|
General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
110,620 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
1,989 km |
|
Coastline: |
121 km |
|
Capital: |
Porto-Novo |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Cotonou, Djougou,
Abomey Calavi |
|
Official
Language: |
French |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Communauté
Financière
Africaine Franc
(XOF) |
|
National Day: |
August 1 |
Location and
Geography
Benin is one of the
smallest countries
in Africa. It is a
long stretch of land
perpendicular to the
coast of the Gulf of
Guinea. Benin has
borders with Burkina
Faso and the Niger
in the North,
Nigeria in the East
and Togo in the
West. The coast is a
straight sandbar to
the South along the
Atlantic Ocean. The
country is divided
into five natural
regions: a coastal
area, two plateaus
with wooded savanna,
a hilly region in
the North-west and
the fertile Niger
plains in the
North-east. In the
South, cultivated
land including
immense palm groves
and coconut
plantations line the
coast. The terrain
is mostly flat to
undulating plains
including some hills
and low mountains.
There is a small
area of arable land.
More than one third
of the land is made
up of forests and
woodlands. The
country has two
rainy and two dry
seasons. The climate
is tropical and hot.
Demography
|
Population:
|
6.54 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
38 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
13 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
93 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 51 years,
Female: 55 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
44.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
23.00 percent
(2001) |
Economy
More than half of
the working
population in Benin
depend on
agriculture which,
together with
regional
cross-border trade
with Nigeria,
represents the main
economic activity of
the country. The
main agricultural
products are yams,
cassava, maize,
millet, beans and
rice to meet the
nutrition demands of
the population, and
cotton, cocoa beans
and coffee for
trade. Shrimp and
deep-sea fishing are
developing. Limited
offshore oil
deposits, iron ore,
gold, phosphates,
gypsum, diamonds,
lignite, limestone,
natural gas, marble
and timber are
Benin’s main natural
resources.
Industrial
activities include
palm oil processing,
cotton-ginning,
cement, textile and
soft drink
production.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
2811 million US$
(2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
430 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
36.0%
Agriculture,
14.0% Industry,
50.0% Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
199 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
1511 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Cotton, palm
products and
cocoa beans |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Foodstuffs,
beverages,
tobacco and
petroleum
products and
light consumer
goods |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
Brazil, Portugal
and France |
|
