Guide to Benin Introduction Background: 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.
Geography Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
Geographic coordinates: 9 30 N, 2 15 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries: total
Coastline: 121 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea
Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point
Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Land use: arable land
Irrigated land: 120 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to
Geography - note: sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands
People Population: 7,460,025 note
Age structure: 0-14 years
Median age: total
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: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth
Infant mortality rate: total
Life expectancy at birth: total population
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
Nationality: noun
Ethnic groups: African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%
Languages: French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Literacy: definition
Government Country name: conventional long form
Government type: republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989
Capital: Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government
Administrative divisions: 12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou
Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: National Day, 1 August (1960)
Constitution: 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
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice
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
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: 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
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) 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 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.
GDP (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
Labor force: NA (1996)
Unemployment rate: NA
Population below poverty line: 33% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (2004 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 19.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
Budget: revenues
Agriculture - products: cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)
Industries: 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
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: NA
Oil - imports: NA
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.)
Exports: $720.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners: China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%, Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004)
Imports: $934.5 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners: China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (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): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code: XOF
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Telephones - main lines in use: 66,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 236,200 (2003)
Telephone system: general assessment
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Radios: 660,000 (2000)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001)
Televisions: 66,000 (2000)
Internet country code: .bj
Internet hosts: 879 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2002)
Internet users: 70,000 (2003)
Transportation Railways: total
Highways: total
Waterways: 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004)
Ports and harbors: Cotonou
Airports: 5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total
Airports - with unpaved runways: total
Military Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military service age and obligation: 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)
Manpower available for military service: males age 21-49
Manpower fit for military service: males age 21-49
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $96.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.4% (2004)
Transnational Issues 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: 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
Last updated: 20 October, 2005
| Weather Statistics | Cotonou |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | | Mean | 28 C | 29 C | 29 C | 29 C | 28 C | 27 C | 26 C | 26 C | 26 C | 27 C | 28 C | 28 C | | Prcp | 14mm | 32mm | 79mm | 118mm | 178mm | 262mm | 115mm | 43mm | 104mm | 142mm | 52mm | 15mm |
| Source: Global Historical Climatology Network |
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