extiles, food processing, construction materials, cement (2001)

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

Electricity - production:
285.2 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 14.2%
hydro: 85.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
565.2 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
300 million kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
11,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
4.105 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
608.8 million cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-159.9 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$720.9 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa

Exports - partners:
China 28.7%, India 18.4%, Ghana 6.3%, Thailand 6%, Niger 5.8%,
Indonesia 4.2%, Nigeria 4.2% (2004)

Imports:
$934.5 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products

Imports - partners:
China 32.2%, France 13%, Thailand 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.3% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$839.3 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.6 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient:
$342.6 million (2000)

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

Currency code:
XOF

Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 528.29
(2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Benin

Telephones - main lines in use:
66,500 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
236,200 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and
cellular connections
international: country code - 229; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC)
provides connectivity to Europe and Asia

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)

Radios:
660,000 (2000)

Television broadcast stations:
1 (2001)

Televisions:
66,000 (2000)

Internet country code:
.bj

Internet hosts:
879 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISP