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Compare Costa Rica (2001) - Sierra Leone (2006)

Compare Costa Rica (2001) z Sierra Leone (2006)

 Costa Rica (2001)Sierra Leone (2006)
 Costa RicaSierra Leone
Administrative divisions 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
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: 44.8% (male 1,321,563/female 1,370,721)


15-64 years: 52% (male 1,494,502/female 1,625,733)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 90,958/female 101,773) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Airports 152 (2000 est.) 10 (2006)
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 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
123

914 to 1,523 m:
28

under 914 m:
95 (2000 est.)
total: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Area total:
51,100 sq km

land:
50,660 sq km

water:
440 sq km

note:
includes Isla del Coco
total: 71,740 sq km


land: 71,620 sq km


water: 120 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than West Virginia slightly smaller than South Carolina
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 government is slowly reestablishing its authority after the 1991 to 2002 civil war that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The last UN peacekeepers withdrew in December 2005, leaving full responsibility for security with domestic forces, but a new civilian UN office remains to support the government. Mounting tensions related to planned 2007 elections, deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present challenges to continuing progress in Sierra Leone's stability.
Birth rate 20.27 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 45.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues:
$1.95 billion

expenditures:
$2.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $96 million


expenditures: $351 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital San Jose name: Freetown


geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours 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; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Coastline 1,290 km 402 km
Constitution 7 November 1949 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
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: Republic of Sierra Leone


conventional short form: Sierra Leone


local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone


local short form: Sierra Leone
Currency Costa Rican colon (CRC) -
Death rate 4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 23.03 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $4.2 billion (2000 est.) $1.61 billion (2003 est.)
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 Thomas N. HULL


embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485


FAX: [232] (22) 225471
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 Ibrahim M. KAMARA


chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263


FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
Disputes - international legal dispute over navigational rights of Rio San Juan on border with Nicaragua domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone perpetuate insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic conflicts, and refugees in border areas; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone pressures Guinea to remove its forces from the town of Yenga occupied since 1998
Economic aid - recipient - $297.4 million (2003 est.)
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. Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings, accounting for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. The IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation. A recent increase in political stability has led to a revival of economic activity, such as the rehabilitation of bauxite mining.
Electricity - consumption 5.303 billion kWh (1999) 242.4 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 165 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 69 million kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 5.805 billion kWh (1999) 260.6 million kWh (2003)
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: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 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 rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing
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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1% 20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
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) leones per US dollar - 2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003), 2,099 (2002), 1,986.2 (2001)
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: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held 28 July 2007)


election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4%
Exports $6.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities coffee, bananas, sugar; pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Exports - partners US 54.1%, EU 21.3%, Central America 8.6% (1999) Belgium 66.2%, Germany 13.5%, US 4.6% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
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 horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
GDP purchasing power parity - $25 billion (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
12.5%

industry:
30.7%

services:
56.8% (1999)
agriculture: 49%


industry: 31%


services: 21% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 3% (2000 est.) 7.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 10 00 N, 84 00 W 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Geography - note - rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa
Heliports - 2 (2006)
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%: 0.5%


highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
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 -
Imports $5.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners US 56.4%, EU 9%, Mexico 5.4%, Japan 4.7%, (1999) Germany 18.9%, Cote d'Ivoire 11.2%, UK 8.5%, US 6.9%, China 5.6%, Netherlands 5.4%, South Africa 4.1% (2005)
Independence 15 September 1821 (from Spain) 27 April 1961 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 4.3% (2000) NA%
Industries microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair
Infant mortality rate 11.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 160.39 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 177.47 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 142.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 11% (2000 est.) 1% (2002 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, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 3 (of which only one is legal) (2000) -
Irrigated land 1,200 sq km (1993 est.) 300 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly) Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court
Labor force 1.9 million (1999) 1.369 million (1981 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services 58% (1999 est.) agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries total:
639 km

border countries:
Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
total: 958 km


border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Land use arable land:
6%

permanent crops:
5%

permanent pastures:
46%

forests and woodland:
31%

other:
12% (1993 est.)
arable land: 7.95%


permanent crops: 1.05%


other: 91% (2005)
Languages Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Legal system based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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
unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC 22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2
Life expectancy at birth total population:
76.02 years

male:
73.49 years

female:
78.68 years (2001 est.)
total population: 40.22 years


male: 38.05 years


female: 42.46 years (2006 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 can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic


total population: 29.6%


male: 39.8%


female: 20.5% (2000 est.)
Location Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 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: 54 ships (1000 GRT or over) 185,037 GRT/249,996 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 36, chemical tanker 3, combination ore/oil 3, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2


foreign-owned: 14 (China 2, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Russia 1, Syria 1, UAE 3, Ukraine 4, US 1) (2006)
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
Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Air Wing, Maritime Wing)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $69 million (FY99) $14.25 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.6% (FY99) 1.7% (2005 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, 27 April (1961)
Nationality noun:
Costa Rican(s)

adjective:
Costa Rican
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)


adjective: Sierra Leonean
Natural hazards occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms
Natural resources hydropower diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Net migration rate 0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2006 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
All People's Congress or APC [Ben KANU]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Sama BANYA]; numerous others
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] trade unions and student unions
Population 3,773,057 (July 2001 est.) 6,005,250 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line 20.6% (1999 est.) 68% (1989 est.)
Population growth rate 1.65% (2001 est.) 2.3% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas -
Radio broadcast stations AM 50, FM 43, shortwave 19 (1998) AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999)
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% Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
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: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 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: marginal telephone and telegraph service


domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema


international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 450,000 (1998)

note:
584,000 installed in 1997, but only about 450,000 were in use 1998
24,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 143,000 (2000) 113,200 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 6 (plus 11 repeaters) (1997) 2 (1999)
Terrain coastal plains separated by rugged mountains coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Total fertility rate 2.47 children born/woman (2001 est.) 6.08 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.2% (2000 est.) NA%
Waterways 730 km (seasonally navigable) 800 km (600 km year round) (2005)
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