DRC Djibouti Egypt Eq. Tanzania Tunisia Zimbabwe Country info Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Cent. DRC Djibouti Egypt Eq. As the natural gateway to Togo and Nigeria, and to such landlocked countries as Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, Benin s road and rail networks are being improved as is the capacity of the port of Cotonou. The country s industrial base is small, however, and accounts for only a small percentage of the gross domestic product Benin s heavy industries being limited to oil refining and cement manufacture.
Most agricultural output is on a subsistence basis, however.
The country s main products from this sector include maize, cassava, sorghum, yams, millet, and beans. Cash crops, produced mainly in the south, include cotton, palm kernels, peanuts, and cacao while the grasslands of the north are utilized mainly for cattle, sheep, and goats. An offshore petroleum field is located near Cotonou, though this field is believed to be nearing exhaustion. Other mineral resources of Benin include iron ore, phosphates, chromium, clay, marble, and limestone. Forestry and Fishing Benin s commercial forestry and fishing are largely undeveloped and utilized on a subsistence basis timber for fuel and fish for consumption.