Waterways:
150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Cotonou, Porto-Novo
Merchant marine:
none
Airports:
5 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Military Benin
Military branches:
Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; in practice, volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months (2004)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15–49: 1,638,010
females age 15–49: 1,647,850 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 835,561
females age 15–49: 835,633 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 77,552
females: 81,841 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$98.3 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.7% (2003)
Transnational Issues Benin
Disputes - international:
two villages remain in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso;
accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; much of Benin-Niger
boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and
ICJ ad hoc judges have been selected to rule on disputed Niger and
Mekrou River islands; several villages along the Okpara River are in
dispute with Nigeria; a joint boundary commission continues to
resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim that Togo
moved boundary stones
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian
trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western
Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly
regulated financial infrastructure
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
======================================================================
@Bermuda
Introduction Bermuda
Background:
Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists
headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American
winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be
important to the island's economy, although international business
has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a
highly successful offshore financial center. A referendum on
independence was soundly defeated in 1995.
Geography Bermuda
Location:
North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east
of South Carolina (US)
Geographic coordinates:
32 20 N, 64 45 W
Map references:
North America
Area:
total: 53.3 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 53.3 sq km
Area - comparative:
about one-third the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
103 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter
Terrain:
low hills separated by fertile depressions
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Town Hill 76 m
Natural resources:
limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism
Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Natural hazards:
hurricanes (June to November)
Environment - current issues:
asbestos disposal; water pollution; preservation of open space;
sustainable development
Geography - note:
consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall,
but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US
Government from 1941 to 1995
People Bermuda
Population:
64,935 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 19.1% (male 6,192; female 6,186)
15–64 years: 69.3% (male 22,268; female 22,703)
65 years and over: 11.7% (male 3,295; female 4,291) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 39.2 years
male: 38.3 years
female: 40.1 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.68% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
11.83 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
7.55 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant