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Compare Costa Rica (2001) - Barbados (2008)

Compare Costa Rica (2001) z Barbados (2008)

 Costa Rica (2001)Barbados (2008)
 Costa RicaBarbados
Administrative divisions 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose 11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas
Age structure 0-14 years:
31.38% (male 605,728; female 578,128)

15-64 years:
63.37% (male 1,209,084; female 1,181,754)

65 years and over:
5.25% (male 92,314; female 106,049) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 19.7% (male 27,659/female 27,573)


15-64 years: 71.4% (male 98,633/female 102,020)


65 years and over: 8.9% (male 9,662/female 15,399) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber sugarcane, vegetables, cotton
Airports 152 (2000 est.) 1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total:
29

2,438 to 3,047 m:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
19

under 914 m:
7 (2000 est.)
total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
123

914 to 1,523 m:
28

under 914 m:
95 (2000 est.)
-
Area total:
51,100 sq km

land:
50,660 sq km

water:
440 sq km

note:
includes Isla del Coco
total: 431 sq km


land: 431 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than West Virginia 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Costa Rica is a Central American success story: since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred its democratic development. Although still a largely agricultural country, it has achieved a relatively high standard of living. Land ownership is widespread. Tourism is a rapidly expanding industry. The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
Birth rate 20.27 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 12.61 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues:
$1.95 billion

expenditures:
$2.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $847 million (including grants)


expenditures: $886 million (2000 est.)
Capital San Jose name: Bridgetown


geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Coastline 1,290 km 97 km
Constitution 7 November 1949 30 November 1966
Country name conventional long form:
Republic of Costa Rica

conventional short form:
Costa Rica

local long form:
Republica de Costa Rica

local short form:
Costa Rica
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Barbados
Currency Costa Rican colon (CRC) -
Death rate 4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 8.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $4.2 billion (2000 est.) $668 million (2003)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Thomas J. DODD

embassy:
Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose

mailing address:
APO AA 34020

telephone:
[506] 220-3939

FAX:
[506] 220-2305
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN


embassy: U.S. Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael


mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055


telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950


FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Jaime DAREMBLUM Rosenstein

chancery:
2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 234-2945

FAX:
[1] (202) 265-4795

consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco, St. Paul, and Tampa

consulate(s):
Austin
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING


chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200


FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467


consulate(s) general: Miami, New York


consulate(s): Los Angeles
Disputes - international legal dispute over navigational rights of Rio San Juan on border with Nicaragua in April 2006, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing agreement limiting Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
Economic aid - recipient - $2.07 million (2005)
Economy - overview 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. However, traditional export sectors have not kept pace. Low coffee prices and an overabundance of bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The government continues to grapple with its large deficit and massive internal debt and with the need to modernize the state-owned electricity and telecommunications sector. Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, production in recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism, with nearly three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being attributed to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by increases in construction projects and tourism revenues - reflecting its success in the higher-end segment. The country enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region and an investment grade rating which benefits from its political stability and stable institutions. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners and thrive from having the same time zone as eastern US financial centers and a relatively highly educated workforce. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises.
Electricity - consumption 5.303 billion kWh (1999) 886.3 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 165 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 69 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 5.805 billion kWh (1999) 953 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
2.41%

hydro:
83.32%

nuclear:
0%

other:
14.27% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Environment - current issues deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; water pollution (rivers); coastal marine pollution; wetlands degradation; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
Environment - international agreements party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1% black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%
Exchange rates Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 318.95 (2001), 308.19 (2000), 285.68 (1999), 257.23 (1998), 232.60 (1997), 207.69 (1996) Barbadian dollars per US dollar - NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state:
President Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ (since 8 May 1998); First Vice President Astrid FISCHEL Volio (since 8 May 1998), Second Vice President Elizabeth ODIO Benito (since 8 May 1998); note - president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ (since 8 May 1998); First Vice President Astrid FISCHEL Volio (since 8 May 1998), Second Vice President Elizabeth ODIO Benito (since 8 May 1998); note - president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Cabinet selected by the president

elections:
president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 1 February 1998 (next to be held 3 February 2002)

election results:
Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ elected president; percent of vote - Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ (PUSC) 46.6%, Jose Miguel CORRALES (PLN) 44.6%
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)


head of government: Prime Minister David THOMPSON (since 16 January 2008)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Exports $6.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) 1,666 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities coffee, bananas, sugar; pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components
Exports - partners US 54.1%, EU 21.3%, Central America 8.6% (1999) US 27.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 15%, UK 10.2%, Saint Lucia 7%, Jamaica 6.5%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.3% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white disk on the hoist side of the red band three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
GDP purchasing power parity - $25 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
12.5%

industry:
30.7%

services:
56.8% (1999)
agriculture: 6%


industry: 16%


services: 78% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 3% (2000 est.) 4% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 10 00 N, 84 00 W 13 10 N, 59 32 W
Geography - note - easternmost Caribbean island
Highways total:
37,273 km

paved:
7,827 km

unpaved:
29,446 km (1998 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
1.3%

highest 10%:
34.7% (1996)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America; illicit production of cannabis on small, scattered plots; domestic cocaine consumption is rising, particularly crack cocaine; those who previously only trafficked are now becoming users one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center
Imports $5.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) 7,071 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components
Imports - partners US 56.4%, EU 9%, Mexico 5.4%, Japan 4.7%, (1999) US 37.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 22.6%, UK 5.9% (2006)
Independence 15 September 1821 (from Spain) 30 November 1966 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 4.3% (2000) -3.2% (2000 est.)
Industries microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Infant mortality rate 11.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 11.55 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 12.88 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 10.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 11% (2000 est.) 5.5% (2007 est.)
International organization participation BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 3 (of which only one is legal) (2000) -
Irrigated land 1,200 sq km (1993 est.) 50 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly) Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice is the highest court of appeal
Labor force 1.9 million (1999) 128,500 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services 58% (1999 est.) agriculture: 10%


industry: 15%


services: 75% (1996 est.)
Land boundaries total:
639 km

border countries:
Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
0 km
Land use arable land:
6%

permanent crops:
5%

permanent pastures:
46%

forests and woodland:
31%

other:
12% (1993 est.)
arable land: 37.21%


permanent crops: 2.33%


other: 60.46% (2005)
Languages Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon English
Legal system based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 1 February 1998 (next to be held 3 February 2002)

election results:
percent of vote by party - PUSC 41%, PLN 35%, minority parties 24%; seats by party - PUSC 27, PLN 23, minority parties 7
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Assembly - last held 15 January 2008 (next to be called in 2013)


election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10
Life expectancy at birth total population:
76.02 years

male:
73.49 years

female:
78.68 years (2001 est.)
total population: 73 years


male: 71.02 years


female: 75.01 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
94.8%

male:
94.7%

female:
95% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school


total population: 99.7%


male: 99.7%


female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
Location Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,716 GRT/NA DWT

ships by type:
passenger 1 (2000 est.)
total: 71 ships (1000 GRT or over) 539,579 GRT/793,899 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 13, cargo 39, chemical tanker 6, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1


foreign-owned: 67 (Bahamas, The 1, Canada 9, Greece 11, India 1, Lebanon 1, Monaco 1, Norway 35, Sweden 5, UK 3)


registered in other countries: 1 (St Vincent and The Grenadines 1) (2007)
Military - note - the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005)
Military branches Coast Guard, Air Section, Ministry of Public Security Force (Fuerza Publica)

note:
Costa Rica has no military, only domestic police forces, including the Coast Guard and Air Section
Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $69 million (FY99) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.6% (FY99) 0.5% (2006 est.)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
1,035,090 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
692,973 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
39,411 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Nationality noun:
Costa Rican(s)

adjective:
Costa Rican
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)


adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Natural hazards occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Natural resources hydropower petroleum, fish, natural gas
Net migration rate 0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines petroleum products 176 km -
Political parties and leaders Agricultural Labor Action or PALA [Carlos Alberto SOLIS Blanco]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Justo OROZCO]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Jose M. NUNEZ]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Alejandro MADRIGAL]; National Independent Party or PNI [Jorge GONZALEZ Marten]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Liberation Party or PLN [Sonia PICADO]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Luis Manuel CHACON]

note:
mainly a two-party system - PUSC and PLN; numerous small parties share less than 25% of population's support
Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders 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] Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, which includes the BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers Union or BWU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG]; National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]
Population 3,773,057 (July 2001 est.) 280,946 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 20.6% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 1.65% (2001 est.) 0.369% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas -
Radio broadcast stations AM 50, FM 43, shortwave 19 (1998) AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios 980,000 (1997) -
Railways total:
950 km

narrow gauge:
950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2000)
-
Religions Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, other Protestant 0.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other 4.8%, none 3.2% Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%
Sex ratio 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 (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.003 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.967 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.627 male(s)/female


total population: 0.938 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
very good domestic 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:
connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); two submarine cables (1999)
general assessment: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of 75 per 100 persons


domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system


international: country code - 1-246; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 1 (Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use 450,000 (1998)

note:
584,000 installed in 1997, but only about 450,000 were in use 1998
134,900 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 143,000 (2000) 206,200 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 6 (plus 11 repeaters) (1997) 1 (plus 2 cable channels) (2004)
Terrain coastal plains separated by rugged mountains relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Total fertility rate 2.47 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.65 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.2% (2000 est.) 10.7% (2003 est.)
Waterways 730 km (seasonally navigable) -
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