Читать книгу The 1997 CIA World Factbook - United States. Central Intelligence Agency - Страница 42

@Benin:Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

Nigeria and Togo

Geographic coordinates: 9 30 N, 2 15 E

Map references: Africa

Area: 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

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: 13% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 4% forests and woodland: 31% other: 48% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 100 sq km (1993 est.)

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 signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note: no natural harbors

@Benin:People

Population: 5,902,178 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0–14 years: 48% (male 1,420,335; female 1,411,160) 15–64 years: 50% (male 1,401,360; female 1,530,626) 65 years and over : 2% (male 60,704; female 77,993) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.31% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 46.28 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 13.14 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15–64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 102.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.15 years male: 51.15 years female: 55.21 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.56 children born/woman (1997 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% male: 48.7% female: 25.8% (1995 est.)

@Benin: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

Data code: BN

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

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; Prime Minister Adrien HOUNGBEDJI (since 9 April 1996) acts as assistant to the president; a prime minister is not provided for in the constitution but was appointed by President KEREKOU with the permission of the constitutional court cabinet: Council of Ministers headed by the prime minister; all are 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 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 1995 (next to be held NA 1999) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RB 20, PRD 19, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 7, NCC 3, RDL-VIVOTEN 3, Communist Party 2, Alliance Chameleon 1, RDP 1, other 17

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle,

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme, High Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders: Alliance of the National Party for

Democracy and Development or PNDD and the Democratic Renewal Party or

PRD [Pascal Chabi KAO]; Action for Renewal and Development or

FARD-ALAFIA [Mathieu KEREKOU]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party

or PSD and the National Union for Solidarity and Progress or UNSP

[Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Alliance Chameleon; Alliance for Democracy and

Progress or ADP [Adekpedjon AKINDES]; Alliance for Social Democracy or

ASD [Robert DOSSOU]; Assembly of Liberal Democrats for National

Reconstruction or RDL [Severin ADJOVI]; Communist Party of Benin,

[Pascal FATONDJI, First Secretary]; Our Common Cause or NCC [Albert

TEVOEDJRE]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP; The Renaissance

Party of Benin or RB [Nicephore SOGLO]

note: as of February 1996, more than 80 political parties were

officially recognized

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA,

ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM,

OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Lucien Edgar TONOUKOUIN chancery : 2737 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232–6656, 6657, 6658 FAX : [1] (202) 265–1996

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John M. YATES embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou mailing address: B. P. 2012, Cotonou telephone : [229] 30–06-50, 30–05-13, 30–17-92 FAX: [229] 30–14-39, 30–19-74

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

Economy

Economy - overview: The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output, which had averaged a sound 4% in 1990–95, rose to 5.5% in 1996. Rapid population growth offset much of this growth in output. Inflation jumped to 55% in 1994 (compared to 3% in 1993) following the 50% currency devaluation in January 1994, but has subsided gradually over the past two years, with 14.5% inflation in 1995 and a target of 4.5% inflation in 1996. Commercial and transport activities, which make up a large part of GDP, are extremely vulnerable to developments in Nigeria as evidenced by decreased reexport trade in 1994 due to a severe contraction in Nigerian demand. Support by the Paris Club and official bilateral creditors has eased the external debt situation in recent years. The government, still burdened with money-losing state enterprises and a bloated civil service, has been gradually implementing a World Bank supported structural adjustment program since 1991.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.2 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,440 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 36.8% industry: 12.6% services : 50.6% (1993)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 14.5% (1995)

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $272 million (1993 est.) expenditures: $375 million, including capital expenditures of $84 million (1993 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - capacity: 28,000 kW (1992)

Electricity - production: 10 million kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 45 kWh (1994 est.)

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

Exports: total value : $300 million (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa partners: Brazil 18%, Portugal 14%, Morocco, Libya, France

Imports: total value: $380 million (c.i.f., 1995) commodities : foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco, petroleum products, intermediate goods, capital goods, light consumer goods partners: France 27%, Thailand 9%, China, Hong Kong

Debt - external: $1.6 billion (1994 est.)

Economic aid: recipient : ODA, $NA

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

Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 541.69 (January 1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992) note: beginning 12 January 1994 the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Benin:Communications

Telephones: 16,200 (1986 est.)

Telephone system: domestic: fair system of open wire and microwave radio relay international : satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); submarine cable

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 0

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 2

Televisions: 20,000 (1993 est.)

@Benin:Transportation

Railways: total: 578 km (single track) narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)

Highways: total: 8,460 km paved: 2,656 km unpaved: 5,804 km (1995 est.)

Waterways: navigable along small sections, important only locally

Ports and harbors: Cotonou, Porto-Novo

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 5 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m : 2 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force),

National Gendarmerie

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15–49 : 1,261,059 females age 15–49: 1,333,966 (1997 est.) note: both sexes are liable for military service

Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 645,660 (1997 est.) females: 675,243 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 64,028 females: 63,056 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $33 million (1994)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.2% (1994)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics associated with

Nigerian trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for

Western Europe and the US

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