rs: Brazil, France, Indonesia, Thailand, Morocco,
Portugal, Cote d'Ivoire (2001)

Imports: $437.6 million (c.i.f., 2000)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products

Imports - partners: France, US, China, Cote d'Ivoire, Netherlands,
Japan (2001)

Debt - external: $1.18 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient: $342.6 million (2000)

Currency: 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 - 742.79 (January 2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.70
(1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997); note - from 1 January 1999, the
XOF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF per euro

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Benin

Telephones - main lines in use: 51,000 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 55,500 (2000)

Telephone system: general assessment: NA 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 (2000)

Radios: 660,000 (2000)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (2001)

Televisions: 66,000 (2000)

Internet country code: .bj

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (2002)

Internet users: 50,000 (2002)

Transportation Benin

Railways: total: 578 km narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2000 est.)

Highways: 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways) unpaved: Waterways:
streams navigable along small sections, important only locally

Ports and harbors: Cotonou, Porto-Novo

Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)

Airports: 5 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to
2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2001)

Military Benin

Military branches: Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force),
National Gendarmerie

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,509,760 note:
both sexes are liable for military service (2002 est.) females age
15-49: 1,536,036

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 771,373
females age 15-49: 778,730 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 71,