Compare Guyana (2003) - Costa Rica (2005)

Compare Guyana (2003) z Costa Rica (2005)

	Guyana (2003)	Costa Rica (2005)

Administrative divisions	10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo	7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose
Age structure	0-14 years: 27% (male 96,775; female 93,077) 15-64 years: 67.9% (male 240,305; female 236,378) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 15,755; female 19,810) (2003 est.)	0-14 years: 28.9% (male 593,540/female 566,361) 15-64 years: 65.5% (male 1,330,481/female 1,300,664) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 104,564/female 120,563) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	sugar, rice, wheat, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish (shrimp)	coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber
Airports	51 (2002)	149 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (2002)	total: 30 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 43 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 34 (2002)	total: 119 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 95 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 214,970 sq km land: 196,850 sq km water: 18,120 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 Idaho	slightly smaller than West Virginia
Background	Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, but until the early 1990s it was ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president, in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. Upon his death five years later, he was succeeded by his wife Janet, who resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001.	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	17.87 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	18.6 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $227 million expenditures: $235.2 million, including capital expenditures of $93.4 million (2000)	revenues: $2.497 billion expenditures: $3.094 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital	Georgetown	San Jose
Climate	tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to mid-August, mid-November to mid-January)	tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
Coastline	459 km	1,290 km
Constitution	6 October 1980	7 November 1949
Country name	conventional long form: Co-operative Republic of Guyana conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana	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	Guyanese dollar (GYD)	-
Death rate	9.27 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	4.33 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$1.2 billion (2002)	$5.962 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald D. GODARD embassy: 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909 FAX: [592] 225-8497	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Douglas M. BARNES embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose mailing address: APO AA 34020 telephone: [506] 220-3939 FAX: [506] 519-2305
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Ali Odeen ISHMAEL chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297 consulate(s) general: New York	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, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Tampa consulate(s): Austin
Disputes - international	all of the area west of the Essequibo (river) claimed by Venezuela; Suriname claims area between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari [Koetari] rivers (all headwaters of the Courantyne); territorial sea boundary with Suriname is in dispute	legal dispute over navigational rights of Rio San Juan on the border with Nicaragua remains unresolved
Economic aid - recipient	$84 million (1995), Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) $253 million (1997)	-
Economy - overview	The Guyanese economy has exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-02, based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of international organizations. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public investment. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term by restructuring and partial privatization.	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 deficit and massive 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 recently concluded negotiations to participate in the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement, which, if ratified by the Costa Rican Legislature, would result in economic reforms and an improved investment climate.
Electricity - consumption	792.4 million kWh (2001)	5.733 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	477 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	59 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	852 million kWh (2001)	6.614 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 99.4% hydro: 0.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m
Environment - current issues	water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; 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, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 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	East Indian 50%, black 36%, Amerindian 7%, white, Chinese, and mixed 7%	white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%
Exchange rates	Guyanese dollars per US dollar - NA (2002), 187.32 (2001), 182.43 (2000), 178 (1999), 150.52 (1998)	Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003), 359.82 (2002), 328.87 (2001), 308.19 (2000)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President JAGAN head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since NA December 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature elections: president elected by the majority party in the National Assembly following legislative elections, which must be held at least every five years; elections last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held by March 2006); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of legislative vote - NA%	chief of state: President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May 2002); First Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since 8 May 2002); Second Vice President (vacant); 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 8 May 2002); Second Vice President (vacant); 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 February 2006) election results: Abel PACHECO elected president; percent of vote - Abel PACHECO (PUSC) 58%; Rolando ARAYA (PLN) 42%
Exports	NA (2001)	NA
Exports - commodities	sugar, gold, bauxite/alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber	coffee, bananas, sugar; pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment
Exports - partners	Canada 21.1%, US 17.9%, Netherlands Antilles 12.9%, UK 10.4%, Jamaica 5.3%, Portugal 4.2% (2002)	US 46.9%, Netherlands 5.3%, Guatemala 4.4% (2004)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green	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 - $2.628 billion (2002 est.)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 35% industry: 21% services: 44% (2002 est.)	agriculture: 8.5% industry: 29.7% services: 61.8% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $3,800 (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $9,600 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	1.1% (2002 est.)	3.9% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	5 00 N, 59 00 W	10 00 N, 84 00 W
Geography - note	the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively	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: 7,970 km paved: 590 km unpaved: 7,380 km (1999 est.)	total: 35,303 km paved: 4,236 km unpaved: 31,067 km (2002)
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 point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis	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	NA (2001)	NA
Imports - commodities	manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food	raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum
Imports - partners	US 23.7%, Netherlands Antilles 20.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 15.2%, Italy 6.3%, UK 5.1%, Cuba 4.2% (2002)	US 46.1%, Japan 5.9%, Mexico 5.1%, Brazil 4.2% (2004)
Independence	26 May 1966 (from UK)	15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate	7.1% (1997 est.)	3.1% (2004 est.)
Industries	bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining	microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Infant mortality rate	total: 37.55 deaths/1,000 live births male: 41.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 33.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)	total: 9.95 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	4.7% (2002 est.)	11.5% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO	BCIE, CACM, 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), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	3 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	1,500 sq km (1998 est.)	1,260 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court of Judicature; Judicial Court of Appeal; High Court	Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly)
Labor force	418,000 (2001 est.)	1.81 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%	agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services 58% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 2,462 km border countries: Brazil 1,119 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km	total: 639 km border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
Land use	arable land: 2.44% permanent crops: 0.08% other: 97.48% (1998 est.)	arable land: 4.41% permanent crops: 5.88% other: 89.71% (2001)
Languages	English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu	Spanish (official), English
Legal system	based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	unicameral National Assembly (68 seats, 65 elected by popular vote, 1 elected Speaker of the National Assembly, and 2 nonvoting members appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 19 March 2001 (next to be held NA March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPP/C 34, PNC 27, GAP and WPA 2, ROAR 1, TUF 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; note - seats by party as of January 2005 - PUSC 19, PLN 16, PAC 8, PML 5, PRC 1, Patriotic Union 3, Homeland First 1, Authentic Member from Heredia 1, Democratic National Alliance 1, independent 2
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 63.09 years male: 60.51 years female: 65.79 years (2003 est.)	total population: 76.84 years male: 74.26 years female: 79.55 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98.8% male: 99.1% female: 98.5% (2003 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 Suriname and Venezuela	Central 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	continental shelf: 200 NM or to the outer edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,929 GRT/4,507 DWT ships by type: cargo 2 (2002 est.)	total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,716 GRT/ DWT by type: passenger/cargo 2 (2005)
Military branches	Guyana Defense Force (including Ground Forces, Coast Guard, and Air Corps), Guyana Police Force, Guyana People's Militia, Guyana National Service	no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security, Government, and Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$NA	$64.2 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA%	0.4% (2003)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 207,890 (2003 est.)	-
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 156,174 (2003 est.)	-
National holiday	Republic Day, 23 February (1970)	Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Nationality	noun: Guyanese (singular and plural) adjective: Guyanese	noun: Costa Rican(s) adjective: Costa Rican
Natural hazards	flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons	occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes
Natural resources	bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish	hydropower
Net migration rate	-4.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines	-	refined products 242 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	Alliance for Guyana or AFG (includes Guyana Labor Party or GLP and Working People's Alliance or WPA) [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Guyana Labor Party or GLP [leader NA]; People's National Congress or PNC/R [Robert Herman Orlando CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]	Authentic Member from Heredia [Jose SALAS]; Citizen Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Justo OROZCO]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Juan Carlos CHAVES Mora]; Democratic National Alliance [Emilia RODRIGUEZ]; General Union Party or PUGEN [Carlos Alberto FERNANDEZ Vega]; Homeland First [Juan Jose VARGAS]; Independent Worker Party or PIO [Jose Alberto CUBERO Carmona]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Victor GONZALEZ]; 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 Rescue Party or PRN [Carlos VARGAS Solano]; Patriotic Union [Humberto ARCE]; Popular Vanguard [Trino BARRANTES Araya]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Lorena VASQUEZ Badilla]
Political pressure groups and leaders	Civil Liberties Action Committee or CLAC; Guyana Council of Indian Organizations or GCIO; Trades Union Congress or TUC note: the GCIO and the CLAC are small and active but not well organized	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	702,100 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.)	4,016,173 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	18% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate	0.44% (2003 est.)	1.48% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	Bartica, Georgetown, Linden, New Amsterdam, Parika	Caldera, Puerto Limon
Radio broadcast stations	AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002)
Railways	total: 187 km standard gauge: 139 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 48 km 0.914-m gauge note: all dedicated to ore transport (2001 est.)	total: 278 km narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)
Religions	Christian 50%, Hindu 35%, Muslim 10%, other 5%	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: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2003 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 (2005 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system	general assessment: fair system for long-distance calling domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines international: tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	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	70,000 (2000)	1.132 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	6,100 (2000)	528,047 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	3 (one public station; two private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)	20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)
Terrain	mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south	coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes
Total fertility rate	2.07 children born/woman (2003 est.)	2.28 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	9.1% (understated) (2000)	6.6% (2004 est.)
Waterways	5,900 km (total length of navigable waterways) note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km, respectively	730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2004)

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