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| Benin Practical Info |
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Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Benin
conventional short form: Benin
local long form: Republique du Benin
local short form: Benin
former: Dahomey
Data code: BN
Government type: republic under multiparty democratic rule; dropped Marxism-Leninism December 1989; democratic reforms adopted February 1990; transition to multiparty system completed 4 April 1991
Capital: Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government
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
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lucien Edgar TONOUKOUIN
chancery: 2737 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656
FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert C. FELDER
embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou
mailing address: B. P. 2012, Cotonou
telephone: [229] 30-06-50, 30-05-13, 30-17-92
FAX: [229] 30-14-39, 30-19-74
Economy
Economy - overview: The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade.
Population below poverty line: 33% (1995 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1999 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 6 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Agriculture - products: corn, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, rice, cotton, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, livestock
Exports - commodities: cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 28,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,050 (1995)
Telephone system:
domestic: fair system of open wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 620,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (one privately-owned) (1997)
Televisions: 60,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Transportation
Railways:
total: 578 km (single track)
narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)
Highways:
total: 6,787 km
paved: 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,430 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: navigable along small sections, important only locally
Ports and harbors: Cotonou, Porto-Novo
Merchant marine: none (1999 est.)
Airports: 5 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1999 est.)
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