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Area: total: 112,620 sq km
land: 110,620 sq km
water: 2,000 sq km

Climate: tropical hot, humid in south semiarid in north

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

Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber

Population: 8,294,941
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected [July 2008 est.]

Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.6% [male 1,824,803/female 1,790,723]
15-64 years: 54% [male 2,210,525/female 2,268,138]
65 years and over: 2.4% [male 80,081/female 120,671] [2008 est.]

Nationality: noun: Beninese [singular and plural]
adjective: Beninese

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]

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

Capital: name: Porto-Novo [official capital]
geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E
time difference: UTC+1 [6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time]
note: Cotonou [seat of government]

National holiday: National Day, 1 August [1960]

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 33.2%
industry: 14.5%
services: 52.3% [2007 est.]

Labor force: 5.38 million [2007 est.]

Budget: revenues: $959.2 million
expenditures: $1.211 billion [2007 est.]

Agriculture - products: cotton, corn, cassava [tapioca], yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews livestock

Industries: textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement

Exports: $585 million f.o.b. [2007 est.]

Exports - commodities: cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood

Exports - partners: China 20.9%, Indonesia 7.7%, India 7%, Netherlands 6.2%, Niger 5.7%, Togo 4.6%, Nigeria 4.3% [2006]

Imports: $1.095 billion f.o.b. [2007 est.]

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products

Imports - partners: China 46.6%, France 7.5%, Thailand 6% [2006]

Currency (code): Communaute Financiere Africaine franc [XOF] note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs [XOF] per US dollar - 493.51 [2007], 522.59 [2006], 527.47 [2005], 528.29 [2004], 581.2 [2003]
note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Airports: 5 [2007]

Railways: total: 758 km
narrow gauge: 758 km 1.000-m gauge [2006]

Ports and terminals: Cotonou