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. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent. YAYI has begun a high profile fight against corruption and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth. |
|
|
|
Location:
|
| Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo
|
|
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
|
9 30 N, 2 15 E
|
|
|
Map references:
|
|
|
Area:
|
|
total: 112,622 sq km
country comparison to the world: 108
land:
110,622 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:
Mont Sokbaro 658 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:
|
|
120 sq km (2003)
|
|
|
Total renewable water resources:
|
|
25.8 cu km (2001)
|
|
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
|
|
total: 0.13 cu km/yr (32%/23%/45%)
per capita:
15 cu m/yr (2001)
|
|
|
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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
|
|
|
Geography - note:
|
|
sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands |
|
|
|
Population:
|
| 8,791,832
country comparison to the world: 91
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 2009 est.)
|
|
|
Age structure:
|
|
0-14 years: 45.2% (male 2,028,493/female 1,948,353)
15-64 years:
52.1% (male 2,275,662/female 2,308,945)
65 years and over:
2.6% (male 94,569/female 135,810) (2009 est.)
|
|
|
Median age:
|
|
total: 17.2 years
male:
16.8 years
female:
17.7 years (2009 est.)
|
|
|
Population growth rate:
|
|
2.977% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
|
|
|
Birth rate:
|
|
39.22 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
|
|
|
Death rate:
|
|
9.45 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
|
|
|
Net migration rate:
|
|
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
|
|
|
Urbanization:
|
|
urban population: 41% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
|
|
Sex ratio:
|
|
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.7 male(s)/female
total population:
1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
|
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
|
total: 64.64 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 34
male:
68.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
61.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
|
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
|
total population: 59 years
country comparison to the world: 185
male:
57.83 years
female:
60.23 years (2009 est.)
|
|
|
Total fertility rate:
|
|
5.49 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
|
|
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
|
1.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
|
|
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
|
64,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
|
|
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
|
3,300 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
|
|
|
Major infectious diseases:
|
|
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases:
malaria and yellow fever
respiratory disease:
meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease:
rabies (2009)
|
|
|
Nationality:
|
|
noun: Beninese (singular and plural)
adjective:
Beninese
|
|
|
Ethnic groups:
|
|
Fon and related 39.2%, Adja and related 15.2%, Yoruba and related 12.3%, Bariba and related 9.2%, Peulh and related 7%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4%, Dendi and related 2.5%, other 1.6% (includes Europeans), unspecified 2.9% (2002 census)
|
|
|
Religions:
|
|
Christian 42.8% (Catholic 27.1%, Celestial 5%, Methodist 3.2%, other Protestant 2.2%, other 5.3%), Muslim 24.4%, Vodoun 17.3%, other 15.5% (2002 census)
|
|
|
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:
34.7%
male:
47.9%
female:
23.3% (2002 census)
|
|
|
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
|
|
total: 7 years
male:
9 years
female:
6 years (2001)
|
|
|
Education expenditures:
|
|
4.4% of GDP (2004)
country comparison to the world: 91
|
|
|
|
|
