Nicaragua (2002) | Sao Tome and Principe (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | 15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonomista); Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas, Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur* | 2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome
note: Principe has had self-government since 29 April 1995 |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 38.3% (male 980,621; female 945,386)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 1,464,468; female 1,483,082) 65 years and over: 3% (male 65,610; female 84,651) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 47.7% (male 41,159; female 40,125)
15-64 years: 48.3% (male 39,701; female 42,586) 65 years and over: 4% (male 3,115; female 3,686) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products | cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish |
Airports | 182 (2001) | 2 (2001) |
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 (2002) |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 141 (2002) |
- |
Area | total: 129,494 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km water: 9,240 sq km |
total: 1,001 sq km
land: 1,001 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than the state of New York | more than five times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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 again in 2001 saw the Sandinistas defeated. The country has slowly rebuilt its economy during the 1990s, but was hard hit by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. | Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. Although independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The first free elections were held in 1991. |
Birth rate | 26.98 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 42.3 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $726 million
expenditures: $908 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $58 million
expenditures: $114 million, including capital expenditures of $54 million |
Capital | Managua | Sao Tome |
Climate | tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands | tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May) |
Coastline | 910 km | 209 km |
Constitution | 9 January 1987, with reforms in 1995 and 2000 | approved March 1990; effective 10 September 1990 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua local long form: Republica de Nicaragua local short form: Nicaragua |
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe local short form: Sao Tome e Principe |
Currency | gold cordoba (NIO) | dobra (STD) |
Death rate | 4.76 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 7.32 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $6.1 billion (2001 est.) | $253.8 million (2000) (2000) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara Calandra MOORE
embassy: Apartado Postal 327, Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua mailing address: APO AA 34021 telephone: [505] 268-0123 FAX: [505] 266-9943 |
the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos J. ULVERT
chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570 FAX: [1] (202) 939-6542 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York |
Sao Tome and Principe does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a Permanent Mission to the UN, headed by First Secretary Domingos Augusto FERREIRA, located at 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022, telephone [1] (212) 317-0580 |
Disputes - international | territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; with respect to the maritime boundary question in the Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ referred to the line determined by the 1900 Honduras-Nicaragua Mixed Boundary Commission and advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua likely would be required; legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border with Costa Rica | none |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | $200 million in December 2000 under the HIPC program |
Economy - overview | Nicaragua, one of the hemisphere's poorest countries, faces low per capita income, flagging socio-economic indicators, and huge external debt. Distribution of income is extremely unequal. While the country has made progress toward macroeconomic stabilization over the past few years, a banking crisis and scandal has shaken the economy. Managua will continue to be dependent on international aid and debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Donors have made aid conditional on improving governability, the openness of government financial operation, poverty alleviation, and human rights. Nicaragua met the conditions for additional debt service relief in December 2000. Growth should move up in 2002 because of increased private investment and recovery in the global economy. | This small poor island economy has become increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence 26 years ago. However, cocoa production has substantially declined because of drought and mismanagement. The resulting shortage of cocoa for export has created a persistent balance-of-payments problem. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food. Over the years, it has been unable to service its external debt and has had to depend on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome benefited from $200 million in debt relief in December 2000 under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. Sao Tome's success in implementing structural reforms has been rewarded by international donors, who have pledged increased assistance in 2001. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The government also has attempted to reduce price controls and subsidies. Sao Tome is also optimistic that substantial petroleum discoveries are forthcoming in its territorial waters in the oil-rich waters of the Gulf of Guinea. Corruption scandals continue to weaken the economy. |
Electricity - consumption | 2.176 billion kWh (2000) | 15.81 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 1 million kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 100 million kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 2.233 billion kWh (2000) | 17 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 82%
hydro: 9% nuclear: 0% other: 9% (2000) |
fossil fuel: 41%
hydro: 59% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution | deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% | mestico, angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves), forros (descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese) |
Exchange rates | gold cordobas per US dollar - 13.88 (January 2002), 13.37 (2001), 12.69 (2000), 11.81 (1999), 10.58 (1998), 9.45 (1997) | dobras per US dollar - 9,009.1 (December 2001), 8,842.1 (2001), 7,978.2 (2000), 7,119.0 (1999), 6,883.2 (1998), 4,552.5 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon (since 10 January 2002); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (since 10 January 2002); Vice President Jose RIZO Castellon (since 10 January 2002); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government 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; election last held 4 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2006) election results: Enrique BOLANOS Geyer (PLC) elected president - 56.3%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 42.3%, Alberto SABORIO (PC) 1.4%; Jose RIZO Castellon elected vice president |
chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Maria das NEVES (since 7 October 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 29 July 2001 (next to be held NA July 2006); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president in Sao Tome's third multiparty presidential election; percent of vote - NA% |
Exports | $609.5 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) | $4.1 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | coffee, shrimp and lobster, cotton, tobacco, beef, sugar, bananas; gold | cocoa 90%, copra, coffee, palm oil |
Exports - partners | US 57.7%, Germany 5.3%, Canada 4.2%, Costa Rica 3.3%, Honduras 3% (2000) | Portugal 33.3%, Netherlands 8.3%, Spain 8.3% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | 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 | three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $12.3 billion (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $189 million (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 33%
industry: 23% services: 44% (2000) (2000) |
agriculture: 25%
industry: 10% services: 65% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,200 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.5% (2001 est.) | 4% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 13 00 N, 85 00 W | 1 00 N, 7 00 E |
Geography - note | largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua | the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are fairly mountainous |
Highways | total: 16,382 km
paved: 1,818 km unpaved: 14,564 km (1998) |
total: 320 km
paved: 218 km unpaved: 102 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 49% (1998) (1998) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing | - |
Imports | $1.6 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | $40 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products, consumer goods | machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products |
Imports - partners | US 23.9%, Costa Rica 11.4%, Venezuela 9.9%, Guatemala 7.9%, Mexico 5.9% (2000) | Portugal 43%, France 15.7%, UK 13.7% (1999) |
Independence | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) | 12 July 1975 (from Portugal) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4.4% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Industries | food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood | light construction, textiles, soap, beer; fish processing; timber |
Infant mortality rate | 32.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 47.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 7.4% (2001 est.) | 7% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | BCIE, CACM, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 3 (2000) | 1 (2002) |
Irrigated land | 880 sq km (1998 est.) | 100 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly) |
Labor force | 1.7 million (1999) (1999) | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | services 43%, agriculture 42%, industry 15% (1999 est.) | population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing
note: shortages of skilled workers |
Land boundaries | total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 20.24%
permanent crops: 2.38% other: 77.38% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 41% other: 57% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Spanish (official)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast |
Portuguese (official) |
Legal system | civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts | based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (93 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Alliance (ruling party - includes PLC, PALI, PLIUN, and PUCA) 46.03%, FSLN 36.55%, PCCN 3.73%, PCN 2.12%, MRS 1.33%; seats by party - Liberal Alliance 42, FSLN 36, PCCN 4, PCN 3, PRONAL 2, MRS 1, PRN 1, PC 1, PLI 1, AU 1, UNO-96 1 |
unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 March 2002 (next to be held NA March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - MLSTP 39.6%, Force for Change Democratic Movement 39.4%, Ue-Kedadji coalition 16.2%; seats by party - MLSTP 24, Force for Change Democratic Movement 23, Ue-Kedadji coalition 8 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 69.37 years
male: 67.39 years female: 71.44 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 65.93 years
male: 64.47 years female: 67.45 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68.2% (1999) male: 67.1% female: 70.5% (2000 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.3% male: 85% female: 62% (1991 est.) |
Location | Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras | Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the Equator, west of Gabon |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
Maritime claims | continental shelf: natural prolongation
territorial sea: 200 NM |
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | total: 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 169,991 GRT/245,996 DWT
ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 23, chemical tanker 1, container 3, livestock carrier 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Egypt 1, Greece 1, Kenya 1, Portugal 1, Syria 1, Turkey 1 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force | Army, Navy, Security Police |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $26 million (FY98) | $400,000 (FY01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.2% (FY98) | 0.8% (FY01) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 1,308,430 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49: 35,524 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 802,779 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49: 18,727 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 58,232 (2002 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 15 September (1821) | Independence Day, 12 July (1975) |
Nationality | noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan |
noun: Sao Tomean(s)
adjective: Sao Tomean |
Natural hazards | destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes | NA |
Natural resources | gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish | fish, hydropower |
Net migration rate | -1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | -3.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 56 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | Conservative Party of Nicaragua or PCN [Dr. Fernando AGUERO Rocha]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Virgilio GODOY]; Liberal Alliance (ruling alliance including Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC, New Liberal Party or PALI, Independent Liberal Party for National Unity or PLIUN, and Central American Unionist Party or PUCA) [leader NA]; National Conservative Party or PC [Pedro SOLARZANO, Noel VIDAURRE]; National Project or PRONAL [Benjamin LANZAS]; Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path or PCCN [Guillermo OSORNO, Roberto RODRIGUEZ]; Nicaraguan Resistance Party or PRN [Salvador TALAVERA]; Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]; Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [Sergio RAMIREZ]; Unity Alliance or AU [Alejandro SERRANO]; Union Nacional Opositora 96 or UNO-96 [Alfredo CESAR Aguirre] | Democratic Renovation Party [Armindo GRACA]; Force for Change Democratic Movement [leader NA]; Independent Democratic Action or ADI [Carlos NEVES]; Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Manuel Pinto Da COSTA]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Aldo BANDEIRA]; Ue-Kedadji coalition [leader NA]; other small parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | 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 | NA |
Population | 5,023,818 (July 2002 est.) | 170,372 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 50% (2001 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.09% (2002 est.) | 3.18% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur | Santo Antonio, Sao Tome |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2002) |
Radios | 1.24 million (1997) | 38,000 (1997) |
Railways | total: 6 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge note: carries mostly passengers from Chichigalpa to Ingenio San Antonio (2001) |
0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant | Christian 80% (Roman Catholic, Evangelical Protestant, Seventh-Day Adventist) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 16 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded by foreign investment
domestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: adequate facilities
domestic: minimal system international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 140,000 (1996) | 4,600 (2000) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 7,911 (1997) | 6,942 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) | 2 (2002) |
Terrain | extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes | volcanic, mountainous |
Total fertility rate | 3.09 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 5.95 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 23% plus considerable underemployment (2001 est.) | NA% |
Waterways | 2,220 km (including 2 large lakes) | none |