Benin


Capital: Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government-
Type of Government: republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989-
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)
Agriculture: cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)-
Airports:
With Paved Runways: total: 1
With Unpaved Runways:
Area: -. -
Background:
Birth rate: 41.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget: revenues: $766.8 million
Coastline: -
Climate: -
Communications:
Constitution: December 1990-
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States-
Current account balance:
Death rate: 13.76 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external: $1.6 billion (2000)-
Dependency status: -
Dependent areas:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN-
Disputes - international: -
Distribution of family income: -
Economic aid - donor: -
Economic aid - recipient: -
Economy - overview:
Electricity - consumption:
Electricity - exports:
Electricity - imports:
Electricity - production:
Elevation extremes: -
Environment - current issues:
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
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 - 480.56 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Executive branch: chief of state: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Exports: $826.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - partners: China 29.5%, India 18.8%, Ghana 6.4%, Niger 6%, Indonesia 4.3%, Nigeria 4.3% (2004)
Fiscal year: calendar year-
Flag description:
GDP (official exchange rate): $4.433 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.676 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 33.9%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.2% (2005 est.)-
Geographic coordinates: -
Geography - note: -
Government - note:
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.)-
Heliports:
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA-
Illicit drugs:
Imports: $1.043 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
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: total: 85 deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.2% (2005 est.)
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEMAC, 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, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet country code: .bj
Internet hosts: 879 (2004)
Internet users: 70,000 (2003)-
Investment (gross fixed): -
Irrigated land:
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Labor force: NA (1996)-
Labor force - by occupation:
Land boundaries: -
Land use:
Languages: French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)-
Legal system:
Legislative branch:
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 52.66 years
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write-
Location:
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high-
Manpower available for military service: -
Manpower fit for military service: -
Manpower reaching military service age annually: -
Map references: -
Maritime claims:
Median age: total: 16.56 years-
Merchant marine: -
Military - note:
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $96.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.4% (2004)
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: noun: Beninese (singular and plural)-
Natural gas - consumption: -
Natural gas - exports: -
Natural gas - imports:
Natural gas - production: -
Natural gas - proved reserves: -
Natural hazards: -
Natural resources:
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: NA (2001)
Oil - imports: NA (2001)
Oil - production: 400 bbl/day (2003)-
Oil - proved reserves: -
People - note: -
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]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA-
Population:
Population below poverty line: 33% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.82% (2005 est.)-
Ports and terminals: -
Public debt:
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)-
Railways: -
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%-
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Roadways: total: 6,787 km
Sex ratio:
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
Telephones - main lines in use: 66,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 236,200 (2003)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001)-
Terrain:
Total fertility rate: 5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.)-
Transportation - note:
Unemployment rate: NA
Waterways: 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004)