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Benin
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. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent. YAYI has begun a high profile fight against corruption and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth.
Location :
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Geographic Coordinates Center :
9 30 N, 2 15 E (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | 0.77 |
| North | 12.42 |
| East | 3.85 |
| South | 6.23 |
Map references :
Africa
Area :
| total | 112 622 | square km |
| land | 110 622 | square km |
| water | 2 000 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 1 989 | km |
| Burkina Faso (bf) | 306 | km |
| Niger (ne) | 266 | km |
| Nigeria (ng) | 773 | km |
| Togo (tg) | 644 | km |
Coastline :
121.00 km
Climate :
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain :
mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 658 | metres |
Land use :
| arable land | 23.53 | % |
| permanent crops | 2.37 | % |
| other | 74.10 | % |
Irrigated land :
120 square km
Total renewable water resources :
25 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| harmattan winds |
current issues :
inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
international agreements :
| 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 |
Population :
8 791 832
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.98 | % |
| Birth rate | 39.22 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 5.49 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 9.45 | deaths/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 45.20 | % |
| 15-64 years | 52.10 | % |
| 65 years and over | 2.60 | % |
Median age :
| total | 17.20 | years |
| male | 16.80 | years |
| female | 17.70 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.04 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 0.99 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.70 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.00 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 64.64 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 59.00 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 57.83 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 60.23 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 1.20 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 64 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 3 300 |
Religions :
| Christian | 42.80 | % |
| Muslim | 24.40 | % |
| Vodoun | 17.30 | % |
| other | 15.50 | % |
Languages :
| French | |
| Fon | |
| Yoruba |
Literacy :
| total population | 34.70 | % |
| male | 47.90 | % |
| female | 23.30 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Republic of Benin |
| conventional short form | Benin |
| local long form | Republique du Benin |
| local short form | Benin |
| former | Dahomey |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | BJ |
| ISO Numeric | 204 |
| ISO3 | BEN |
| FIPS | BN |
| ccTLD | bj |
| English | Benin |
Administrative divisions :
12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Capital :
| name | Porto-Novo |
| geographic coordinates | 6 29 N, 2 37 E |
| time difference | 1.00 |
International organization participation :
| ACCT | ACP |
| AU | AfDB |
| ECOWAS | Entente |
| FAO | FZ |
| G-77 | IAEA |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICCt | ICRM |
| IDA | IDB |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IOC | IOM |
| IPU | ISO (correspondent) |
| ITSO | ITU |
| ITUC | Interpol |
| MIGA | MONUC |
| NAM | OAS (observer) |
| OIC | OIF |
| OPCW | PCA |
| UN | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNHCR |
| UNIDO | UNMIL |
| UNMIS | UNOCI |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| WADB (regional) | WAEMU |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
Independence :
1960-08-01
National holiday :
National Day
1960-08-01
Executive branch :
| President Thomas YAYI Boni |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 13 440 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 6 401 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 3.20 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 1 500 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 33.20 | % |
| industry | 14.50 | % |
| services | 52.30 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 3 662 000 | people |
| Population below poverty line | 37.40 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 36.50 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.00 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 18.20 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 514 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 1 061 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 1 200 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 1.70 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 3.10 | % |
| highest 10% | 29.00 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 1 244 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 1 634 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| beans | cashews |
| cassava | corn |
| cotton | livestock |
| palm oil | peanuts |
| yams |
Industries :
| cement | construction materials |
| food processing | textiles |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 124 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 597 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 588 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 21 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 8 770 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 28 900 | bbl/day |
| Oil Proved reserves | 8 000 000 | bbl |
| Electricity Exports | 1 133 000 000 | cubic metres |
Value :
1 024 000 000 $
Partners :
| China (cn) | 15.20 | % |
| India (in) | 13.60 | % |
| Japan (jp) | 8.30 | % |
| Niger (ne) | 4.80 | % |
| United States (us) | 4.50 | % |
| Nigeria (ng) | 4.20 | % |
Commodities :
| cashews | cotton |
| palm products | seafood |
| shea butter | textiles |
Value :
1 543 000 000 $
Partners :
| China (cn) | 36.10 | % |
| United States (us) | 13.30 | % |
| Thailand (th) | 6.60 | % |
| France (fr) | 6.50 | % |
| Malaysia (my) | 6.20 | % |
Commodities :
| capital products | foodstuffs |
| petroleum products |
Currency-code :
XOF
Currency-name :
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 159 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 3 435 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 34 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 6 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | bj | |
| Internet Hosts | 1 155 | |
| Internet Users | 160 000 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 1 | |
| Roadways - total | 16 000 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 1 400 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 14 600 | km |
| Railways | 578 | km |
| Waterways | 150 | km |
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