Map of Benin | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Dahomey gained its independence from France in 1960; the name was changed to Benin in 1975. From 1974 to 1989 the country was a socialist state; free elections were reestablished in 1991.


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Location: Western Africa bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Nigeria and Togo

Geographic coordinates: 9 30 N 2 15 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 112,620 km²
Land: 110,620 km²
Water: 2,000 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries
Total: 1,989 km
Border countries: (4) Burkina Faso 306 km; , Niger 266 km; , Nigeria 773 km; , Togo 644 km

Coastline: 121 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 200 NM

Climate: tropical; hot humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m

Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits limestone marble timber

Land use
Arable land: 13%
Permanent crops: 4%
Permanent pastures: 4%
Forests and woodland: 31%
Other: 48% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 100 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: hot dry dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter

Geography
Note: no natural harbors


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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 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 2.97% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 37.2% (1999 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Beninese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Beninese

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

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

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50% Christian 30% Muslim 20%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 47.32% (male 1,574,124; female 1,544,741)
15-64 years: 50.38% (male 1,607,900; female 1,712,360)
65 years and over: 2.3% (male 64,756; female 86,901) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.97% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 44.23 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 14.51 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 89.68 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 49.94 years
Male: 49.02 years
Female: 50.88 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.23 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 2.45% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 70,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 5,600 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 37.5%
Male: 52.2%
Female: 23.6% (2000)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Benin
Conventional short form: Benin
Local long form: Republique du Benin
Local short form: Benin
Former: Dahomey

Government type: republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989; democratic reforms adopted February 1990; transition to multiparty system completed 4 April 1991

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

Administrative divisions: 6 provinces; Atakora Atlantique Borgou Mono Oueme Zou; note - six additional provinces have been reported but not confirmed; they are Alibori Collines Couffo Donga Littoral and Plateau; moreover the term 'province' may have been changed to 'department'

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: National Day 1 August (1960)

Constitution: December 1990

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

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
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)
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 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, 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'

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 30 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RB 27, PRD 11, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 9, MADEP 6, E'toile 4, Alliance IPD 4, Car-DUNYA 3, MERCI 2, other 7

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders
Note: the Coalition of Democratic Forces is an alliance of parties and organizations supporting President KEREKOU [Gatien HOUNGBEDJI]

International organization participation: ACCT ACP AfDB CCC ECA ECOWAS Entente FAO FZ G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO (subscriber) ITU MIPONUH MONUC NAM OAU OIC OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNMEE UNTAET UPU WADB WADB (regional) WAEMU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Lucien Edgar TONOUKOUIN
In the us chancery: 2,737 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 232-6,656
In the us fax: [1] (202) 265-1996
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela E. BRIDGEWATER
From the us embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou
From the us mailing address: B. P. 2012, Cotonou
From the us telephone: [229] 30-06-50, 30-05-13, 30-17-92
From the us fax: [229] 30-14-39, 30-19-74

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical green band on the hoist side

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture cotton production and regional trade. Growth in real output averaged a sound 5% in 1996-99 but a rapid population rise offset much of this growth. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. Commercial and transport activities which make up a large part of GDP are vulnerable to developments in Nigeria particularly fuel shortages. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation in recent years. While high fuel prices constrained growth in 2000 increased cotton production - enabled by a major restructuring program - and an expansion of the Cotonou port may lead to increased growth in 2001.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 37.9%
Industry: 13.5%
Services: 48.6% (1999)

Agriculture products: corn sorghum cassava (tapioca) yams beans rice cotton palm oil peanuts; poultry livestock

Industries: textiles cigarettes; beverages food; construction materials petroleum

Industrial production growth rate: 6.9% (2000 est.)

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 37.2% (1999 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $299 million
Expenditures: $445 million, including capital expenditures of $14 million (1995 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3% (2000 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $396 million (f.o.b. 1999)
Commodities: cotton crude oil palm products cocoa
Partners: Brazil 14% Libya 5% Indonesia 4% Italy 4% (1999)

Imports: $566 million (c.i.f. 1999)
Commodities: foodstuffs tobacco petroleum products capital goods
Partners: France 38% China 16% UK 9% Cote d'Ivoire 5% (1999)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $1.6 billion (1998 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 699.21 (January 2001) 711.98 (2000) 615.70 (1999) 589.95 (1998) 583.67 (1997) 511.55 (1996); note - from 1 January 1999 the XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 226 million kWh (1999)
By source fossil fuel: 24.78%
By source hydro: 75.22%
By source nuclear: 0%
By source other: 0% (1999)

Electricity consumption: 510.2 million kWh (1999)

Electricity exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity imports: 300 million kWh (1999)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: 4,295 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
Domestic: fair system of open wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections
International: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); submarine cable

Broadcast media

Internet country code: .bj

Internet users: 10,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $27 million (FY96)
Percent of gdp: 1.2% (FY96)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 5 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 4
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports with paved runways
Total: 1
15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways
Total: 4
2438 to 3047 m: 1
15-24 to 2437 m: 1
914 to 1523 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 578 km (single track)
Narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2000)

Roadways

Waterways: streams navigable along small sections important only locally

Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs