from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Benin
Introduction
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
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between
Nigeria and Togo
Geographic 9 30 N, 2 15 E
coordinates:
Map Africa
references:
Area: total: 112,620 sq km
land: 110,620 sq km
water: 2,000 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
comparative:
Land total: 1,989 km
boundaries: border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km,
Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km
Coastline: 121 km
Maritime territorial sea: 200 nm
claims:
Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low
mountains
Elevation lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Natural small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
resources:
Land use: arable land: 23.53%
permanent crops: 2.37%
other: 74.1% (2005)
Irrigated 120 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from
hazards: December to March
Environment - inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching
current threatens wildlife populations; deforestation;
issues: desertification
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no
note: natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
People
Population: 7,862,944
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 2006
est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.1% (male 1,751,709/female 1,719,138)
15-64 years: 53.5% (male 2,067,248/female 2,138,957)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 75,694/female 110,198)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 17.6 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 18 years (2006 est.)
Population 2.73% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 38.85 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 12.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 79.56 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 84.09 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 74.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 53.04 years
expectancy at male: 51.9 years
birth: female: 54.22 years (2006 est.)
Total 5.2 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 1.9% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 68,000 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 5,800 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Major degree of risk: very high
infectious food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal
diseases: diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others
are high risks in some locations
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)
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
Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Languages: French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common
vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six
major ones in north)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 33.6%
male: 46.4%
female: 22.6% (2002 est.)
Government
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 republic
type:
Capital: name: Porto-Novo (official capital)
geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
note: Cotonou (seat of government)
Administrative 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou,
divisions: Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme,
Plateau, Zou
Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France)
National National Day, 1 August (1960)
holiday:
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 chief of state: President Yayi BONI (since 6 April
branch: 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state
and head of government
head of government: President Yayi BONI (since 6 April
2006); 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 (eligible for a second term); runoff
election held 19 March 2006 (next to be held March
2011)
election results: Yayi BONI elected president; percent
of vote - Yayi BONI 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5%
Legislative unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83
branch: seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
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 (UBF, MADEP, FC,
Alliance MDC-PC-CPP, IPD, AFP, MDS, RDP) 52, opposition
(PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31
Judicial Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme
branch: Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
Political Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; African Movement
parties and for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN];
leaders: Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI];
Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD; Key Force or
FC; Movement for Development and Solidarity or MDS;
Movement for Development by the Culture-Salute
Party-Congress of People for Progress Alliance or
Alliance MDC-PS-CPP; New Alliance or NA; Rally for
Democracy and Progress or RDP; Renaissance Party du
Benin or RB [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 NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77,
organization IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
participation: IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, ONUB,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI,
UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN
representation chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
in the US: telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656
FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL
representation embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou
from the US: mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou
telephone: [229] 30-06-50
FAX: [229] 30-06-70
Flag two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red
description: (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side
Economy
Economy - The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and
overview: 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.
Many of these proposals are included in Benin's
application to receive Millennium Challenge Account
funding - for which it was a finalist in 2004-05. The
2001 privatization policy continues in
telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture
in spite of government reluctance. The Paris Club and
bilateral creditors have eased the external debt
situation, with Benin benefiting from a G8 debt
reduction announced in July 2005, 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,
which has resulted in increased smuggling and
criminality in the border region.
GDP $8.419 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $4.34 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 3.5% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $1,100 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 31.6%
composition by industry: 13.8%
sector: services: 54.6% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 3.211 million
Unemployment NA%
rate:
Population 33% (2001 est.)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 3.5% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 19.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $766.8 million
expenditures: $1.017 billion; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Agriculture - cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil,
products: peanuts; livestock
Industries: textiles, food processing, construction materials,
cement
Industrial 8.3% (2001 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 69 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 14.2%
production by hydro: 85.8%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 538.2 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 474 million kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 400 bbl/day (2003)
production:
Oil - 12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 4.105 million bbl (1 January 2002)
reserves:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 1.218 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
proved
reserves:
Current $-400 million (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $826.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
commodities:
Exports - China 31.3%, Indonesia 8.1%, India 7.4%, Niger 6%, Togo
partners: 4.8%, Thailand 4.8%, Nigeria 4.6% (2005)
Imports: $1.043 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
commodities:
Imports - France 21.8%, Ghana 7.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, China 6.7%,
partners: UK 5.2%, Belgium 4.9%, Togo 4.5%, Thailand 4.2%,
Nigeria 4% (2005)
Reserves of $676 million (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $1.6 billion (2000)
external:
Economic aid - $342.6 million (2000)
recipient:
Currency Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -
(code): responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West
African States
Currency code: XOF
Exchange Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US
rates: dollar - 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003),
696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 76,300 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 386,700 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: NA
system: domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio
relay, and cellular connections
international: country code - 229; satellite earth
station - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic
submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to
Europe and Asia
Radio AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 660,000 (2000)
Television 1 (2001)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 66,000 (2000)
Internet .bj
country code:
Internet 867 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 4 (2002)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 425,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 5 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with paved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Airports - total: 4
with unpaved 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)
Railways: total: 578 km
narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 16,000 km
paved: 1,400 km
unpaved: 14,600 km (2005)
Waterways: 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)
Ports and Cotonou
terminals:
Military
Military Army, Navy, Air Force
branches:
Military 21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military
service age service; in practice, volunteers may be taken at the
and age of 18; both sexes are eligible for military
obligation: service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months (2004)
Manpower males age 21-49: 1,295,230
available for females age 21-49: 1,301,936 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 21-49: 749,774
for military females age 21-49: 751,329 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 76,661
reaching females: 75,068 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $100.9 million (2005 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 2.3% (2005 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - Benin and Burkina Faso military clash in 2006 over
international: sections of riverine boundary involving disputed
villages and squatters; much of Benin-Niger boundary,
including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated;
in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin as a
consequence of a 2004 joint task force to resolve
maritime and land boundary disputes, but clashes among
rival gangs along the border persist; 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