The 1999 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

      Transportation

      Railways: 0 km

      Highways: total: 2,248 km paved: 427 km unpaved: 1,821 km (1996 est.)

      Waterways: 825 km river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable

      Ports and harbors: Belize City, Big Creek, Corozol, Punta Gorda

      Merchant marine:

       total: 403 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,740,325

       GRT/2,511,709 DWT

       ships by type: bulk 34, cargo 259, chemical tanker 5, container 9,

       liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 58, passenger-cargo 2,

       refrigerated cargo 21, roll-on/roll-off cargo 8, short-sea/passenger

       3, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 1

       note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 7 countries:

       Cuba 2, Cyprus 1, Greece 1, Singapore 2, UAE 12, UK 1, and US 1

       (1998 est.)

      Airports: 44 (1998 est.)

      Airports—with paved runways: total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)

      Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 41 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 30 (1998 est.)

      Military

      Military branches: Belize Defense Force (includes Ground Forces,

       Maritime Wing, Air Wing, and Volunteer Guard), Belize National Police

      Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age

      Military manpower—availability:

       males age 15–49: 58,201 (1999 est.)

      Military manpower—fit for military service:

       males age 15–49: 34,531 (1999 est.)

      Military manpower—reaching military age annually:

       males: 2,619 (1999 est.)

      Military expenditures—dollar figure: $15 million (FY97/98)

      Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 2% (FY97/98)

      Transnational Issues

      Disputes—international: border with Guatemala in dispute

      Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; minor money-laundering center

      ======================================================================

      @Benin——

      Geography

      Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Nigeria and Togo

      Geographic coordinates: 9 30 N, 2 15 E

      Map references: Africa

      Area:

       total: 112,620 sq km

       land: 110,620 sq km

       water: 2,000 sq km

      Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

      Land boundaries:

       total: 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

      Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

      Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

      Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m

      Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone,

       marble, timber

      Land use:

       arable land: 13%

       permanent crops: 4%

       permanent pastures: 4%

       forests and woodland: 31%

       other: 48% (1993 est.)

      Irrigated land: 100 sq km (1993 est.)

      Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter

      Environment—current issues: recent droughts have severely affected marginal agriculture in north; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification

      Environment—international agreements:

       party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered

       Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

       Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection

       signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

      Geography—note: no natural harbors

      People

      Population: 6,305,567 (July 1999 est.)

      Age structure:

       0–14 years: 48% (male 1,510,703; female 1,501,437)

       15–64 years: 50% (male 1,511,114; female 1,637,155)

       65 years and over: 2% (male 62,459; female 82,699) (1999 est.)

      Population growth rate: 3.3% (1999 est.)

      Birth rate: 45.37 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

      Death rate: 12.4 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

      Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

      Sex ratio:

       at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

       under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

       15–64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

       65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

       total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

      Infant mortality rate: 97.76 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

      Life expectancy at birth: total population: 54.08 years male: 51.98 years female: 56.24 years (1999 est.)

      Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born/woman (1999 est.)

      Nationality:

       noun: Beninese (singular and plural)

       adjective: Beninese

      Ethnic groups: African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important

       being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500

      Religions: indigenous beliefs 70%, Muslim 15%, Christian 15%

      Languages: French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)

      Literacy:

       definition: age 15 and over can read and write

       total population: 37%

       male: 48.7%

       female: 25.8% (1995 est.)

      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