CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Benin


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!| Background:
 * 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 2,000 sq km land: 110,620 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 2.4% other: 79.52% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements !| Geography - note:
 * Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
 * 9 30 N, 2 15 E
 * Africa
 * total: 112,620 sq km
 * slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
 * total: 1,989 km
 * 121 km
 * territorial sea: 200 nm
 * tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
 * mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
 * lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
 * small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
 * arable land: 18.08%
 * 120 sq km (1998 est.)
 * hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
 * inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
 * 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
 * sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
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!| Population: 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 2004 est.) !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 51% (male 1,802,990; female 1,890,915) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 68,890; female 96,724) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 16 years female: 16.9 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 80.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 90.89 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 50.25 years female: 51.39 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Major infectious diseases: overall degree of risk: very high (2004) !| Nationality: adjective: Beninese !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 40.9% male: 56.2% female: 26.5% (2000)
 * 7,250,033
 * 0-14 years: 46.8% (male 1,711,075; female 1,679,439)
 * total: 16.5 years
 * 2.89% (2004 est.)
 * 42.57 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 13.69 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
 * total: 85.88 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 50.81 years
 * 5.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 1.9% (2003 est.)
 * 68,000 (2003 est.)
 * 5,800 (2003 est.)
 * typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever
 * noun: Beninese (singular and plural)
 * African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
 * indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
 * French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Benin local short form: Benin former: Dahomey local long form: Republique du Benin !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: 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 NA March 2006) note: the four top-ranking contenders following the first-round presidential elections were: Mathieu KEREKOU (incumbent) 45.4%, Nicephore SOGOLO (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 SOGOLO 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" election results: Mathieu KEREKOU reelected president; percent of vote - Mathieu KEREKOU 84.1%, Bruno AMOUSSOU 15.9% !| Legislative branch: 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 elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007) !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: note: approximately 20 additional minor parties !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656 chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou telephone: [229] 30-06-50 FAX: [229] 30-06-70 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Republic of Benin
 * republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989; democratic reforms adopted February 1990; transition to multiparty system completed 4 April 1991
 * Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government
 * 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
 * 1 August 1960 (from France)
 * National Day, 1 August (1960)
 * December 1990
 * based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
 * 18 years of age; universal
 * chief of state: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
 * unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
 * Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
 * 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 4 other 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]
 * NA
 * 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
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL
 * two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 14.5% services: 49.1% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $613.2 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged a stable 5% in the past six years, but rapid population rise 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 speeded-up structural reforms.
 * purchasing power parity - $7.742 billion (2003 est.)
 * 5.5% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 36.4%
 * 19.3% of GDP (2003)
 * 37% (2001 est.)
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 1.5% (2003 est.)
 * NA (1996)
 * NA
 * revenues: $698.9 million
 * cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)
 * textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction materials (2001)
 * 8.3% (2001 est.)
 * 274.3 million kWh (2001)
 * 631.1 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 376 million kWh (2001)
 * 700 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 11,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 4.105 million bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 608.8 million cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $-112 million (2003)
 * $485 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
 * China 21.1%, India 18%, Thailand 6.8%, Ghana 5.8%, Niger 4.4%, Indonesia 4.1% (2003)
 * $726 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 * foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
 * China 29.5%, France 14.9%, UK 4.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.7%, Thailand 4.6% (2003)
 * $636 million (2003)
 * $1.6 billion (2000)
 * $342.6 million (2000)
 * Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
 * XOF
 * Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2 (2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699 (1999)
 * calendar year
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: 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 !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 66,500 (2003)
 * 236,200 (2003)
 * general assessment: NA
 * AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
 * 660,000 (2000)
 * 1 (2001)
 * 66,000 (2000)
 * .bj
 * 879 (2004)
 * 4 (2002)
 * 70,000 (2003)
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!| Railways: narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2003) !| Highways: paved: 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.) !| Waterways: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
 * total: 578 km
 * total: 6,787 km
 * 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004)
 * Cotonou, Porto-Novo
 * none
 * 5 (2003 est.)
 * total: 1
 * total: 4
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: females age 15-49: 1,647,850 (2004 est.) !| Military manpower - fit for military service: females age 15-49: 835,633 (2004 est.) !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: females: 81,841 (2004 est.) !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force
 * 21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; in practice, volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months (2004)
 * males age 15-49: 1,638,010
 * males age 15-49: 835,561
 * males: 77,552
 * $98.3 million (2003)
 * 2.7% (2003)
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