Capital: Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat
of government
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces; Atakora, Atlantique,
Borgou, Mono, Oueme, Zou
note: six additional provinces have been reported but not confirmed;
they are Alibori, Collines, Couffo, Donga, Littoral, and Plateau;
moreover, the term "province" may have been changed to "department"
Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: National Day, 1 August (1990)
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: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996);
note—the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Mathieu KEREKOU (since 4 April 1996);
note—the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 18 March 1996 (next to be held NA March 2001)
election results: Mathieu KEREKOU elected president; percent of
vote—Mathieu KEREKOU 52.49%, Nicephore SOGLO 47.51%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 1995 (next to be held 28 March 1999)
election results: percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—PRB
20, PRD 19, FARD-ALAFIA 10, PSD 7, NCC 3, RDL-VIVOTEN 3, PCB 2, AC
1, RDP 1, other 17
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle,
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme, High Court of Justice
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Civic Renewal or ARC
Sylvain AKINDES]; Alliance of the Social Democratic Party or PSD and
KINA]; Liberal Democrats' Rally for National Reconstruction-Vivoten
note: as of December 1998, more than 110 political parties were
officially recognized; among them are Benin Renaissance Party or
PRB, Our Common Cause or NCC, Cameleon Alliance or AC, Rally for
Democracy and Pan-Africanism or RDP
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA,
ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, MINURCA, MIPONUH, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Lucien Edgar TONOUKOUIN chancery: 2737 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Robert C. FELDER embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou mailing address: B. P. 2012, Cotonou
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red 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 a sound 4% in 1990–95 and 5% in 1996–98. Rapid population growth has offset much of this growth in output. Inflation has subsided over the past three years. Commercial and transport activities, which make up a large part of GDP, are vulnerable to developments in Nigeria, particularly fuel shortages. Support by the Paris Club and official bilateral creditors has eased the external debt situation in recent years. The government, still burdened with money-losing state enterprises and a bloated civil service, has been gradually implementing a World Bank supported structural adjustment program since 1991.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$7.6 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 4.4% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,300 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 34% industry: 14% services: 52% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 33% (1995 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.6% (1998 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $299 million
expenditures: $445 million, including capital expenditures of $14
million (1995 est.)
Industries: textiles, cigarettes; beverages, food; construction
materials, petroleum
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity—production: 6 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 251 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 245 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: corn, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, rice, cotton, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, livestock
Exports: $250 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports—commodities: cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports—partners: Brazil 18%, Portugal 11%, Morocco 10%, Libya 6%, France (1997)
Imports: $314 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports—commodities: foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco, petroleum
products, intermediate goods, capital goods, light consumer goods
Imports—partners: France 21%, UK 9%, Thailand 9%, Hong Kong 8%,
China (1997)
Debt—external: $1.6 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid—recipient: $281.2 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1—566.36 (January 1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 38,354 (6,286 cellular telephone subscribers) (1998
est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: fair system of open wire, microwave radio relay, and
cellular connections