Benin
Benin
Atakora mountains, North Benin, close to Batia, Pendjari Nationalpark. Source: Martin Wegmann/Wikimedia Commons
Benin is a nation of over nine million people in western Africa between Nigeria on the east and Togo on the west.
Its geography is a narrow strip of land running north-south. In the south, its' coast faces onto the Bight of Benin in the east Atlantic Ocean. Sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands.
Its population is growing at nearly 3% per year.
Benin's major environmental issues include:
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- inadequate supplies of potable water;
- poaching threatens wildlife populations;
- deforestation; and,
- desertification.
Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century.
The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin.
A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu Kerekou and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles.
A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore Soglo as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy.
Kerekou was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged.
Kerekou stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas Yayi Boni, a political outsider and independent. Yayi, who won a second five-year term in March 2011, has attempted to stem corruption and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth.
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Source: MapLibrary.org |
Geography
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Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo Geographic Coordinates: 9 30 N, 2 15 E Area: 112,620 km2 (110,620 km2 land and 2,000 km2 water)
arable land: 23.53% Land Boundaries: 1,989 km. Border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km Coastline: 121 km Maritime Claims: Territorial sea: 200 nm Natural Hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains. Its highest point is Mont Sokbaro 658 m. Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north |
Source: Wikimedia Commons |
Ecology and Biodiversity
While Central African mangroves (pink) cover much of the coast strip in this part of Africa, they are abset from the Benin coast. See also: Regional biodiversity hotspot (Guinean forests of West Africa) |
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Government
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Government Type: Republic Capital: Porto-Novo - 276,000 (2009) Other major cities: Cotonou (seat of government) - 815,000 (2009) Administrative Divisions: 12 departments;
Independence Day: 1 August 1960 (from France) Legal System: based on French civil law and customary law. Benin has not submitted an International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction declaration; but accepts International Criminal Court (ICCt) jurisdiction. Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal |
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International Environmental Agreements
Benin is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, and Whaling.
People and Society
Population: 9,325,032 (July 2011 est.)
Ethnic groups: Fon and related 39.2%, Adja and related 15.2%, Yoruba and related 12.3%, Bariba and related 9.2%, Peulh and related 7%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4%, Dendi and related 2.5%, other 1.6% (includes Europeans), unspecified 2.9% (2002 census)
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| Cotonou, Benin (2007). Source: Wikimedia Commons. |
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| Western hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus) herd in the Pendjari Nationalpark Benin. Source: Martin Wegmann/Wikimedia Commons. |
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| Cotton field, northern Benin. Source: Marco Schmidt/Wikimedia Commons |
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 2,126,973/female 2,042,340)
15-64 years: 52.6% (male 2,443,370/female 2,461,421)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 101,640/female 149,288) (2011 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 2.911% (2011 est.)
Birthrate: 38.11 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Death Rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
Net Migration Rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 59.84 years (2011 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 5.31 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Languages: French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Literacy::( age 15 and over can read and write) 34.7%
male: 47.9%
female: 23.3% (2002 census)
Urbanization: 42% of total population (2010) growing at an annual rate of change of 4% (2010-15 est.)
Water
Total Renewable Water Resources: 25.8 cu km (2001)
Freshwater Withdrawal: 0.13 cu km/yr (32% domestic, 23% industrial, 45% agricultural)
Per Capita Freshwater Withdrawal: 15 cu m/yr (2001)
Access to improved sources of drinking water: 75% of population
Access to improved sanitation facilities: 12% of population
Agriculture
Agricultural Products: cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock
Irrigated Land: 120 sq km (2003)
Resources
Natural Resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Energy
| Production | Consumption | Exports | Imports | Reserves | |
| Electricity |
105 million kWh (2005) |
587 million kWh (2005) |
0 kWh (2005) |
595 million kWh (2005) |
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| Oil |
0 bbl/day (2007) |
9,232 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
0 bbl/day (2007) |
16,830 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
8.21 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Natural Gas |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
| Source: CIA Factbook | |||||
International Disputes:
- Talks continue between Benin and Togo on funding the Adjrala hydroelectric dam on the Mona River
- Benin retains a border dispute with Burkina Faso around the town of Koualou
- Location of Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint is unresolved
Economy
The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade.
Growth in real output had averaged almost 4% before the global recession, but fell to 2.7% in 2009 and 3% in 2010.
Inflation has subsided over the past several years.
In order to raise growth, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology.
Specific projects to improve the business climate by reforms to the land tenure system, the commercial justice system, and the financial sector were included in Benin's $307 million Millennium Challenge Account grant signed in February 2006.
The 2001 privatization policy continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture.
The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin benefiting from a G-8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while pressing for more rapid structural reforms.
An insufficient electrical supply continues to adversely affect Benin's economic growth though the government recently has taken steps to increase domestic power production.
Private foreign direct investment is small, and foreign aid accounts for the majority of investment in infrastructure projects.
Cotton, a key export, suffered from flooding in 2010-11, but high prices supported export earnings.
The government agreed to 25% increase in civil servant salaries in 2011, following a series of strikes, has increased pressure on the national budget.
Benin has appealed for international assistance to mitigate piracy against commercial shipping in its territory.
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $14.79 billion (2011 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $7.5 billion (2011 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,500 (2011 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 35.5%
industry: 6.1%
services: 58.4% (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Line: 37.4% (2007 est.)
Industries: textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement
Exports: cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood
Export Partners: China 23.1%, Indonesia 8.3%, India 7.2%, Niger 5.8%, Togo 4.7%, Nigeria 4.7%, Belgium 4% (2006)
Imports: foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Import Partners: China 45.1%, France 8.2%, US 6.6%, Thailand 6.4%, Malaysia 4.8% (2006)
Economic Aid Recipient: $374.7 million (2006)
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF)
Ports and Terminals: Cotonou
Heavy rains flooded parts of West and Central Africa in the rainy season of 2010, and among the hardest-hit countries was Benin. In late October 2010, Agence France-Presse reported that more than 40 people had died and some 100,000 more had been displaced. The Ouémé River spilled over its banks in multiple locations, and camps sprang up along the fringes of the coastal city of Cotonou at the river’s mouth.
Acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, these images show the coast of Benin on October 22, 2010 (top), and October 26, 2009 (bottom). Both images use a combination of infrared and visible light to increase the contrast between water and land. Water ranges in color from electric blue to navy. Vegetation appears bright green. Clouds range in color from off-white to pale blue-green.
Although clouds partially obscure the satellite sensor’s view in both images, striking differences are still discernible in the Ouémé River. Both the river and several of its tributaries are swollen in the image from 2010.
The BBC reported that authorities worried about contaminated water spreading cholera in the wake of flooding. Agence France-Presse reported that some 800 cases of cholera had already been reported.
Source: NASA. Credit: NASA images courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.
Citation
Central Intelligence Agency, World Wildlife Fund, National Aeronautics and Space Administra (Lead Author);CIA World Factbook (Content Source);Lakhdar Boukerrou, Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Benin". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth June 5, 2009; Last revised Date February 1, 2012; Retrieved February 9, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Benin>
The Authors
The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the National Security Act by President Harry S. Truman. The act also created a Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to serve as head of the United States intelligence community; act as the principal adviser to the President for intelligence matters related to the national security; and serve as head of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 amended the National Securit ... (Full Bio)
Known worldwide by its panda logo, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) leads international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats. Now in its fifth decade, WWF works in more than 100 countries around the globe to conserve the diversity of life on Earth. With nearly 1.2 million members in the U.S. and another 4 million worldwide, WWF is the world's largest privately financed conservation organization. WWF directs its conservation efforts toward three global goals: 1) saving endangered ... (Full Bio)
President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1958, partially in response to the Soviet Union's launch of the first artificial satellite. NASA grew out of the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, which had been researching flight technology for more than 40 years. Today, NASA conducts its work in four principle organizations, called mission directorates: Aeronautics: pioneering and proving new flight technologies that improve our ab ... (Full Bio)
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