]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo ^# 9 30 N, 2 15 E ^$ Africa ^% `! 112,620 sq km `" 110,620 sq km `# 2,000 sq km ^& slightly smaller than Pennsylvania ^' `! 1,989 km `U Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km ^( 121 km ^) `$ 200 nm ^* tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north ^+ mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& Mont Sokbaro 658 m ^- small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber ^. `' 18.08% `( 2.4% `) 79.52% (2001) ^/ 120 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March ^1 inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands `L none of the selected agreements ^2 sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands 
]# ^3 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.) ^4 `* 46.5% (male 1,752,243/female 1,719,458) `+ 51.2% (male 1,868,630/female 1,948,610) `, 2.3% (male 70,367/female 100,717) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 16.56 years `- 16.12 years `. 17.01 years (2005 est.) ^6 2.82% (2005 est.) ^7 41.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 13.76 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.03 male(s)/female `0 1.02 male(s)/female `+ 0.96 male(s)/female `, 0.7 male(s)/female `1 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 85 deaths/1,000 live births `- 90 deaths/1,000 live births `. 79.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 52.66 years `- 51.53 years `. 53.82 years (2005 est.) ^= 5.86 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 1.9% (2003 est.) ^? 68,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 5,800 (2003 est.) __ 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) ^A `2 Beninese (singular and plural) `3 Beninese ^B African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500 ^C indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20% ^D French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north) ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 33.6% `- 46.4% `. 22.6% (2002 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Republic of Benin `5 Benin `V Republique du Benin `W Benin `X Dahomey ^H republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989 ^I Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government ^J 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou ^K 1 August 1960 (from France) ^L National Day, 1 August (1960) ^M December 1990 ^N based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `6 President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `7 President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `8 Council of Ministers appointed by the president `9 president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; runoff election held 22 March 2001 (next to be held March 2006) `: 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" ^Q unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) `9 last held 30 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007) `: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Presidential Movement 52, opposition (PRB, PRD, E'toile, and 5 other small parties) 31 ^R Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice ^S 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 ^T NA ^U ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, 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, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ^V `N Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN `O 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 `P [1] (202) 232-6656 `Q [1] (202) 265-1996 ^W `N Ambassador Wayne NEILL `Z Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou `[ 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou `P [229] 30-06-50 `Q [229] 30-06-70 ^X two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side 
]% ^Y 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. The 2001 privatization policy should continue in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of initial government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, 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. As a result, smuggling and criminality along the Benin-Nigeria border has been on the rise. ^Z $8.338 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 5% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2004 est.) ^] `; 36.3% `< 14.3% `= 49.4% (2004 est.) ^^ NA (1996) ^` NA ^a 33% (2001 est.) _! `> NA `? NA _" 2.8% (2004 est.) _P 19.3% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $869.4 million `A $720.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) _$ cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001) _% textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001) _& 8.3% (2001 est.) _' 285.2 million kWh (2002) _( 565.2 million kWh (2002) _) 0 kWh (2002) _* 300 million kWh (2002) _+ 700 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 11,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _R 4.105 million bbl (1 January 2002) _W 608.8 million cu m (1 January 2002) _X $-159.9 million (2004 est.) _/ $720.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa _1 China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%, Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004) _2 $934.5 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products _4 China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004) _Y $839.3 million (2004 est.) _5 $1.6 billion (2000) _6 $342.6 million (2000) _7 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States _8 Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 66,500 (2003) _; 236,200 (2003) _< `B NA `C fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections `D country code - 229; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia _= AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000) _> 1 (2001) _? .bj _@ 879 (2004) _A 70,000 (2003) 
]' _e `! 578 km `c 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2004) _B `! 6,787 km `E 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways) `F 5,430 km (1999 est.) _b 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004) _C Cotonou _D 5 (2004 est.) _E `! 1 `^ 1 (2004 est.) _L `! 4 `G 1 `^ 1 `_ 2 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Army, Navy, Air Force _M 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) _] males age 21-49: 1,207,071 females age 21-49: 1,216,180 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 21-49: 670,170 females age 21-49: 630,078 (2005 est.) _^ `` 72,841 females: 71,428 (2005 est.) _N $96.5 million (2004) _O 2.4% (2004) 
]) _H 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 _I 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 