جمعه، آذر ۱۷، ۱۳۸۵

Benin








Facts and Figures

Official Name: Republic of Benin

Population: 6,938,700 (92 out of 192 Countries)

Capital City: Porto-Novo (237,000)

Largest Cities: Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Parakou

Currency: CFA Franc

Latitude/Longitude: 6°48 N, 2°63 E

Languages: French (official), tribal languages

National Day: 1 August; National Day

Religions: Muslim, Christian, traditional beliefs

Land

Land Area: 110,620 sq km (42,710 sq miles) (99 out of 192 Countries)

Landforms: From a narrow and somewhat sandy coastal area, the marshy land and lagoons of the south rise into the La Terre de Barre Plateau, consisting of a wooded savannah that continues on into the foot hills of the Atakora Mountains of the northwest, a branch of the Togo Mountains. From there, the land slopes down into a broad plain, and on to the Niger River valley of the far northeast. The Niger and Oueme are the country's major rivers.

Highest Point: Mt. Sokbaro (658 m) (2,158 ft)

Lowest Point: Atlantic Ocean, sea level

Climate: Benin is tropical; hot and humid in south; semiarid (quite dry) in north. Overall, the dry season runs from November to April, and a rainy season from the end of April through September. The mean temperature is near 80 degrees.

سه‌شنبه، آذر ۱۴، ۱۳۸۵

Belize











strong>Facts and Figures

Name: Belize

Population: 287,730

Capital City: Belmopan (52,000)

Currency: Belizean Dollar (BZD)

Languages: English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna, Creole

Religions: Catholic (50%), Protestant (27%), others

Geographic Coordinates

Latitude/Longitude (Capital City): 16° 13' N, 88° 48' W

Relative Location: Belize is positioned in both the northern and western hemispheres. Located in North America on the northern edge of the Central America isthmus - a somewhat narrow strip of land that connects North and South America - the country is bordered by Guatemala, Mexico, the Gulf of Honduras and the Caribbean Sea.

Land Statistics

Coastline: 240 miles (386 km)

Land: 8,805 sq miles (22,806 sq km)

Water: 62 sq miles (160 sq km)

TOTAL: 8,867 sq miles (22,966 sq km)

Highest Point: Victoria Peak - 3,805 ft. (1,160 m)

Lowest Point: Caribbean Sea - 0 ft. (0 m)

Climate: Belize has consistently warm and humid tropical weather with pronounced wet and dry seasons.

The rainy season typically runs (June - December) and the dry season from (January - May). Rainfall is heaviest in the coastal areas of the far south.

Average high temperatures in the coastal regions reach into the mid 70s throughout most of the year, and a bit higher inland. Much higher temperatures in the offshore islands are commonplace, with cooler conditions the norm in the mountains of the south.

Belize is occasionally the victim of the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season, and the most recent one to hit the country (Hurricane Greta) caused severe damage along the southern coastal areas in 1978.

In fact, after Hurricane Hattie devastated the central coastal area of the country in the early 1960s, the subsequent destruction of Belize City was the catalyst for the relocation of the capital to the inland city of Belmopan.