Benin

Benin

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name République du Bénin/Republic of Benin Area 112,622 sq km/43,483 sq mi Capital Porto-Novo (official), Cotonou (de facto) Language French (official), Fon (47%), Yoruba (9%) (both in the south), six major tribal languages in the north Religion animist 70%, Muslim 15%, Christian 15% Time difference GMT +1 Major holidays 1, 16 January, 1 April, 1 May, 26 October, 30 November, 25, 31 December; variable: Eid-ul-Adha, end of Ramadan, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Abomey, Natitingou, Parakou, Kandi, Ouidah, Djougou, Bohicon, Cotonou Major ports Cotonou Physical features flat to undulating terrain; hot and humid in south; semiarid in north; coastal lagoons with fishing villages on stilts; Niger River in northeast Airports one international airport and six smaller, domestic airports; total passengers carried: 46,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: 438 km/272 mi; total passenger journeys: 660,000 (2002) Roads total road network: 6,787 km/4,217 mi, of which 20% paved (1999 est); passenger cars: 2.3 per 1,000 people (1998)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Yayi Boni from 2006 Political system emergent democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions twelve departments Political parties Union for the Triumph of Democratic Renewal (UTDR); National Party for Democracy and Development (PNDD); Party for Democratic Renewal (PRD); Social Democratic Party (PSD); National Union for Solidarity and Progress (UNSP); National Democratic Rally (RND). The general orientation of most parties is left of centre Death penalty retains the death penalty for ordinary crimes but can be considered abolitionist in practice Armed forces 4,600; plus paramilitary forces of 2,500 (2006 est) Conscription by selective conscription for 18 months Defence spend (% GDP) 1.6 (2004 est) Education spend (% GDP) 3.3 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 1.9 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency franc CFA GDP (US$) 4.3 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 5.3 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 4.3 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 1,110 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 3% (2006 est) Unemployment c. 25% of urban labour force (2000 est) Labour force 51% agriculture, 8% industry, 41% services (2003) Foreign debt (US$) 1.9 billion (2004 est) Major trading partners China,India, France, Indonesia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Thailand, Niger Resources petroleum, limestone, marble Industries palm-oil processing, brewing, cement, cotton ginning, sugar refining, textiles Exports cotton and textiles, re-exports. Principal market: China 44.2% (2005) Imports petroleum and petroleum products, foodstuffs (particularly cereals), miscellaneous manufactured articles, machinery and transport equipment, beverages, tobacco. Principal source: China 39.1% (2005) Arable land 23.5% (2006 est) Agricultural products cotton, maize, yarns, cassava, sorghum, millet; fishing


POPULATION

Population 8,703,200 (2006 est) Population growth rate 3% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 77 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 46 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 44%, 15–59 52%, 60+ 4% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 99% indigenous African, distributed among 42 ethnic groups, the largest being the Fon, Adja, Yoruba, and Braiba; small European (mainly French) community Life expectancy 55 (men); 57 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 152 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 6 Literacy rate 55% (men); 26% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 0.6 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 0.2 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 1.8 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 9,600 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 79 (urban); 60 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 1 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 5.3 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 441 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 59 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 0.4 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 5.7 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

12th–13th centuries The area was settled by a Ewe-speaking people called the Aja, who mixed with local peoples and gradually formed the Fon ethnic group. 16th century The Aja kingdom, called Great Ardha, was at its peak. early 17th century The Kingdom of Dahomey was established in the south by Fon peoples, who defeated the neighbouring Dan; following contact with European traders, the kingdom became an intermediary in the slave trade. 1800–50 King Dezo of Dahomey raised regiments of female soldiers to attack the Yoruba (‘land of the big cities’) kingdom of eastern Benin and southwest Nigeria in order to obtain slaves. 1857 A French base was established at Grand-Popo. 1892–94 War broke out between the French and Dahomey, after which the victorious French established a protectorate. 1899 Incorporated in federation of French West Africa as Dahomey. 1914 During World War I French troops from Dahomey participated in conquest of German-ruled Togoland to the west. 1940–44 During World War II, along with the rest of French West Africa, the country supported the ‘Free French’ anti-Nazi resistance cause. 1960 Independence achieved from France. 1960–77 Acute political instability, with frequent switches from civilian to military rule, and regional ethnic disputes. 1975 Name of country changed from Dahomey to Benin. 1989 Strikes and protests inspired by Eastern European revolutions; Marxist-Leninism dropped as official ideology; free-market economic reform programme adopted. 1990 Referendum backed establishment of multiparty politics. 1991 Democratic elections; Benin Renaissance Party (PRB) leader, Nicéphore Soglo, became president and formed coalition government. 1996 Major Mathieu Kerekou became president. 2001 President Kerekou re-elected; allegations of electoral fraud. 2005 International Court of Justice awarded nine disputed islands in Niger river to Benin and 16 to Niger. 2006 Yayi Boni won presidential elections as independent candidate. 2007 Pro-Boni coalition won majority in parliamentary elections.


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