Main page Compare countries Index countries Index fields

Query:
##ciekawa_strona##

Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2003) - Nicaragua (2008)

Compare Holy See (Vatican City) (2003) z Nicaragua (2008)

 Holy See (Vatican City) (2003)Nicaragua (2008)
 Holy See (Vatican City)Nicaragua
Administrative divisions none 15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonoma); Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas
Age structure - 0-14 years: 35.5% (male 1,025,426/female 988,148)


15-64 years: 61.3% (male 1,734,153/female 1,746,574)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 79,589/female 101,466) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products - coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters
Airports none (2002) 163 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways - total: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 152


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 16


under 914 m: 135 (2007)
Area total: 0.44 sq km


land: 0.44 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 129,494 sq km


land: 120,254 sq km


water: 9,240 sq km
Area - comparative about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC slightly smaller than the state of New York
Background Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include the failing health of Pope John Paul II, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith. The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, saw the Sandinistas defeated, but voting in 2006 announced the return of former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt.
Birth rate - 24.12 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $173.5 million


expenditures: $176.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
revenues: $1.027 billion


expenditures: $1.336 billion (2007 est.)
Capital Vatican City name: Managua


geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W


time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September) tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 910 km
Constitution Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968) 9 January 1987; reforms in 1995, 2000, and 2005
Country name conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City)


conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City)


local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano)


local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua


conventional short form: Nicaragua


local long form: Republica de Nicaragua


local short form: Nicaragua
Currency euro (EUR) -
Death rate - 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external - $3.702 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador R. James "Jim" NICHOLSON


embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome


mailing address: PSC 59, Box 66, APO AE 09624


telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428


FAX: [39] (06) 5758346
chief of mission: Ambassador Paul A. TRIVELLI


embassy: Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua


mailing address: P.O. Box 327


telephone: [505] 266-6010


FAX: [505] 266-3861
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriel MONTALVO


chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121


FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036
chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo CRUZ Sequeira, Jr.


chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570, [1] (202) 939-6573


FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545


consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
Disputes - international none memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western Caribbean Sea, final public hearings are scheduled for 2007; the 1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras advised a tripartite resolution to establish a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca, which considers Honduran access to the Pacific; legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border with Costa Rica
Economic aid - recipient none $471 million (2006 est.)
Economy - overview This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by an annual tax on Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the world, as well as by special collections (known as Peter's Pence); the sale of postage stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; fees for admission to museums; and the sale of publications. Investments and real estate income also account for a sizable portion of revenue. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome. Nicaragua has widespread underemployment, one of the highest degrees of income inequality in the world, and the third lowest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere. While the country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in the past few years, annual GDP growth has been far too low to meet the country's needs, forcing the country to rely on international economic assistance to meet fiscal and debt financing obligations. In early 2004, Nicaragua secured some $4.5 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in October 2007, the IMF approved a new poverty reduction and growth facility (PRGF) program that should create fiscal space for social spending and investment. The continuity of a relationship with the IMF reinforces donor confidence, despite private sector concerns surrounding Ortega, which has dampened investment. The US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has been in effect since April 2006 and has expanded export opportunities for many agricultural and manufactured goods. Energy shortages fueled by high oil prices, however, are a serious bottleneck to growth.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 2.929 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh 8 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy 69.34 million kWh (2006)
Electricity - production NA kWh 2.778 billion kWh (2006)
Elevation extremes lowest point: unnamed location 19 m


highest point: unnamed location 75 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m
Environment - current issues NA deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
Environment - international agreements party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups Italians, Swiss, other mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 1.06 1.1324 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) gold cordobas per US dollar - 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: Pope JOHN PAUL II (since 16 October 1978)


head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO (since 2 December 1990)


cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope


elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope


election results: Karol WOJTYLA elected pope
chief of state: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term so long as it is not consecutive); election last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011)


election results: Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra elected president - 38.07%, Eduardo MONTEALEGRE 29%, Jose RIZO 26.21%, Edmundo JARQUIN 6.44%
Exports 0 kWh 1,397 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities - coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
Exports - partners - US 65.2%, El Salvador 6.9%, Honduras 3.8% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter centered in the white band three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture: 17.1%


industry: 25.9%


services: 56.9% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - 2.9% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 41 54 N, 12 27 E 13 00 N, 85 00 W
Geography - note urban; landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua
Heliports 1 (2002) -
Highways none; all city streets -
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 2.2%


highest 10%: 33.8% (2001)
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing
Imports NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy 15,560 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities - consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products
Imports - partners - US 20.1%, Mexico 13.9%, Venezuela 9.4%, Costa Rica 6.9%, Guatemala 5.4%, China 4.3% (2006)
Independence 11 February 1929 (from Italy)


note: on 11 February 1929, three treaties were signed with Italy which, among other things, recognized the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate - 3% (2007 est.)
Industries printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps, a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood
Infant mortality rate - total: 27.14 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 30.45 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 23.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 9.8% (2007 est.)
International organization participation CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WHO (observer), WIPO, WToO (observer), WTrO (observer) BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) NA -
Irrigated land 0 sq km (1998 est.) 610 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See


note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pius XII on 1 May 1946
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)
Labor force NA 2.262 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation essentially services with a small amount of industry; note - dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican agriculture: 29%


industry: 19%


services: 52% (2006 est.)
Land boundaries total: 3.2 km


border countries: Italy 3.2 km
total: 1,231 km


border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
Land use arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (urban area) (1998 est.)
arable land: 14.81%


permanent crops: 1.82%


other: 83.37% (2005)
Languages Italian, Latin, French, various other languages Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)


note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
Legal system based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral Pontifical Commission unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; 90 members are elected by proportional representation and party lists to serve five-year terms; 1 seat for the previous president, 1 seat for the runner-up in previous presidential election)


elections: last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FSLN 38, PLC 25, ALN 23 (22 plus one for presidential candidate Eduardo MONTEALEGRE, runner-up in the 2006 presidential election), MRS 5, APRE 1 (outgoing President Enrique BOLANOS)
Life expectancy at birth - total population: 70.92 years


male: 68.82 years


female: 73.13 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: 100%


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 67.5%


male: 67.2%


female: 67.8% (2003 est.)
Location Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy) Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Map references Europe Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


continental shelf: natural prolongation
Military - note defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City to provide security and protect the Pope -
Military branches Swiss Guards Corps (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera) National Army of Nicaragua (ENN; includes Navy, Air Force) (2007)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 0.6% (2006)
National holiday Coronation Day of Pope JOHN PAUL II, 22 October (1978) Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Nationality noun: none


adjective: none
noun: Nicaraguan(s)


adjective: Nicaraguan
Natural hazards NA destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
Natural resources none gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
Net migration rate - -1.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - oil 54 km (2007)
Political parties and leaders none Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Miguel LOPEZ Baldizon]; Alternative for Change or AC [Orlando TARDENCILLA Espinoza]; Central American Unionist Party or PUCA [Blanca ROJAS]; Conservative Party or PC [Azalia AVILES Salmeron]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Anibal MARTINEZ Nunez, Pedro REYES Vallejos]; Independent Liberal Party for National Unity or PLIUN [Carlos GUERRA Gallardo]; Liberal Constitutionalist Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Liberal Salvation Movement or MSL [Eliseo NUNEZ Hernandez]; New Liberal Party or PALI [Adolfo GARCIA Esquivel]; Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance or ALN [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE]; Nicaraguan Resistance Party or PRN [Salvador TALAVERA]; Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]; Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [Dora Maria TELLEZ]
Political pressure groups and leaders none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers) National Workers Front or FNT is a Sandinista umbrella group of eight labor unions including - Farm Workers Association or ATC, Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of Employees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG, Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of Journalists of Nicaragua or UPN; Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT is an umbrella group of four non-Sandinista labor unions including - Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of Labor Unification or CUS, Independent General Confederation of Labor or CGT-I, and Labor Action and Unity Central or CAUS; Nicaraguan Workers' Central or CTN is an independent labor union; Superior Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP is a confederation of business groups
Population 911 (July 2003 est.) 5,675,356 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 48% (2005)
Population growth rate 0.01% (2003 est.) 1.855% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors none -
Radio broadcast stations AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 2 (1998) AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways total: 0.86 km


standard gauge: 0.86 km 1.435-m gauge


note: a spur of the Italian Railways system, serving Rome's Saint Peter's station (2001 est.)
total: 6 km


narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
Religions Roman Catholic Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census)
Sex ratio - at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.038 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.993 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.784 male(s)/female


total population: 1.001 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage limited to cardinals less than 80 years old 16 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: automatic exchange


domestic: tied into Italian system


international: uses Italian system
general assessment: system being upgraded by foreign investment; nearly all installed telecommunications capacity now uses digital technology, owing to investments since privatization of the formerly state-owned telecoms company


domestic: since privatization, access to fixed-line and mobile-cellular services has improved but teledensity still lags behind other Central American countries; connected to Central American Microwave System


international: country code - 505; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber optic submarine cable provides connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use NA 247,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 1.83 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1996) 3 (plus 7 repeaters) (1997)
Terrain low hill extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Total fertility rate - 2.69 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate - 5.6% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2007 est.)
Waterways none 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2007)
Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.