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.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 8,078,314 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 and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure: 0-14 years: 43.9% (male 1,788,248/female 1,754,940) 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 2,138,649/female 2,203,291) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 77,844/female 115,342) (2007 est.)

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Median age: total: 17.7 years male: 17.3 years female: 18.1 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate: 2.674% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate: 38.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate: 11.94 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Net migration rate: 0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.019 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.971 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.675 male(s)/female total population: 0.983 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate: total: 77.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 82.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 73.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.44 years male: 52.28 years female: 54.63 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate: 5.08 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 1.9% (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 68,000 (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths: 5,800 (2003 est.)

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Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2007)

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Nationality: noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese

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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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Religions: Christian 42.8% (Catholic 27.1%, Celestial 5%, Methodist 3.2%, other Protestant 2.2%, other 5.3%), Muslim 24.4%, Vodoun 17.3%, other 15.5% (2002 census)

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

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Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 34.7% male: 47.9% female: 23.3% (2002 census)

The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past six years, but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, 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 in spite of government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while pressing for more rapid structural reforms. Benin continues to be hurt by Nigerian trade protection that bans imports of a growing list of products from Benin and elsewhere, which has resulted in increased smuggling and criminality in the border region.

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GDP (purchasing power parity): $8.989 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate): $4.622 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,100 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 32.8% industry: 13.7% services: 53.5% (2006 est.)

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Labor force: 3.211 million (1996)

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Unemployment rate: NA%

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Population below poverty line: 33% (2001 est.)

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Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2006 est.)

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Investment (gross fixed): 19.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

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Budget: revenues: $836.8 million expenditures: $1.064 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

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Agriculture - products: cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock

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Industries: textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement

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Industrial production growth rate: 8.3% (2001 est.)

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Electricity - production: 82 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption: 576.3 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)

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Electricity - imports: 500 million kWh (2004)

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Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004)

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Oil - consumption: 14,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - imports: NA bbl/day

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Oil - proved reserves: 8.21 million bbl (1 January 2005)

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Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.133 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

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Current account balance: -$342.7 million (2006 est.)

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Exports: $563.1 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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

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Exports - partners: China 21%, Indonesia 7.8%, India 7.1%, Netherlands 6.3%, Niger 5.7%, Togo 4.6%, Nigeria 4.4% (2006)

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Imports: $927.3 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products

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Imports - partners: China 47.1%, France 7.6%, Thailand 6.1% (2006)

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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $607.3 million (2006 est.)

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Debt - external: $1.6 billion (2000)

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Economic aid - recipient: $342.6 million (2000)

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

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Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002)

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Fiscal year: calendar year