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Compare Nicaragua (2003) - French Guiana (2002)

Compare Nicaragua (2003) z French Guiana (2002)

 Nicaragua (2003)French Guiana (2002)
 NicaraguaFrench Guiana
Administrative divisions 15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonomista); Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas none (overseas department of France)
Age structure 0-14 years: 37.7% (male 984,719; female 949,282)


15-64 years: 59.2% (male 1,510,352; female 1,527,991)


65 years and over: 3% (male 68,332; female 87,841) (2003 est.)
0-14 years: 30.2% (male 28,140; female 26,876)


15-64 years: 64.2% (male 63,183; female 53,902)


65 years and over: 5.6% (male 5,192; female 5,040) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry
Airports 176 (2002) 11 (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: 4


over 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 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)
total: 7


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 5 (2002)
Area total: 129,494 sq km


land: 120,254 sq km


water: 9,240 sq km
total: 91,000 sq km


land: 89,150 sq km


water: 1,850 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than the state of New York slightly smaller than Indiana
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. First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou.
Birth rate 26.29 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 21.66 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $726 million


expenditures: $908 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $225 million


expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) (1996)
Capital Managua Cayenne
Climate tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Coastline 910 km 378 km
Constitution 9 January 1987, with reforms in 1995 and 2000 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
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: Department of Guiana


conventional short form: French Guiana


local long form: none


local short form: Guyane
Currency gold cordoba (NIO) euro (EUR); French franc (FRF)
Death rate 4.69 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 4.78 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $5.8 billion (2002 est.) $1.2 billion (1988) (1988)
Dependency status - overseas department of France
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] 266-6010, 266-2298, 266-6013


FAX: [505] 266-9074
none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Salvador STADTHAGEN (since 5 December 2003)


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
none (overseas department of France)
Disputes - international territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank region; 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 Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
Economic aid - recipient Substantial foreign support $NA
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 one of the most unequal on the globe. While the country has made progress toward macroeconomic stability over the past few years, a banking crisis and scandal has shaken the economy. Nicaragua 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 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 moderately in 2003 because of increased private investment and exports. The economy is tied closely to the French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou, fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% of the country. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers.
Electricity - consumption 2.388 billion kWh (2001) 418.5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 17 million kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 2.549 billion kWh (2001) 450 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 83.9%


hydro: 7.7%


nuclear: 0%


other: 8.4% (2001)
fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


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: Bellevue de l'Inini 851 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution NA
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
-
Ethnic groups mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%
Exchange rates gold cordobas per US dollar - 14.25 (2002), 13.37 (2001), 12.68 (2000), 11.81 (1999), 10.58 (1998) Euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (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 Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Ange MANCINI (since 31 July 2002)


head of government: President of the General Council Joseph HO-TEN-YOU (since 26 March 2001); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (since 22 March 1992)


cabinet: NA


elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; presidents of the General and Regional Councils are appointed by the members of those councils
Exports NA (2001) $155 million f.o.b. (1997)
Exports - commodities coffee, shrimp and lobster, cotton, tobacco, bananas, beef, sugar, gold shrimp, timber, gold, rum, rosewood essence, clothing
Exports - partners US 59.4%, El Salvador 7.5%, Honduras 4.8% (2002) France 62%, Switzerland 7%, US 2% (1997)
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 the flag of France is used
GDP purchasing power parity - $11.16 billion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 30%


industry: 26%


services: 44% (2002 est.)
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1.1% (2002 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates 13 00 N, 85 00 W 4 00 N, 53 00 W
Geography - note largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua mostly an unsettled wilderness; the only non-independent portion of the South American continent
Highways total: 19,032 km


paved: 2,094 km


unpaved: 16,938 km (2000)
total: 1,817 km


paved: 817 km


unpaved: 1,000 km (1998)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 0.7%


highest 10%: 48.8% (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 small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe
Imports NA (2001) $625 million c.i.f. (1997)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products, consumer goods food (grains, processed meat), machinery and transport equipment, fuels and chemicals
Imports - partners US 23.7%, Costa Rica 10.3%, Venezuela 10.1%, Guatemala 7.8%, Mexico 6.7%, El Salvador 6%, South Korea 4.6% (2002) France 52%, US 14%, Trinidad and Tobago 6% (1997)
Independence 15 September 1821 (from Spain) none (overseas department of France)
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 construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Infant mortality rate total: 31.39 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 35.08 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 27.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
13.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.7% (2002 est.) 2.5% (1992) (1992)
International organization participation BCIE, CACM, 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, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO FZ, WCL, WFTU
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 3 (2000) 2 (2000)
Irrigated land 880 sq km (1998 est.) 20 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
Labor force 1.7 million (1999) 58,800 (1997) (1997)
Labor force - by occupation services 43%, agriculture 42%, industry 15% (1999 est.) services, government, and commerce 61%, industry 21%, agriculture 18% (1980)
Land boundaries total: 1,231 km


border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
total: 1,183 km


border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Land use arable land: 20.24%


permanent crops: 2.38%


other: 77.38% (1998 est.)
arable land: 0.11% NEGL


permanent crops: 0.03%


other: 99.86% (90% forest, 10% other) (1998 est.)
Languages Spanish (official)


note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
French
Legal system civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts French legal system
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 General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)


elections: General Council - last held NA March 2000 (next to be held NA 2006); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004)


election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PSG 5, various left-wing parties 5, independents 7, other 2; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - PS 28.28%, various left parties 22.56%, RPR 15.91%, independents 8.6%, Walwari Committee 6%; seats by party - PS 11, various left parties 9, RPR 6, independents 3, Walwari Committee 2


note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; 2 seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, Walwari Committee 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 69.68 years


male: 67.68 years


female: 71.79 years (2003 est.)
total population: 76.49 years


male: 73.16 years


female: 79.99 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 67.5%


male: 67.2%


female: 67.8% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 83%


male: 84%


female: 82% (1982 est.)
Location Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname
Map references Central America and the Caribbean South America
Maritime claims continental shelf: natural prolongation


territorial sea: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) none (2002 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force no regular indigenous military forces; French Forces, Gendarmerie
Military expenditures - dollar figure $26 million (FY98) $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY98) NA%
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 1,347,033 (2003 est.) males age 15-49: 50,504 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 825,906 (2003 est.) males age 15-49: 32,720 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 59,903 (2003 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Nationality noun: Nicaraguan(s)


adjective: Nicaraguan
noun: French Guianese (singular and plural)


adjective: French Guianese
Natural hazards destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding
Natural resources gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
Net migration rate -1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) 8.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines oil 54 km (2003) -
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] Guyanese Democratic Action or ADG [Andre LECANTE]; Guyanese Socialist Party or PSG [Marie-Claude VERDAN]; Guyana Democratic Forces or FDG [Georges OTHILY]; Popular National Guyanese Party or PNPG [Jose DORCY]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Roland HO-WEN-SZE]; Socialist Party or PS [Pierre RIBARDIERE]; Walwari Committee [Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON]
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 5,128,517 (July 2003 est.) 182,333 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line 50% (2001 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 2.03% (2003 est.) 2.57% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni
Radio broadcast stations AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 2, FM 14 (including 6 repeaters), shortwave 6 (including 5 repeaters) (1998)
Radios - 104,000 (1997)
Railways total: 6 km


narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)
0 km
Religions Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant Roman Catholic
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 (2003 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female


total population: 1.13 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: NA


domestic: fair open wire and microwave radio relay system


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 140,000 (1996) 47,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 7,911 (1997) NA
Television broadcast stations 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) 3 (plus eight low-power repeaters) (1997)
Terrain extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Total fertility rate 3 children born/woman (2003 est.) 3.13 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate 24% plus considerable underemployment (2002 est.) 21.4% (1998) (1998)
Waterways 2,220 km (including 2 large lakes) 3,300 km navigable by native craft


note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers
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