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Compare Saint Lucia (2003) - Benin (2007)

Compare Saint Lucia (2003) z Benin (2007)

 Saint Lucia (2003)Benin (2007)
 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: 31.1% (male 25,883; female 24,569)


15-64 years: 63.7% (male 50,711; female 52,508)


65 years and over: 5.2% (male 3,147; female 5,339) (2003 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 bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock
Airports 2 (2002) 5 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
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 (2007)
Area total: 616 sq km


land: 606 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. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent.
Birth rate 20.93 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 38.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $141.2 million


expenditures: $146.7 million, including capital expenditures of $25.1 million (2000 est.)
revenues: $786 million


expenditures: $1.024 billion (2006 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 adopted by referendum 2 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 5.24 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 11.94 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $214 million (2000) $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 Gayleatha B. BROWN


embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou


mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou


telephone: [229] 21-30-06-50


FAX: [229] 21-30-06-70
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) 364-6723


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 protests Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves Island, which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea 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 $51.8 million (1995) $349.1 million (2005)
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. The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Economic fundamentals remain solid. 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. 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 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 111.8 million kWh (2001) 587 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 595 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 120.2 million kWh (2001) 105 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
-
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, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1% 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 East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999), 2.7 (1998) Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002)
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 Davis 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 the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
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 (2001) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood
Exports - partners UK 48.6%, US 27.8%, Barbados 7.6% (2002) 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 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 - $866 million (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 7%


industry: 20%


services: 73% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 32.8%


industry: 13.7%


services: 53.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,400 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 3.3% (2002 est.) 4% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 13 53 N, 60 68 W 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Geography - note the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean 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 (1999 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


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


highest 10%: NA% (2003)
Illicit drugs transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe transshipment point used by Nigerian traffickers for narcotics destined for Western Europe; vulnerable to money laundering due to poorly enforced financial regulations
Imports NA (2001) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners Brazil 41.7%, US 21.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 11.9% (2002) China 46.6%, France 7.5%, Thailand 6% (2006)
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 total: 14.37 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 15.51 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 13.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 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) 3% (2001 est.) 3.8% (2006 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, 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, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 15 (2000) -
Irrigated land 30 sq km (1998 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 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 21.7%, services 53.6%, industry, commerce, and manufacturing 24.7% (2002 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: 4.92%


permanent crops: 22.95%


other: 72.13% (1998 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 3 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2006)


election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - SLP 55%, UWP 37%, NA 3.5%; seats by party - SLP 14, UWP 3
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: 73.08 years


male: 69.52 years


female: 76.9 years (2003 est.)
total population: 53.44 years


male: 52.28 years


female: 54.63 years (2007 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: 34.7%


male: 47.9%


female: 23.3% (2002 census)
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 (2002 est.) -
Military branches Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit and Coast Guard) Benin Armed Forces: Ground Forces Command, Benin Navy, Benin People's Air Force (Force Aerienne Populaire de Benin, FAPB) (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP $NA 1.7% (2006)
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 -3.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) 0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Dr. Morella JOSEPH] Alliance for Dynamic Democracy or ADD [Nicephore SOGLO]; Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Force Cowrie for an Emerging Benin or FCBE; 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; 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 162,157 (July 2003 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% 33% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 1.25% (2003 est.) 2.674% (2007 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)
Railways 0 km total: 758 km


narrow gauge: 758 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
Religions Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 3%, other Protestant 7% 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: 1.07 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


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


65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 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: 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: inadequate; fixed-line network is almost saturated with fixed-line teledensity stuck at a meager 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of roughly 10 per 100 persons


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 37,000 (1997) 76,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,600 (1997) 750,000 (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 2.29 children born/woman (2003 est.) 5.08 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 16.5% (1997 est.) NA%
Waterways none 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)
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