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Compare French Guiana (2005) - Costa Rica (2003)
Compare French Guiana (2005) z Costa Rica (2003)
| French Guiana (2005) | Costa Rica (2003) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (overseas department of France) | 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 29.3% (male 29,262/female 27,947)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 67,895/female 58,534) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 6,038/female 5,830) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 30.1% (male 600,812; female 573,375)
15-64 years: 64.4% (male 1,269,667; female 1,241,097) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 98,156; female 112,985) (2003 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry | coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber |
| Airports | 11 (2004 est.) | 151 (2002) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 30
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 8 (2002) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
total: 121
914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 93 (2002) |
| Area | total: 91,000 sq km
land: 89,150 sq km water: 1,850 sq km |
total: 51,100 sq km
land: 50,660 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Indiana | slightly smaller than West Virginia |
| Background | First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou. | 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 expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism sectors. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread. |
| Birth rate | 20.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 19.4 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $225 million
expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
revenues: $1.91 billion
expenditures: $2.35 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Capital | Cayenne | San Jose |
| Climate | tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation | tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands |
| Coastline | 378 km | 1,290 km |
| Constitution | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) | 7 November 1949 |
| Country name | conventional long form: Department of Guiana
conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane |
conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica
conventional short form: Costa Rica local long form: Republica de Costa Rica local short form: Costa Rica |
| Currency | - | Costa Rican colon (CRC) |
| Death rate | 4.85 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 4.31 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Debt - external | $1.2 billion (1988) | $4.8 billion (2002 est.) |
| Dependency status | overseas department of France | - |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | chief of mission: Ambassador John J. DANILOVICH
embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose mailing address: APO AA 34020 telephone: [506] 220-3939 FAX: [506] 220-2305 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | 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, Chicago, Denver, Durham (North Carolina), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco, St. Paul, and Tampa consulate(s): Austin |
| Disputes - international | Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) in French Guiana | legal dispute over navigational rights of Rio San Juan on border with Nicaragua |
| Economic aid - recipient | NA | - |
| Economy - overview | The economy is tied closely to the much larger French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25% of GDP), fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% of the country. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers. | 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. At the same time, distribution of income remains severely unequal. 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, with the need to modernize the state-owned electricity and telecommunications sector, and with the problem of bringing down inflation. |
| Electricity - consumption | 427.9 million kWh (2002) | 6.109 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 379 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 128 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production | 460.1 million kWh (2002) | 6.839 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 1.5%
hydro: 81.9% nuclear: 0% other: 16.6% (2001) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m |
| Environment - current issues | NA | 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, 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 |
| Ethnic groups | black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10% | white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1% |
| Exchange rates | Euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) | Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 359.82 (2002), 328.87 (2001), 308.19 (2000), 285.69 (1999), 257.23 (1998) |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Ange MANCINI (since 31 July 2002)
head of government: President of the General Council Joseph HO-TEN-YOU (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils |
chief of state: President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May 2002); First Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since NA May 2002); Second Vice President Luis FISHMAN (since NA May 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May 2002); First Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since NA May 2002); Second Vice President Luis FISHMAN (since NA May 2002); note - the 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 3 February 2002; run-off election held 7 April 2002 (next to be held NA February 2006) election results: Abel PACHECO elected president; percent of vote - Abel PACHECO (PUSC) 58%; Rolando ARAYA (PLN) 42% |
| Exports | NA | NA (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing | coffee, bananas, sugar; pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment |
| Exports - partners | France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (2001) | US 31.5%, Netherlands 8.9%, UK 4.5% (2002) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
| Flag description | the flag of France is used | 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 | - | purchasing power parity - $32 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: 9%
industry: 30% services: 61% (2002 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2002 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 2.8% (2002 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 4 00 N, 53 00 W | 10 00 N, 84 00 W |
| Geography - note | mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent | 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 |
| Highways | total: 817 km (1998) | total: 35,892 km
paved: 7,896 km unpaved: 27,996 km (2000) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 1.7%
highest 10%: 34.6% (2001) |
| Illicit drugs | small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe | 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 |
| Imports | NA | NA (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals | raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum |
| Imports - partners | France 63%, US, Trinidad and Tobago, Italy (2002 est.) | US 36.7%, Japan 4.4%, Mexico 4.2% (2002) |
| Independence | none (overseas department of France) | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 2.9% (2002 est.) |
| Industries | construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining | microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 12.07 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 12.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
total: 10.56 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 11.49 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.5% (2002 est.) | 9.1% (2002 est.) |
| International organization participation | UPU, WCL, WFTU | BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 3 (of which only one is legal) (2000) |
| Irrigated land | 20 sq km (1998 est.) | 1,260 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Judicial branch | Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana) | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly) |
| Labor force | 58,800 (1997) | 1.9 million (1999) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 18.2%, industry 21.2%, services, government, and commerce 60.6% (1980) | agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services 58% (1999 est.) |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,183 km
border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km |
total: 639 km
border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km |
| Land use | arable land: 0.14%
permanent crops: 0.05% other: 99.81% (90% forest, 10% other) (2001) |
arable land: 4.41%
permanent crops: 5.48% other: 90.11% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | French | Spanish (official), English |
| Legal system | French legal system | based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Legislative branch | unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be held NA 2006); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PSG 5, various left-wing parties 5, independents 7, other 2; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - PS 28.28%, various left parties 22.56%, RPR 15.91%, independents 8.6%, Walwari Committee 6%; seats by party - PS 11, various left parties 9, RPR 6, independents 3, Walwari Committee 2 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, Walwari Committee 1 |
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 February 2002 (next to be held 3 February 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PUSC 19, PLN 17, PAC 14, PML 6, PRC 1 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 77.09 years
male: 73.77 years female: 80.58 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 76.43 years
male: 73.87 years female: 79.11 years (2003 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82% (1982 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96% male: 95.9% female: 96.1% (2003 est.) |
| Location | Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname | Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama |
| Map references | South America | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Merchant marine | registered in other countries: 3 | total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,716 GRT/ DWT
ships by type: passenger 1 (2002 est.) |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | - |
| Military branches | no regular military forces; Gendarmerie | no regular indigenous military forces; Air Section, Ministry of Public Forces (Fuerza Publica) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | $69 million (FY99) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | 1.6% (FY99) |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 1,080,254 (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 722,043 (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 41,453 (2003 est.) |
| National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | Independence Day, 15 September (1821) |
| Nationality | noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)
adjective: French Guianese |
noun: Costa Rican(s)
adjective: Costa Rican |
| Natural hazards | high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding | occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes |
| Natural resources | bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay | hydropower |
| Net migration rate | 5.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 0.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Pipelines | - | refined products 421 km (2003) |
| Political parties and leaders | Guyanese Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Popular National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Socialist Party or PS [Paul DEBRIETTE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP (includes RPR) [Muriel ICARE]; Walwari Committee (aligned with the PRG in France) [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON] | Agricultural Labor Action or PALA [Carlos Alberto SOLIS Blanco]; Citizen Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS]; 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 - until the 3 February 2002 election in which the PAC captured a significant percentage, forcing a run-off in April 2002 |
| 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 | 195,506 (July 2005 est.) | 3,896,092 (July 2003 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | 20.6% (1999 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 2.1% (2005 est.) | 1.56% (2003 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Degrad des Cannes | Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998) | AM 50, FM 43, shortwave 19 (1998) |
| Railways | - | total: 950 km
narrow gauge: 950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2002) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic | 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: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2005 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 (2003 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system international: country code - 594; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 51,000 (2001) | 450,000 (1998)
note: 584,000 installed in 1997, but only about 450,000 were in use in 1998 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 138,200 (2002) | 143,000 (2000) |
| Television broadcast stations | 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997) | 6 (plus 11 repeaters) (1997) |
| Terrain | low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains | coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes |
| Total fertility rate | 3.01 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 2.38 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 22% (2001) | 6.3% (2002 est.) |
| Waterways | 3,760 km
note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2004) |
730 km (seasonally navigable) |
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