sq km

land:
610 sq km

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


land: 110,620 sq km


water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979. 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 21.8 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 38.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues:
$141.2 million

expenditures:
$146.7 million, including capital expenditures of $25.1 million (FY97/98 est.)
revenues: $766.8 million


expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital Castries 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 tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline 158 km 121 km
Constitution 22 February 1979 December 1990
Country name conventional long form:
none

conventional short form:
Saint Lucia
conventional long form: Republic of Benin


conventional short form: Benin


local long form: Republique du Benin


local short form: Benin


former: Dahomey
Currency East Caribbean dollar (XCD) -
Death rate 5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 12.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $131.6 million (1998) $1.6 billion (2000)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia 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 Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY

chancery:
3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016

telephone:
[1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795

FAX:
[1] (202) 364-6728

consulate(s) general:
Miami and New York
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 $51.8 million (1995) $342.6 million (2000)
Economy - overview The recent changes in the EU import preference regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. Improvement in the construction sector and growth of the tourism industry helped expand GDP in 1998-99. The agriculture sector registered its fifth year of decline in 1997 primarily because of a severe decline in banana production. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean, and the government is beginning to develop regulations for the small offshore financial sector. 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 102.3 million kWh (1999) 538.2 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 474 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 110 million kWh (1999) 69 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point:
Mount Gimie 950 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
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 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1% African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Exchange rates East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) 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), represented by Governor General Dr. Perlette LOUISY (since September 1997)

head of government:
Prime Minister Kenneth ANTHONY (since 24 May 1997) and Deputy Prime Minister Mario MICHEL (since 24 May 1997)

cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general
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 $68.3 million (2000 est.) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners UK 50%, US 24%, Caricom countries 16% (1995) China 31.3%, Indonesia 8.1%, India 7.4%, Niger 6%, Togo 4.8%, Thailand 4.8%, Nigeria 4.6% (2005)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March calendar year
Flag description blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side
GDP purchasing power parity - $700 million (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
10.7%

industry:
32.3%

services:
57% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 31.6%


industry: 13.8%


services: 54.6% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 0.5% (2000 est.) 3.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 13 53 N, 60 68 W 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note - sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
Highways total:
1,210 km

paved:
63 km

unpaved:
1,147 km (1996)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs transit point for South American drugs 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 $319.4 million (2000 est.) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners US 36%, Caricom countries 22%, UK 11%, Japan 5%, Canada 4% (1995) 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 22 February 1979 (from UK) 1 August 1960 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate -8.9% (1997 est.) 8.3% (2001 est.)
Industries clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut processing textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement
Infant mortality rate 15.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 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) 2.5% (2000 est.) 3.5% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ACCT (associate), ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, 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, 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
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 15 (2000) -
Irrigated land 10 sq km (1993 est.) 120 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force 43,800 3.211 million
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 43.4%, services 38.9%, industry and commerce 17.7% (1983 est.) -
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:
8%

permanent crops:
21%

permanent pastures:
5%

forests and woodland:
13%

other:
53% (1993 est.)
arable land: 23.53%


permanent crops: 2.37%


other: 74.1% (2005)
Languages English (official), French patois French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Legal system based on English common law based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; six members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)

elections:
House of Assembly - last held 23 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results:
House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SLP 16, UWP 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 (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:
72.57 years

male:
69 years

female:
76.39 years (2001 est.)
total population: 53.04 years


male: 51.9 years


female: 54.22 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population:
67%

male:
65%

female:
69% (1980 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 between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
territorial sea: 200 nm
Merchant marine none (2000 est.) -
Military branches Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $5 million (FY91/92) $100.9 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2% (FY91/92) 2.3% (2005 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 22 February (1979) National Day, 1 August (1960)
Nationality noun:
Saint Lucian(s)

adjective:
Saint Lucian
noun: Beninese (singular and plural)


adjective: Beninese
Natural hazards hurricanes and volcanic activity hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Natural resources forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Net migration rate -4.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders National Freedom Party or NFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; United Workers Party or UWP [Dr. Morella JOSEPH] 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 NA NA
Population 158,178 (July 2001 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 1.23% (2001 est.) 2.73% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Castries, Vieux Fort -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 7 (plus 3 repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998) AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Radios 111,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km total: 578 km


narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Religions Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 7%, Anglican 3% indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Sex ratio at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
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 system

domestic:
system is automatically switched

international:
direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these countries are carried by Intelsat from Martinique
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 37,000 (1997) 76,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,600 (1997) 386,700 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 3 (of which two are commercial stations and one is a community antenna television or CATV channel) (1997) 1 (2001)
Terrain volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Total fertility rate 2.38 children born/woman (2001 est.) 5.2 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 15% (1996 est.) NA%
Waterways none 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)
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