1,524 to 2,437 m: 1914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Military Benin
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force
Military service age and obligation: 21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; in practice, volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 21–49: 1,207,071
females age 21–49: 1,216,180 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 21–49: 670,170
females age 21–49: 630,078 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 72,841
females: 71,428 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$96.5 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.4% (2004)
Transnational Issues Benin
Disputes - international:
two villages remain in dispute along the border with Burkina Faso;
accuses Burkina Faso of moving boundary pillars; much of Benin-Niger
boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated, and
the states expect a ruling in 2005 from the ICJ over the disputed
Niger and Mekrou River islands; a joint task force was established
in 2004 that resolved disputes over and redrew the maritime and the
870-km land boundary with Nigeria, including the sovereignty over
seven villages along the Okpara River; a joint boundary commission
continues to resurvey the boundary with Togo to verify Benin's claim
that Togo moved boundary stones
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for narcotics associated with Nigerian
trafficking organizations and most commonly destined for Western
Europe and the US; vulnerable to money laundering due to a poorly
regulated financial infrastructure
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
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@Bermuda
Introduction Bermuda
Background:
Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists
headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American
winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be
important to the island's economy, although international business
has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a
highly successful offshore financial center. A referendum on
independence was soundly defeated in 1995.
Geography Bermuda
Location:
North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east
of South Carolina (US)
Geographic coordinates:
32 20 N, 64 45 W
Map references:
North America
Area:
total: 53.3 sq km
land: 53.3 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about one-third the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
103 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter
Terrain:
low hills separated by fertile depressions
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Town Hill 76 m
Natural resources:
limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism
Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
hurricanes (June to November)
Environment - current issues:
asbestos disposal; water pollution; preservation of open space;
sustainable development
Geography - note:
consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall,
but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US
Government from 1941 to 1995
People Bermuda
Population:
65,365 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 18.9% (male 6,177/female 6,154)
15–64 years:
