Background
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[ Geography ] [ People ] [ Government ] [ Economy ] [ Communications ] [ Transportation ] [ Military ]

Geography

Background: 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.

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

Geographic coordinates: 9 30 N, 2 15 E

Area:
total: 112,620 sq km
land: 110,620 sq km
water: 2,000 sq km

Land boundaries:
total: 1,989 km
border countries : 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
highest point: Mount Tanekas 641 m

Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber

Land use:
arable land: 23.53%
permanent crops: 2.37%
other: 74.1% (2005)

Irrigated land: 100 sq km (1993 est.); 120 sq km (1998 est.); 120 sq km (2003)

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

Environment - current issues: recent droughts have severely affected marginal agriculture in north; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: no natural harbors

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People

Population: 8,294,941
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.6% (male 1,824,803/female 1,790,723)
15-64 years: 54% (male 2,210,525/female 2,268,138)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 80,081/female 120,671) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.03% (2000 est.); 2.91% (2002 est.); 2.619% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 44.81 births/1,000 population (2000 est.); 43.66 births/1,000 population (2002 est.); 37.36 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 14.51 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.); 14.52 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.); 11.67 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

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: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 90.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.); 88.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.); 76.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.85 years
male: 52.67 years
female: 55.06 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.32 children born/woman (2000 est.); 6.14 children born/woman (2002 est.); 4.96 children born/woman (2008 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

Religions: indigenous beliefs 70%, Muslim 15%, Christian 15%

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: 37% , 37.5%
male: 48.7% , 52.2%
female: 23.6% (2000)

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

National capital: Porto-Novo

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"

Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: National Day, 1 August (1990)

Constitution: 2 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 elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 18 March 1996 (next to be held NA March 2001)
election results: Mathieu KEREKOU elected president; percent of vote - Mathieu KEREKOU 52.49%, Nicephore SOGLO 47.51%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRB 27, PRD 11, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 9, MADEPO 6, Alliance Etoile 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: African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Adekpedjou Sylvain AKINDES]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party or PSD and the National Union for Solidarity and Progress or UNSP [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Benin Renaissance Party or PRB [Nicephore SOGLO]; Cameleon Alliance or AC [leader NA]; Car-DUNYA [leader NA]; Communist Party of Benin or PCB [Pascal FANTONDJI, first secretary]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Front for Renewal and Development or FARD-ALAFIA; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD [Bertin BORNA]; Liberal Democrats' Rally for National Reconstruction-Vivoten or RDL-Vivoten [Severin ADJOVI]; Movement for Citizens' Commitment and Awakening or MERCI [Severin ADJOVI]; New Generation for the Republic or NG [leader NA]; Our Common Cause or NCC [Francois Odjo TANKPINON]; Rally for Democracy and Pan-Africanism or RDP [Dominique HOYMINOU, Dr. Giles Auguste MINONTIN]; The Star Alliance (Alliance E'toile) [leader NA]; Union for National Democracy and Solidarity or UDS [Adamou N'Diaye MAMA]

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

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

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Economy

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 seven 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. Specific projects to improve the business climate by reforms to the land tenure system, the commercial justice system, and the financial sector were included in Benin's $307 million Millennium Challenge Account grant signed in February 2006. The 2001 privatization policy continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture though the government annulled the privatization of Benin's state cotton company in November 2007 after the discovery of irregularities in the bidding process. 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. An insufficient electrical supply continues to adversely affect Benin's economic growth though the government recently has taken steps to increase domestic power production.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.1 billion (1999 est.); $6.8 billion (2001 est.); $12.18 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - 5% (1999 est.); 5.4% (2001 est.); 4.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,300 (1999 est.); $1,040 (2001 est.); $1,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 33.2%
industry: 14.5%
services: 52.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line: 33% (1995 est.), 37% (2001 est.); 37.4% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.1%
highest 10%: 29% (2003)

Inflation rate - consumer prices: 3% (1999 est.); 3% (2001 est.); 2.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 5.38 million (2007 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $936.9 million
expenditures: $1.226 billion (2007 est.)

Industries: textiles, cigarettes; beverages, food; construction materials, petroleum

Industrial production growth rate: 8.3% (2001 est.); 4.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production: 10 million kWh (1994) , 240 million kWh (2000); 105 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - consumption: 276 million kWh (1998) , 523.2 million kWh (2000); 587 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports: 270 million kWh (1998), 300 million kWh (2000); 595 million kWh (2005)

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

Exports:
total value :$396 million (f.o.b., 1999); $35.3 million (f.o.b., 2000); $708.7 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
commodities: cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
partners: China 20.9%, Indonesia 7.7%, India 7%, Netherlands 6.2%, Niger 5.7%, Togo 4.6%, Nigeria 4.3% (2006)

Imports:
total value: $566 million (f.o.b., 1999); $437.6 million (c.i.f., 2000); $976.3 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)
commodities :foodstuffs, tobacco, petroleum products, capital goods foodstuffs, tobacco, petroleum products, capital goods
partners: China 46.6%, France 7.5%, Thailand 6% (2006)

Debt - external: $1.6 billion (1997 est.); $1.18 billion (2000); $1.2 billion (2007)

Economic aid:
recipient : $281.2 million (1995); $342.6 million (2000); $374.7 million (2006)

Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)
note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Fiscal year: calendar year

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Communications

Telephones: 28,000 (1995); 51,000 (2000); 77,300 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,050 (1995); 55,500 (2000); 1.056 million (2006)

Telephone system: inadequate; fixed-line network is almost saturated with fixed-line teledensity stuck at a meager 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership is increasing
domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections; four mobile-cellular providers
international: country code - 229; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998); AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000); AM 1, FM 34, shortwave 1 (2007)

Radios: 620,000 (1997) , 660,000 (2000)

Television broadcast stations: 2 (one privately-owned) (1997),1 (2001)

Televisions: 60,000 (1997) , 66,000 (2000)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2002)

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Transportation

Railways:
total: 758 km
narrow gauge: 758 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Highways:
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 harbors: Cotonou, Porto-Novo

Airports: 5 (1999 est.), 5 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

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 (2007)

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Military

Military branches: Benin Armed Forces (FAB): Army (l'Arme de Terre), Benin Navy (Forces Navales Beninois, FNB), Benin People's Air Force (Force Aerienne Populaire de Benin, FAPB) (2008)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 16-49: 1,908,457
females age 16-49: 1,882,421 (2008 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,173,742
females age 16-49: 1,162,113 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.7% (2006)

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