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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Western
Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria
and Togo |
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Geographic coordinates:
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9 30 N, 2
15 E |
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Map references:
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Africa
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Area:
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total:
112,620 sq km
land: 110,620 sq km
water: 2,000 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than Pennsylvania |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
1,989 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266
km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km |
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Coastline:
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121 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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tropical;
hot, humid in south; semiarid in north |
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Terrain:
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mostly
flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m |
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Natural resources:
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small
offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 18.08%
permanent crops: 2.4%
other: 79.52% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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120 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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hot, dry,
dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to
March |
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Environment - current issues:
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inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens
wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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sandbanks
create difficult access to a coast with no natural
harbors, river mouths, or islands |
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Population:
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7,460,025
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.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
16.56 years
male: 16.12 years
female: 17.01 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.82%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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41.99
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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13.76
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 90 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 79.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 52.66 years
male: 51.53 years
female: 53.82 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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5.86
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.9%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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68,000
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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5,800
(2003 est.) |
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Major infectious diseases:
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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) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Beninese (singular and plural)
adjective: Beninese |
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Ethnic groups:
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African
99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja,
Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 |
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Religions:
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indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% |
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Languages:
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French
(official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in
south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in
north) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 33.6%
male: 46.4%
female: 22.6% (2002 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Benin
conventional short form: Benin
local long form: Republique du Benin
local short form: Benin
former: Dahomey |
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Government type:
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republic
under multiparty democratic rule; dropped
Marxism-Leninism December 1989 |
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Capital:
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Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat
of government |
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Administrative divisions:
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12
departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou,
Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau,
Zou |
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Independence:
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1 August
1960 (from France) |
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National holiday:
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National
Day, 1 August (1960) |
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Constitution:
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December
1990 |
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Legal system:
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based on
French civil law and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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"
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83
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 52, opposition (PRB,
PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31 |
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Judicial branch:
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Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme
Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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]
note: approximately 20 additional minor parties
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN
chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656
FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Wayne NEILL
embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou
mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou
telephone: [229] 30-06-50
FAX: [229] 30-06-70 |
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Flag description:
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two equal
horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a
vertical green band on the hoist side |
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Economy - overview:
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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. 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. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$8.676 billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$4.433 billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.2% (2005 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2005 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 33.9%
industry: 13.6%
services: 52.5% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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NA (1996) |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA |
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Population below poverty line:
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33% (2001 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.2% (2005 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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20.1% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $766.8 million
expenditures: $1.017 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2005 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil,
peanuts, livestock (2001) |
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Industries:
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textiles, food processing, construction materials,
cement (2001) |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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8.3% (2001 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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69 million kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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538.2 million kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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474 million kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production:
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400 bbl/day (2003) |
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Oil - consumption:
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12,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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4.105 million bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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608.8 million cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Current account balance:
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$-155.1 million (2005 est.) |
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Exports:
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$826.9 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
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Exports - partners:
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China 29.5%, India 18.8%, Ghana 6.4%, Niger 6%,
Indonesia 4.3%, Nigeria 4.3% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$1.043 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
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Imports - partners:
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China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d''Ivoire
5.3% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$523.7 million (2005 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$1.6 billion (2000) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$342.6 million (2000) |
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Currency (code):
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Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -
responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West
African States |
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Exchange rates:
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Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US
dollar - 480.56 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003),
696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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66,500
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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236,200
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: NA
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 (2005) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2, FM
9, shortwave 4 (2000) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (2001)
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Internet country code:
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.bj |
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Internet hosts:
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879
(2004) |
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Internet users:
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70,000
(2003) |
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Airports:
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5 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2005 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2005 est.) |
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Railways:
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total:
578 km
narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004) |
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Roadways:
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total:
6,787 km
paved: 1,357 km
unpaved: 5,430 km (1999) |
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Waterways:
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150 km
(on River Niger along northern border) (2004) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Cotonou
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Military branches:
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Army,
Navy, Air Force |
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Military service age and obligation:
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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) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 21-49: 1,207,071
females age 21-49: 1,216,180 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 21-49: 670,170
females age 21-49: 630,078 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
72,841
females: 71,428 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$96.5
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.4%
(2004) |
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Disputes - international:
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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 |
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Illicit drugs:
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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 |
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