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.

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: 18.08%
Permanent crops: 2.4%
Other: 79.52% (2001)

Irrigated land: 120 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: hot dry dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March

Geography
Note: sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors river mouths or islands

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 2005 est.)
Growth rate: 2.82% (2005 est.)
Below poverty line: 33% (2001 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%

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.)

Median age
Total: 16.56 years
Male: 16.12 years
Female: 17.01 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.82% (2005 est.)

Birth rate: 41.99 births/1000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate: 13.76 deaths/1000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2005 est.)

Environment
Current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 85 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 90 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 79.86 deaths/1000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 52.66 years
Male: 51.53 years
Female: 53.82 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.9% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 68,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 5,800 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2004)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 33.6%
Male: 46.4%
Female: 22.6% (2002 est.)

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

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

Administrative divisions: 12 departments; Alibori Atakora Atlantique Borgou Collines Kouffo Donga Littoral Mono Oueme Plateau Zou

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

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 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 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'

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)
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

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

Political parties and leaders
Note: approximately 20 additional minor parties

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN
In the us chancery: 2,124 Kalorama Road 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 Wayne NEILL
From the us embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou
From the us mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou
From the us telephone: [229] 30-06-50
From the us fax: [229] 30-06-70

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

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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $8.338 billion (2004 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (2004 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $1200 (2004 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 36.3%
Industry: 14.3%
Services: 49.4% (2004 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton corn cassava (tapioca) yams beans palm oil peanuts livestock (2001)

Industries: textiles food processing construction materials cement (2001)

Industrial production growth rate: 8.3% (2001 est.)

Labor force: NA (1996)

Unemployment rate: NA

Population below poverty line: 33% (2001 est.)

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

Budget
Revenues: $869.4 million
Expenditures: $720.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.8% (2004 est.)

Current account balance: $-159.9 million (2004 est.)

Exports: $720.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: cotton crude oil palm products cocoa
Partners: China 28.7% India 18.4% Ghana 6.3% Thailand 6% Niger 5.8% Indonesia 4.2% Nigeria 4.2% (2004)

Imports: $934.5 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs capital goods petroleum products
Partners: China 32.2% France 13% Thailand 6.7% Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $839.3 million (2004 est.)

Debt external: $1.6 billion (2000)

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)

Electricity
Production: 285.2 million kWh (2002)
Consumption: 565.2 million kWh (2002)
Exports: 0 kWh (2002)
Imports: 300 million kWh (2002)

Natural gas
Proven reserves: 608.8 million m³ (1 January 2002)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 66,500 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 236,200 (2003)

Telephone system
General assessment: NA
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

Internet
Country code: .bj
Hosts: 879 (2004)
Users: 70,000 (2003)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $96.5 million (2004)
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)

Airports: 5 (2004 est.)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2004 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 (2004 est.)

Railways
Total: 578 km
Narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

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

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

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