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Flag of Benin
Map of Benin
Introduction Benin  
Geography Benin  
Geographic coordinates:
9 30 N, 2 15 E
Map references:
total: 112,620 sq km
land: 110,620 sq km
water: 2,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
total: 1,989 km
121 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
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 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Environment - current issues:
Environment - international agreements:
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
People Benin  
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/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
13.76 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
Sex ratio:
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
Infant mortality rate:
total: 85 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 90 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 79.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 50.51 years
male: 50.14 years
female: 50.89 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.9% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
68,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,800 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2004)
noun: Beninese (singular and plural)
adjective: Beninese
Ethnic groups:
indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 40.9%
male: 56.2%
female: 26.5% (2000)
Government Benin  
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
Administrative divisions:
1 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
National Day, 1 August (1960)
December 1990
Legal system:
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
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:
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:
Political parties and leaders:
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
Political pressure groups and leaders:
International organization participation:
Diplomatic representation in the US:
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
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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
Flag description:
Economy Benin  
Economy - overview:
purchasing power parity - $8.338 billion (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 36.3%
industry: 14.3%
services: 49.4% (2004 est.)
Labor force:
NA (1996)
Unemployment rate:
Population below poverty line:
33% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.8% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
revenues: $869.4 million
expenditures: $720.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products:
textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001)
Industrial production growth rate:
8.3% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production:
285.2 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 14.2%
hydro: 85.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
565.2 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
300 million kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
700 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
11,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
Oil - imports:
Oil - proved reserves:
4.105 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
608.8 million cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$-159.9 million (2004 est.)
$720.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners:
China 30.2%, India 15.6%, Thailand 6%, Ghana 5.9%, Niger 4.5% (2004)
$934.5 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
China 29.7%, France 13.8%, Thailand 7.2%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.6% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$839.3 million (2004 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.6 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient:
$342.6 million (2000)
Currency (code):
Currency code:
Exchange rates:
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Benin  
Telephones - main lines in use:
66,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
236,200 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
660,000 (2000)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (2001)
66,000 (2000)
Internet country code:
Internet hosts:
879 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2002)
Internet users:
70,000 (2003)
Transportation Benin  
total: 578 km
narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
total: 6,787 km
paved: 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors:
5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Military Benin  
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
Military manpower - availability:
males age 21-49: 1,207,071
females age 21-49: 1,216,180 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 21-49: 670,170
females age 21-49: 630,078 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 72,841
females: 71,428 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$96.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.4% (2004)
Transnational Issues Benin  
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:

This page was last updated on 9 August, 2005