2005 Edition

Administrative divisions

12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou

Age structure

0-14 years: 46.5% (male 1,752,243/female 1,719,458) 15-64 years: 51.2% (male 1,868,630/female 1,948,610) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 70,367/female 100,717) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)

Airports

5 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

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

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 (2004 est.) Military Benin

Area

land

110,620 sq km

total

112,620 sq km

water

2,000 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

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. Geography Benin

Birth rate

41.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$720.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

revenues

$869.4 million

Capital

Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government

Climate

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Coastline

121 km

Constitution

December 1990

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Benin

conventional short form

Benin

former

Dahomey

local long form

Republique du Benin

local short form

Benin

Currency (code)

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code

XOF

Current account balance

$-159.9 million (2004 est.)

Death rate

13.76 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$1.6 billion (2000)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Wayne NEILL

embassy

Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou

FAX

[229] 30-06-70

mailing address

01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou

telephone

[229] 30-06-50

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN

FAX

[1] (202) 265-1996

telephone

[1] (202) 232-6656

Disputes - international

two villages remain in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso; accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and the states expect a ruling in 2005 from the ICJ over the disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; a joint task force was established in 2004 that resolved disputes over and redrew the maritime and the 870-km land boundary with Nigeria, including the sovereignty over seven villages along the Okpara River; a joint boundary commission continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo moved boundary stones

Economic aid - recipient

$342.6 million (2000)

Economy - overview

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. 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 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. As a result, smuggling and criminality along the Benin-Nigeria border has been on the rise.

Electricity - consumption

565.2 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

300 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

285.2 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

14.2%

hydro

85.8%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mont Sokbaro 658 m

lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

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

African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

chief of state

President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

election results

Mathieu KEREKOU reelected president; percent of vote - Mathieu KEREKOU 84.1%, Bruno AMOUSSOU 15.9% note: the four top-ranking contenders following the first-round

elections

president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; runoff election held 22 March 2001 (next to be held March 2006)

head of government

President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

presidential elections were

Mathieu KEREKOU (incumbent) 45.4%, Nicephore SOGLO (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 SOGLO 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"

Exports

$720.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa

Exports - partners

China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%, Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Benin

Flag description

two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side Economy Benin

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

36.3%

industry

14.3%

services

49.4% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$8.338 billion (2004 est.)

Geographic coordinates

9 30 N, 2 15 E

Geography - note

sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands People Benin

Government type

republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989

Highways

paved

1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways)

total

6,787 km

unpaved

5,430 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

5,800 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

68,000 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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 This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$934.5 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products

Imports - partners

China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004)

Independence

1 August 1960 (from France)

Industrial production growth rate

8.3% (2001 est.)

Industries

textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001)

Infant mortality rate

female

79.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

90 deaths/1,000 live births

total

85 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.8% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

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

Internet country code

.bj

Internet hosts

879 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

4 (2002)

Internet users

70,000 (2003) Transportation Benin

Investment (gross fixed)

19.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

Irrigated land

120 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice

Labor force

NA (1996)

Land boundaries

border countries

Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km

total

1,989 km

Land use

arable land

18.08%

other

79.52% (2001)

permanent crops

2.4%

Languages

French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)

Legal system

based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

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 March 2007)

Life expectancy at birth

female

53.82 years (2005 est.)

male

51.53 years

total population

52.66 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

22.6% (2002 est.) Government Benin

male

46.4%

total population

33.6%

Location

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

very high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

respiratory disease

meningococcal meningitis (2004)

vectorborne diseases

malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations

Manpower available for military service

males age 21-49: 1,207,071 females age 21-49: 1,216,180 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 21-49: 670,170 females age 21-49: 630,078 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females

71,428 (2005 est.)

males

72,841

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea

200 nm

Median age

female

17.01 years (2005 est.)

male

16.12 years

total

16.56 years

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$96.5 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.4% (2004) Transnational Issues Benin

Military service age and obligation

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)

National holiday

National Day, 1 August (1960)

Nationality

adjective

Beninese

noun

Beninese (singular and plural)

Natural gas - proved reserves

608.8 million cu m (1 January 2002)

Natural hazards

hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March

Natural resources

small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

11,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

4.105 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Political parties and leaders

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 four 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] note: approximately 20 additional minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

7,460,025 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 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

33% (2001 est.)

Population growth rate

2.82% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Cotonou

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)

Radios

660,000 (2000)

Railways

narrow gauge

578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

total

578 km

Religions

indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$839.3 million (2004 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

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

general assessment

NA

international

country code - 229; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

Telephones - main lines in use

66,500 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular

236,200 (2003)

Television broadcast stations

1 (2001)

Televisions

66,000 (2000)

Terrain

mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

Total fertility rate

5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA

Waterways

150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004)