BENIN                                                                           
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 112,620 km2; land area: 110,620 km2                                 
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania                            
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 1,989 km total; Burkina 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                                                                       
                                                                                
Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone,                      
marble, timber                                                                  
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 12%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures             
4%; forest and woodland 35%; other 45%, includes irrigated NEGL%                
                                                                                
Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in                 
winter; deforestation; desertification                                          
                                                                                
Note: recent droughts have severely affected marginal                           
agriculture in north; no natural harbors                                        
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 4,831,823 (July 1991), growth rate 3.3% (1991)                      
                                                                                
Birth rate: 49 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                          
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 119 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                      
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 52 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Beninese (sing., pl.); adjective--Beninese                   
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important                 
being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba); Europeans 5,500                               
                                                                                
Religion: indigenous beliefs 70%, Muslim 15%, Christian 15%                     
                                                                                
Language: French (official); Fon and Yoruba most common                         
vernaculars in south; at least six major tribal languages in north              
                                                                                
Literacy: 23% (male 32%, female 16%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1990 est.)                                                      
                                                                                
Labor force: 1,900,000 (1987); agriculture 60%, transport,                      
commerce, and public services 38%, industry less than 2%; 49% of                
population of working age (1985)                                                
                                                                                
Organized labor: about 75% of wage earners                                      
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Republic of Benin                                               
                                                                                
Type: dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989; democratic reforms                
adopted February 1990; transition to multiparty system completed 4              
April 1991                                                                      
                                                                                
Capital: Porto-Novo (official), Cotonou (de facto)                              
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces; Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou,             
Mono, Oueme, Zou                                                                
                                                                                
Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France; formerly Dahomey)                     
                                                                                
Constitution: 2 December 1990                                                   
                                                                                
Legal system: based on French civil law and customary law; has not              
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction                                            
                                                                                
National holiday: National Day, 1 August (1990)                                 
                                                                                
Executive branch: president, cabinet                                            
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee                     
Nationale)                                                                      
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)                                   
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Nicephore                      
SOGLO (since 4 April 1991)                                                      
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders: the People's Revolutionary Party                 
of Benin (PRPB) headed by President Mathieu KEREKOU, chairman of                
the Central Committee, was dissolved 30 April 1990;                             
Alliance of the Democratic Union for the Forces of Progress (UDFP),             
Timothee ADANLIN;                                                               
Movement for Democracy and Social Progress (MDPS), Jean-Roger AHOYO; and        
the Union for Liberty and Development (ULD), Marcellin DEGBE;                   
                                                                                
Alliance of the National Party for Democracy and Development (PNDD) and         
the Democratic Renewal Party (PRD), Pascal Chabi KAO;                           
                                                                                
Alliance of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Union            
for Solidarity and Progress (UNSP), Bruno AMOUSSOU;                             
                                                                                
Our Common Cause (NCC), Albert TEVEODJRE;                                       
National Rally for Democracy (RND), Joseph KEKE;                                
                                                                                
Alliance of the National Movement for Democracy and Development (MNDD);         
Movement for Solidarity, Union, and Progress (MSUP);                            
and Union for Democracy and National Reconstruction (UDRN), Bertin BORNA;       
                                                                                
Union for Democracy and National Solidarity (UDS), Mama Amadou N'DIAYE;         
Assembly of Liberal Democrats for National Reconstruction (RDL),                
Severin ADJOVI;                                                                 
                                                                                
Alliance of the Alliance for Social Democracy (ASD) and Bloc for                
Social Democracy (BSD), Robert DOSSOU;                                          
                                                                                
Alliance of the Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ADP) and                   
Democratic Union for Social Renewal (UDRS), Bio Gado Seko N'GOYE;               
National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP), Robert TAGNON;                
numerous other small parties                                                    
Suffrage: universal at age 18                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
President--last held 10 and 24 March 1991 (next to be held                      
March 1996);                                                                    
results--Nicephore SOGLO 68%, Mathieu KEREKOU 32%;                              
                                                                                
National Assembly--last held 10 and 24 March 1991 (next to be held              
March 1996);                                                                    
results--NA percent of the vote;                                                
seats--(64 total) UDFP-MDPS-ULD 12, PNDD/PRD 9, PSD/UNSP 8, NCC 7,              
RND 7, MNDD/MSUP/UDRN 6, UDS 5, RDL 4, ASD/BSD 3, ADP/UDRS 2, UNDP 1            
                                                                                
Communists: Communist Party of Dahomey (PCD) remains active                     
                                                                                
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ,                
G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,           
INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,       
WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO                                            
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Candide AHOUANSOU; Charge                 
d'Affaires Corneille MEHISSOU; Chancery at 2737 Cathedral Avenue NW,            
Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-6656;                                  
                                                                                
US--Ambassador Harriet ISOM; Embassy at Rue Caporal Anani Bernard,              
Cotonou (mailing address is B. P. 2012, Cotonou); telephone  229                
30-06-50                                                                        
                                                                                
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a                 
vertical green band on the hoist side                                           
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: Benin is one of the least developed countries in the                  
world because of limited natural resources and a poorly developed               
infrastructure. Agriculture accounts for almost 40% of GDP, employs             
about 60% of the labor force, and generates a major share of foreign            
exchange earnings. The industrial sector contributes only about 15% to          
GDP and employs 2% of the work force. Persistently low prices in recent         
years have limited hard currency earnings from Benin's major exports of         
agricultural products and crude oil.                                            
                                                                                
GDP: $2.0 billion, per capita $400; real growth rate 2.6% (1990)                
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.0% (1990)                                   
                                                                                
Unemployment: NA%                                                               
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $194 million; expenditures $390 million, including             
capital expenditures of $104 million (1990 est.)                                
                                                                                
Exports: $250 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);                                      
                                                                                
commodities--crude oil, cotton, palm products, cocoa;                           
                                                                                
partners--FRG 36%, France 16%, Spain 14%, Italy 8%, UK 4%                       
                                                                                
Imports: $442 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                      
                                                                                
commodities--foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco, petroleum products,                
intermediate goods, capital goods, light consumer goods;                        
                                                                                
partners--France 34%, Netherlands 10%, Japan 7%, Italy 6%, US 4%                
                                                                                
External debt: $1.0 billion (December 1990 est.)                                
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate - 0.7% (1988); accounts for                  
30% of GDP                                                                      
                                                                                
Electricity: 28,000 kW capacity; 24 million kWh produced,                       
5 kWh per capita (1989)                                                         
                                                                                
Industries: textiles,cigarettes, construction materials,                        
beverages, food production, petroleum                                           
                                                                                
Agriculture: small farms produce 90% of agricultural output;                    
production is dominated by food crops--corn, sorghum, cassava, beans,           
and rice; cash crops include cotton, palm oil, and peanuts; poultry             
and livestock output has not kept up with consumption                           
                                                                                
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $46                    
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments          
(1970-88), $1.1 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $19 million;             
Communist countries (1970-89), $101 million                                     
                                                                                
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc                                 
(plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes                             
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF)                   
per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989),                  
297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)                      
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: 578 km, all 1.000-meter gauge, single track                          
                                                                                
Highways: 5,050 km total; 920 km paved, 2,600 laterite, 1,530 km                
improved earth                                                                  
                                                                                
Inland waterways: navigable along small sections, important                     
only locally                                                                    
                                                                                
Ports: Cotonou                                                                  
                                                                                
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft                                           
                                                                                
Airports: 6 total, 4 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;                  
none with runways over 2,439 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m                    
                                                                                
Telecommunications: fair system of open wire, submarine cable, and              
radio relay; 16,200 telephones; stations--2 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic          
Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth station                                          
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: People's Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force),              
National Gendarmerie, People's Militia, Presidential Guard                      
                                                                                
Manpower availability: eligible 15-49, 2,089,646; of the 991,278                
males 15-49, 507,482 are fit for military service; of the 1,098,368             
females 15-49, 554,454 are fit for military service; about 57,106 males         
and 55,297 females reach military age (18) annually; both sexes are             
liable for military service                                                     
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $38 million, 2.3% of GDP (1988)                           
                                                                                
