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Compare Madagascar (2003) - Nicaragua (2008)

Compare Madagascar (2003) z Nicaragua (2008)

 Madagascar (2003)Nicaragua (2008)
 MadagascarNicaragua
Administrative divisions 6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara 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: 45% (male 3,822,823; female 3,807,958)


15-64 years: 51.9% (male 4,366,748; female 4,452,686)


65 years and over: 3.1% (male 243,411; female 286,118) (2003 est.)
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, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters
Airports 121 (2002) 163 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 29


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4


914 to 1,523 m: 20


under 914 m: 2 (2002)
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: 92


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 46


under 914 m: 44 (2002)
total: 152


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 16


under 914 m: 135 (2007)
Area total: 587,040 sq km


land: 581,540 sq km


water: 5,500 sq km
total: 129,494 sq km


land: 120,254 sq km


water: 9,240 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than twice the size of Arizona slightly smaller than the state of New York
Background Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1886, but regained its independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held, ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. 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 42.16 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 24.12 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $553 million


expenditures: $735 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)
revenues: $1.027 billion


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


geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W


time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Coastline 4,828 km 910 km
Constitution 19 August 1992 by national referendum 9 January 1987; reforms in 1995, 2000, and 2005
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar


conventional short form: Madagascar


local long form: Republique de Madagascar


local short form: Madagascar


former: Malagasy Republic
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua


conventional short form: Nicaragua


local long form: Republica de Nicaragua


local short form: Nicaragua
Currency Malagasy franc (MGF) -
Death rate 11.88 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $4.6 billion (2002) $3.702 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Wanda L. NESBITT


embassy: 14-16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo 101


mailing address: B. P. 620, Antsahavola, Antananarivo


telephone: [261] (20) 22-212-57, 22-212-73, 22-209-56


FAX: [261] (20) 22-345-39
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: Ambassador Rajaonarivony NARISOA


chancery: 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 265-5525, 5526


FAX: [1] (202) 483-7603


consulate(s) general: New York
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 claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France) 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 $838 million (1997) $471 million (2006 est.)
Economy - overview Having discarded past socialist economic policies, Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World Bank and IMF led policy of privatization and liberalization, which has placed the country on a slow and steady growth path. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is a mainstay of the economy, accounting for one-fourth of GDP and employing four-fifths of the population. Export earnings primarily are earned in the small industrial sector, which features textile manufacturing and agriculture processing. Deforestation and erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel are serious concerns. The separatist political crisis of 2002 undermined macroeconomic stability, with the estimated drop in output being subject to a wide margin of error. Poverty reduction will be the centerpiece of economic policy for the next few years. 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 772.1 million kWh (2001) 2.929 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 8 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 69.34 million kWh (2006)
Electricity - production 830.2 million kWh (2001) 2.778 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 36.1%


hydro: 63.9%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m
Environment - current issues soil erosion results from deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water contaminated with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several species of flora and fauna unique to the island are endangered deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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 Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%
Exchange rates Malagasy francs per US dollar - 6,831.96 (2002), 6,588.49 (2001), 6,767.48 (2000), 6,283.77 (1999), 5,441.4 (1998) 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: President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May 2002)


head of government: Prime Minister Jacques SYLLA (27 May 2002)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 December 2001 (next to be held NA November 2006); prime minister appointed by the president from a list of candidates nominated by the National Assembly


election results: percent of vote - Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 40.89%, Marc RAVALOMANANA 46.21%; note - on 29 April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner by 51.5% after a recount; RATSIRIKA's prime minister was put under house arrest on 27 May 2002, and SYLLA was appointed the new prime minister by President RAVALOMANANA
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 NA (2001) 1,397 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar; cotton cloth, chromite, petroleum products coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
Exports - partners France 34%, US 24.6%, Netherlands 6%, Germany 5.9%, Mauritius 4% (2002) US 65.2%, El Salvador 6.9%, Honduras 3.8% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side 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 purchasing power parity - $12.59 billion (2002) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 25%


industry: 12%


services: 63% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 17.1%


industry: 25.9%


services: 56.9% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $800 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate -11.9% (2002 est.) 2.9% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 20 00 S, 47 00 E 13 00 N, 85 00 W
Geography - note world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua
Highways total: 49,827 km


paved: 5,780 km


unpaved: 44,047 km (1999 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3%


highest 10%: 29% (1999)
lowest 10%: 2.2%


highest 10%: 33.8% (2001)
Illicit drugs illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption; transshipment point for heroin transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing
Imports NA (2001) 15,560 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities capital goods, petroleum, consumer goods, food consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products
Imports - partners France 17.2%, Iran 11%, Mauritius 10.6%, Bahrain 9.4%, Hong Kong 6.9%, South Africa 5.9%, China 4.1% (2002) US 20.1%, Mexico 13.9%, Venezuela 9.4%, Costa Rica 6.9%, Guatemala 5.4%, China 4.3% (2006)
Independence 26 June 1960 (from France) 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate 3% (2000 est.) 3% (2007 est.)
Industries meat processing, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood
Infant mortality rate total: 80.21 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 88.63 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 71.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
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) 7.4% (2001 est.) 9.8% (2007 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO 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) 2 (2000) -
Irrigated land 10,900 sq km (1998 est.) 610 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Constitutional Court or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)
Labor force 7.3 million (2000) 2.262 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture: 29%


industry: 19%


services: 52% (2006 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 1,231 km


border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
Land use arable land: 4.41%


permanent crops: 0.93%


other: 94.66% (1998 est.)
arable land: 14.81%


permanent crops: 1.82%


other: 83.37% (2005)
Languages French (official), Malagasy (official) Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)


note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
Legal system based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (160 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - the legislature is scheduled to become a bicameral Parliament with the establishment of a Senate; two-thirds of the seats of this Senate will be filled by regional assemblies whose members will be elected by popular vote; the remaining one-third of the seats will be appointed by the president; the total number of seats will be determined by the National Assembly; all members will serve four-year terms


elections: National Assembly - last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)


election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - TIM 103, FP 22, AREMA 3, LEADER/Fanilo 2, RPSD 5, others 3, independents 22
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: 56.14 years


male: 53.82 years


female: 58.53 years (2003 est.)
total population: 70.92 years


male: 68.82 years


female: 73.13 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 68.9%


male: 75.5%


female: 62.5% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 67.5%


male: 67.2%


female: 67.8% (2003 est.)
Location Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or 100 NM from the 2,500-m deep isobath


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


continental shelf: natural prolongation
Merchant marine total: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 14,865 GRT/17,936 DWT


ships by type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 (2002 est.)
-
Military branches People's Armed Forces (comprising Intervention Force, Development Force, Aeronaval [Navy and Air] Force), Gendarmerie, Presidential Security Regiment National Army of Nicaragua (ENN; includes Navy, Air Force) (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $52.3 million (FY02) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY02) 0.6% (2006)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 3,880,332 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 2,300,587 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - military age 20 years of age (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 163,864 (2003 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 26 June (1960) Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Nationality noun: Malagasy (singular and plural)


adjective: Malagasy
noun: Nicaraguan(s)


adjective: Nicaraguan
Natural hazards periodic cyclones destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes
Natural resources graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) -1.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - oil 54 km (2007)
Political parties and leaders Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar or AREMA [leader vacant]; Economic Liberalism and Democratic Action for National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO]; I Love Madagascar or TIM [leader NA]; National Union or FP [leader NA]; Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or RPSD [Evariste MARSON] 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 Federalist Movement; National Council of Christian Churches or FFKM 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 16,979,744 (July 2003 est.) 5,675,356 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 71% (1999 est.) 48% (2005)
Population growth rate 3.03% (2003 est.) 1.855% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Antsiranana, Antsohimbondrona, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2 (plus a number of repeater stations), FM 9, shortwave 6 (2001) AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways total: 732 km


narrow gauge: 732 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
total: 6 km


narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)
Religions indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7% 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: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
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 18 years of age; universal 16 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: system is above average for the region


domestic: open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter links connect regions


international: submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
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 55,000 (2000) 247,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 63,100 (2000) 1.83 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 1 (plus 36 repeaters) (2001) 3 (plus 7 repeaters) (1997)
Terrain narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Total fertility rate 5.73 children born/woman (2003 est.) 2.69 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.9% (1998) 5.6% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2007 est.)
Waterways of local importance only 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2007)
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