Islamic countries

Islamic countries

REPUBLIC OF BENIN
REPUBLIQUE DU BÉNIN

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