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Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2007) - Nicaragua (2001)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2007) z Nicaragua (2001)

 British Indian Ocean Territory (2007)Nicaragua (2001)
 British Indian Ocean TerritoryNicaragua
Administrative divisions - 15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento), 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonomista); Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas, Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*
Age structure - 0-14 years:
38.98% (male 976,087; female 941,141)

15-64 years:
58.08% (male 1,418,555; female 1,438,096)

65 years and over:
2.94% (male 62,963; female 81,551) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products - coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products
Airports 1 (2007) 182 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
total:
11

2,438 to 3,047 m:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
3

914 to 1,523 m:
3

under 914 m:
3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total:
171

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
25

under 914 m:
145 (2000 est.)
Area total: 54,400 sq km


land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km


water: 54,340 sq km


note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
total:
129,494 sq km

land:
120,254 sq km

water:
9,240 sq km
Area - comparative land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than the state of New York
Background Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. Settled as a colony of Spain in the 1520s, Nicaragua gained its independence in 1821. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990 and again in 1996 saw the Sandinistas defeated. The country has slowly rebuilt its economy during the 1990s, but was hard hit by Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
Birth rate - 27.64 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget - revenues:
$734 million

expenditures:
$836 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Capital - Managua
Climate tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Coastline 698 km 910 km
Constitution - 9 January 1987, with reforms in 1995 and 2000
Country name conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory


conventional short form: none


abbreviation: BIOT
conventional long form:
Republic of Nicaragua

conventional short form:
Nicaragua

local long form:
Republica de Nicaragua

local short form:
Nicaragua
Currency - gold cordoba (NIO)
Death rate - 4.82 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external - $6.4 billion (2000 est.)
Dependency status overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas territory of the UK) chief of mission:
Ambassador Oliver P. GARZA

embassy:
Apartado Postal 327, Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua

mailing address:
APO AA 34021

telephone:
[505] (2) 662298, 666010, 666012, 666013, 666015, 666018, 666026, 666027, 666032, 666033

FAX:
[505] (2) 669074
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas territory of the UK) chief of mission:
Ambassador Alfonso ORTEGA Urbina

chancery:
1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:
[1] (202) 939-6570

FAX:
[1] (202) 939-6542

consulate(s) general:
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York
Disputes - international Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed U.K. Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in the chain territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; with respect to the maritime boundary question in the Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ referred to the line determined by the 1900 Honduras-Nicaragua Mixed Boundary Commission and advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua likely would be required; maritime boundary dispute with Honduras in the Caribbean Sea is before the ICJ; legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border with Costa Rica
Economic aid - recipient - NA
Economy - overview All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installation are performed by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The territory makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps. Nicaragua, one of the hemisphere's poorest countries, faces low per capita income, flagging socio-economic indicators, and huge external debt. While the country has made progress toward macro-economic stabilization over the past few years, a banking crisis and scandal has shaken the economy. Managua will continue to be dependent on international aid and debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Donors have made aid conditional on improving governability, the openness of government financial operation, poverty alleviation, and human rights. Nicaragua met the conditions for additional debt service relief in December 2000. Growth should remain moderate to high in 2001.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 2.265 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports - 20 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports - 100 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military 2.349 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
67.26%

hydro:
17.71%

nuclear:
0%

other:
15.03% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Mogoton 2,438 m
Environment - current issues NA deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; Hurricane Mitch damage
Environment - international agreements - party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups - mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%
Exchange rates - gold cordobas per US dollar - 12.96 (November 2000), 12.69 (2000 est.), 11.81 (1999), 10.58 (1998), 9.45 (1997), 8.44 (1996)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)


head of government: Commissioner Leigh TURNER (since July 2006); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia


cabinet: NA


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
chief of state:
President Arnoldo ALEMAN Lacayo (since 10 January 1997); Vice President Leopoldo NAVARRO (since 24 October 2000); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President Arnoldo ALEMAN Lacayo (since 10 January 1997); Vice President Leopoldo NAVARRO (since 24 October 2000); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections:
president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 20 October 1996 (next to be held 4 November 2001); note - in July 1995 the term of the office of the president was amended to five years

election results:
Arnoldo ALEMAN Lacayo (Liberal Alliance - ruling party - includes PLC, PALI, PLIUN, and PUCA) 51.03%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 37.75%, Guillermo OSORNO (PCCN) 4.10%, Noel VIDAURRE (PCN) 2.26%, Benjamin LANZAS (PRONAL) 0.53%, other (18 other candidates) 4.33%
Exports - $631 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities - coffee, shrimp and lobster, cotton, tobacco, beef, sugar, bananas; gold
Exports - partners - US 37.7%, El Salvador 12.5%, Germany 9.8%, Costa Rica 5.1%, Spain 2.5%, France 2.1% (1999)
Fiscal year - calendar year
Flag description white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band
GDP - purchasing power parity - $13.1 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture:
31.6%

industry:
22.8%

services:
45.6% (1999)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $2,700 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - 5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E 13 00 N, 85 00 W
Geography - note archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility -
Highways - total:
16,382 km

paved:
1,818 km

unpaved:
14,564 km (1998)
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%:
1.6%

highest 10%:
39.8% (1993)
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing
Imports - $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities - machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products, consumer goods
Imports - partners - US 34.5%, Costa Rica 11.4%, Guatemala 7.3%, Panama 6.9%, Venezuela 5.9%, El Salvador 5.5% (1999)
Independence - 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate - 4.4% (2000 est.)
Industries - food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood
Infant mortality rate - 33.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 11% (2000 est.)
International organization participation - BCIE, CACM, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 3 (2000)
Irrigated land 0 sq km 880 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for seven-year terms by the National Assembly)
Labor force - 1.7 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation - services 43%, agriculture 42%, industry 15% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total:
1,231 km

border countries:
Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
Land use arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (2005)
arable land:
9%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
46%

forests and woodland:
27%

other:
17% (1993 est.)
Languages - Spanish (official)

note:
English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
Legal system the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts
Legislative branch - unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (93 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 20 October 1996 (next to be held 4 November 2001)

election results:
percent of vote by party - Liberal Alliance (ruling party - includes PLC, PALI, PLIUN, and PUCA) 46.03%, FSLN 36.55%, PCCN 3.73%, PCN 2.12%, MRS 1.33%; seats by party - Liberal Alliance 42, FSLN 36, PCCN 4, PCN 3, PRONAL 2, MRS 1, PRN 1, PC 1, PLI 1, AU 1, UNO-96 Alliance 1
Life expectancy at birth - total population:
69.05 years

male:
67.1 years

female:
71.11 years (2001 est.)
Literacy - definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
65.7%

male:
64.6%

female:
66.6% (1995 est.)
Location archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Map references Political Map of the World Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
continental shelf:
natural prolongation

territorial sea:
200 NM
Merchant marine - none (2000 est.)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 -
Military branches - Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $26 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 1.2% (FY98)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
1,269,322 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
779,267 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
58,232 (2001 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Nationality - noun:
Nicaraguan(s)

adjective:
Nicaraguan
Natural hazards NA destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and occasionally severe hurricanes
Natural resources coconuts, fish, sugarcane gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
Net migration rate - -1.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines - crude oil 56 km
Political parties and leaders - Conservative Party of Nicaragua or PCN [Dr. Fernando AGUERO Rocha]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Virgilio GODOY]; Liberal Alliance (ruling alliance including Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC, New Liberal Party or PALI, Independent Liberal Party for National Unity or PLIUN, and Central American Unionist Party or PUCA) [leader NA]; National Conservative Party or PC [Pedro SOLARZANO, Noel VIDAURRE]; National Project or PRONAL [Benjamin LANZAS]; Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path or PCCN [Guillermo OSORNO, Roberto RODRIGUEZ]; Nicaraguan Resistance Party or PRN [Salvador TALAVERA]; Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]; Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [Sergio RAMIREZ]; Unity Alliance or AU [Alejandro SERRANO]; Union Nacional Opositora 96 or UNO-96 [Alfredo CESAR Aguirre]
Political pressure groups and leaders - National Workers Front or FNT is a Sandinista umbrella group of eight labor unions including - Farm Workers Association or ATC, Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of Employees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG, Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of Journalists of Nicaragua or UPN; Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT is an umbrella group of four non-Sandinista labor unions including - Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of Labor Unification or CUS, Independent General Confederation of Labor or CGT-I, and Labor Action and Unity Central or CAUS; Nicaraguan Workers' Central or CTN is an independent labor union; Superior Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP is a confederation of business groups
Population no indigenous inhabitants


note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia
4,918,393 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line - 50% (2000 est.)
Population growth rate - 2.15% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors - Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios - 1.24 million (1997)
Religions - Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant
Sex ratio - at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.77 male(s)/female

total population:
1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage - 16 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available


domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet


international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
general assessment:
inadequate system being upgraded by foreign investment

domestic:
low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System

international:
satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use NA 140,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular - 7,911 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997)
Terrain flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation) extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Total fertility rate - 3.18 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate - 20% plus considerable underemployment (1999 est.)
Waterways - 2,220 km (including 2 large lakes)
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