Compare Comoros (2008) - Costa Rica (2006)

Compare Comoros (2008) z Costa Rica (2006)

	Comoros (2008)	Costa Rica (2006)

Administrative divisions	3 islands and 4 municipalities; Grande Comore, Anjouan, Domoni, Fomboni, Moheli, Moroni, Mutsamudu*	7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose
Age structure	0-14 years: 42.6% (male 151,920/female 150,851) 15-64 years: 54.4% (male 191,096/female 196,120) 65 years and over: 3% (male 9,933/female 11,497) (2007 est.)	0-14 years: 28.3% (male 590,261/female 563,196) 15-64 years: 66% (male 1,359,750/female 1,329,346) 65 years and over: 5.7% (male 108,041/female 124,667) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	vanilla, cloves, ylang-ylang, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca)	coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber
Airports	4 (2007)	157 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)	total: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 9 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 125 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 101 (2006)
Area	total: 2,170 sq km land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 51,100 sq km land: 50,660 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco
Area - comparative	slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than West Virginia
Background	Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared independence from Comoros. In 1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power in a bloodless coup, and helped negotiate the 2000 Fomboni Accords power-sharing agreement in which the federal presidency rotates among the three islands, and each island maintains its own local government. AZALI won the 2002 Presidential election, and each island in the archipelago elected its own president. AZALI stepped down in 2006 and President SAMBI took office. Since 2006, Anjouan's President Mohamed BACAR has refused to work effectively with the Union presidency. This year BACAR effected Anjouan's de-facto secession from the Union, refusing to step down in favor of fresh Anjouanais elections when Comoros' other islands held legitimate elections in July. The African Union (AU) has stepped in to assist in resolving the political crisis, including applying sanctions and a naval blockade on Anjouan, but the situation remains at an impasse.	Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including: disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.
Birth rate	36.35 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	18.32 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget	revenues: $27.6 million expenditures: $NA (2001 est.)	revenues: $2.722 billion expenditures: $3.195 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital	name: Moroni geographic coordinates: 11 42 S, 43 14 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	name: San Jose geographic coordinates: 9 56 N, 84 05 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)	tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
Coastline	340 km	1,290 km
Constitution	23 December 2001	7 November 1949
Country name	conventional long form: Union of the Comoros conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Union des Comores local short form: Comores	conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica conventional short form: Costa Rica local long form: Republica de Costa Rica local short form: Costa Rica
Death rate	7.95 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	4.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	$232 million (2000 est.)	$5.049 billion (2005 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Madagascar is accredited to Comoros	chief of mission: Ambassador Mark LANGDALE embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose mailing address: APO AA 34020 telephone: [506] 519-2000 FAX: [506] 519-2305
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Representative to the US and Ambassador to the UN Mohamed TOIHIRI chancery: Mission to the US, 336 East 45th Street (2nd floor), New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-1637	chief of mission: Ambassador Tomas DUENAS chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Hammond (temporary location in Louisiana), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa (temporarily closed), Washington, DC consulate(s): San Francisco
Disputes - international	claims French-administered Mayotte	in September 2005, Costa Rica took its case before the ICJ to advocate the navigation, security, and commercial rights of Costa Rican vessels using the Río San Juan over which Nicaragua retains sovereignty
Economic aid - recipient	$25.23 million (2005 est.)	-
Economy - overview	One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islands that have inadequate transportation links, a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a subsistence level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, contributes 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government - which is hampered by internal political disputes - is struggling to upgrade education and technical training, privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, improve health services, diversify exports, promote tourism, and reduce the high population growth rate. The political problems caused the economy to contract in 2007. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP.	Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has been put into place. Foreign investors remain attracted by the country's political stability and high education levels, and tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. Low prices for coffee and bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The government continues to grapple with its large internal and external deficits and sizable internal debt. The reduction of inflation remains a difficult problem because of rises in the price of imports, labor market rigidities, and fiscal deficits. The country also needs to reform its tax system and its pattern of public expenditure. Costa Rica is the only signatory to the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that has not ratified it. CAFTA implementation would result in economic reforms and an improved investment climate.
Electricity - consumption	18.6 million kWh (2005)	7.12 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	115 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	50 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	20 million kWh (2005)	7.726 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Le Kartala 2,360 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m
Environment - current issues	soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation	deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups	Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava	white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%
Exchange rates	Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - NA (2007), 392.03 (2006), 395.6 (2005), 396.21 (2004), 435.9 (2003) note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro	Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003), 359.82 (2002), 328.87 (2001)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006) head of government: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: as defined by the 2001 constitution, the presidency rotates every four years among the elected presidents from the three main islands in the Union; election last held 14 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2010); prime minister appointed by the president; note - the post of prime minister has been vacant since May 2002 election results: Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI elected president; percent of vote - Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI 58.0%, Ibrahim HALIDI 28.3%, Mohamed DJAANFAMI 13.7%	chief of state: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice President Kevin CASAS Zamora (since 8 May 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice President Kevin CASAS Zamora (since 8 May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 5 February 2006 (next to be held February 2010) election results: Oscar ARIAS Sanchez elected president; percent of vote - Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (PLN) 40.9%; Otto SOLIS (PAC) 39.8%, Otto GUEVARA Guth (PML) 8%, Ricardo TOLEDO (PUSC) 3%; note - official results pending the resolution of election challenges
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra	coffee, bananas, sugar, pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment
Exports - partners	Netherlands 35.8%, France 18.3%, Italy 12.8%, Singapore 7.8%, Turkey 5%, US 4.6% (2006)	US 42.6%, Hong Kong 6.9%, Netherlands 6.4%, Guatemala 4.2% (2005)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered within the triangle is a white crescent with the convex side facing the hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mahore (Mayotte - territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros) note: the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam	five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk on the hoist side of the red band; above the coat of arms a light blue ribbon contains the words, AMERICA CENTRAL, and just below it near the top of the coat of arms is a white ribbon with the words, REPUBLICA COSTA RICA
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 40% industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.)	agriculture: 8.8% industry: 29.9% services: 61.4% (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-1% (2007 est.)	5.9% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	12 10 S, 44 15 E	10 00 N, 84 00 W
Geography - note	important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel	four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 36.8% (2002)
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America; illicit production of cannabis on small, scattered plots; domestic cocaine consumption, particularly crack cocaine, is rising
Imports	709.1 bbl/day (2004)	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, cement, transport equipment	raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum
Imports - partners	France 24.8%, UAE 9.9%, South Africa 6.4%, Pakistan 6.3%, Kenya 5%, China 4.8%, India 4.4%, Italy 4.2% (2006)	US 41.3%, Japan 5.6%, Venezuela 4.8%, Mexico 4.8%, Ireland 4.3%, Brazil 4.2%, China 4.2% (2005)
Independence	6 July 1975 (from France)	15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate	-2% (1999 est.)	5.7% (2005 est.)
Industries	fishing, tourism, perfume distillation	microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Infant mortality rate	total: 70.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 78.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 62.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	total: 9.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3% (2005 est.)	13.8% (2005 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)	BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	NA	1,080 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the president, two members elected by the Federal Assembly, one elected by the Council of each island, and others are former presidents of the republic)	Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly)
Labor force	144,500 (1996 est.)	1.82 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (1996 est.)	agriculture: 20% industry: 22% services: 58% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 639 km border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
Land use	arable land: 35.87% permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2005)	arable land: 4.4% permanent crops: 5.87% other: 89.73% (2005)
Languages	Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic)	Spanish (official), English
Legal system	French and Islamic law in a new consolidated code	based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and 18 by universal suffrage; to serve for five years); elections: last held 18 and 25 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CdIA 12, CRC 6; note - 15 additional seats are filled by deputies from local island assemblies	unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 February 2006 (next to be held February 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLN 25, PAC 18, PML 6, PUSC 4, other 4
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 62.73 years male: 60.37 years female: 65.15 years (2007 est.)	total population: 77.02 years male: 74.43 years female: 79.74 years (2006 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 56.5% male: 63.6% female: 49.3% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: 95.9% female: 96.1% (2003 est.)
Location	Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique	Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
Map references	Africa	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 144 ships (1000 GRT or over) 657,755 GRT/954,498 DWT by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 101, chemical tanker 3, container 1, livestock carrier 4, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 70 (Bangladesh 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 1, Greece 8, India 2, Kenya 1, Kuwait 1, Lebanon 5, Norway 1, Pakistan 2, Philippines 1, Russia 9, Saudi Arabia 1, Syria 8, Turkey 8, Ukraine 13, UAE 5, US 2) (2007)	total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,308 GRT/743 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 2 (2006)
Military branches	National Development Army (AND): Comoran Security Force; Comoran Federal Police (2007)	no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security, Government, and Police (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$83.46 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.8% (2006)	0.4% (2005 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 6 July (1975)	Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Nationality	noun: Comoran(s) adjective: Comoran	noun: Costa Rican(s) adjective: Costa Rican
Natural hazards	cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano	occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes
Natural resources	NEGL	hydropower
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines	-	refined products 242 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders	Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros or CRC [AZALI Assowmani]; Camp of the Autonomous Islands or CdIA (a coalition of parties organized by the islands' presidents in opposition to the Union President); Front National pour la Justice or FNJ [Ahmed RACHID] (Islamic party in opposition); Mouvement pour la Democratie et le Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Parti Comorien pour la Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement National pour le Development or RND [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid AFFRAITANE]	Authentic Member from Heredia [Jose SALAS]; Citizen Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Gerardo Justo OROZCO Alvarez]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Vladimir DE LA CRUZ]; General Union Party or PUGEN [Carlos Alberto FERNANDEZ Vega]; Homeland First or PP [Juan Jose VARGAS Fallas]; Independent Worker Party or PIO [Jose Alberto CUBERO Carmona]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Juan Carlos CHAVEZ Mora]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Liberation Party or PLN [Francisco Antonio PACHECO]; National Patriotic Party or PPN [Daniel Enrique REYNOLDS Vargas]; National Restoration Party or PRN [Carlos AVENDANO]; Nationalist Democratic Alliance or ADN [Jose Miguel VILLALOBOS Umana]; Patriotic Union or UP [Humberto ARCE Salas]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Lorena VASQUEZ Badilla]; Union for Change Party or UPC [Antonio ALVAREZ Desanti]; United Leftist Coalition or IU [Humberto VARGAS Carbonel]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; Confederated Union of Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party affiliate); Federation of Public Service Workers or FTSP; National Association for Economic Development or ANFE; National Association of Educators or ANDE; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert BROWN]
Population	711,417 (July 2007 est.)	4,075,261 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	60% (2002 est.)	18% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate	2.84% (2007 est.)	1.45% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)	AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002)
Railways	-	total: 278 km narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge (2005)
Religions	Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%	Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.007 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.974 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.864 male(s)/female total population: 0.985 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system	general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations; fixed-line connections only about 2 per 100 persons; mobile cellular usage about 2 per 100 persons domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion	general assessment: good domestic telephone service in terms of breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave, fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is available international: country code - 506; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); two submarine cables (1999)
Telephones - main lines in use	16,900 (2005)	1,388,500 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	16,100 (2005)	1.101 million (2005)
Television broadcast stations	NA	20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)
Terrain	volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills	coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes
Total fertility rate	4.97 children born/woman (2007 est.)	2.24 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate	20% (1996 est.)	6.6% (2005 est.)
Waterways	-	730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2005)

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