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Compare Nicaragua (2005) - Solomon Islands (2003)

Compare Nicaragua (2005) z Solomon Islands (2003)

 Nicaragua (2005)Solomon Islands (2003)
 NicaraguaSolomon Islands
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 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul (Lauru), Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell/Bellona, Temotu, Western
Age structure 0-14 years: 37.2% (male 1,036,487/female 999,226)


15-64 years: 59.7% (male 1,623,065/female 1,638,017)


65 years and over: 3.1% (male 73,935/female 94,370) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 42.9% (male 111,333; female 107,062)


15-64 years: 54% (male 139,072; female 135,721)


65 years and over: 3.1% (male 7,754; female 8,248) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish
Airports 176 (2004 est.) 32 (2002)
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 (2004 est.)
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 (2004 est.)
total: 30


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 20 (2002)
Area total: 129,494 sq km


land: 120,254 sq km


water: 9,240 sq km
total: 28,450 sq km


land: 27,540 sq km


water: 910 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than the state of New York slightly smaller than Maryland
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. The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on these islands. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society.
Birth rate 24.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 32.45 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $725.5 million


expenditures: $1.039 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $38 million


expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001)
Capital Managua Honiara
Climate tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Coastline 910 km 5,313 km
Constitution 9 January 1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000 7 July 1978
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: none


conventional short form: Solomon Islands


former: British Solomon Islands
Currency - Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)
Death rate 4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 4.12 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $4.573 billion (2004 est.) $137 million (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara Calandra MOORE


embassy: Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur, Managua


mailing address: APO AA 34021


telephone: [505] 266-6010


FAX: [505] 266-9074
the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands
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, [1] (202) 939-6573


FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545


consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Colin BECK


chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017


telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193


FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925
Disputes - international Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundary involving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; 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 none
Economic aid - recipient $541.8 million (2003) $28 million mainly from Japan, Australia, China, and NZ (2001 est.)
Economy - overview Nicaragua, one of the hemisphere's poorest countries, faces low per capita income, massive unemployment, 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, GDP annual growth has been far too low to meet the country's needs. As a result of successful performance under its International Monetary Fund policy program and other efforts, Nicaragua qualified in early 2004 for some $4 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Even after this reduction, however, the government continues to bear a significant foreign and domestic debt burden. If ratified, the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) will provide an opportunity for Nicaragua to attract investment, create jobs, and deepen economic development. While President BOLANOS enjoys the support of the international financial bodies, his internal political base is meager. The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of their livelihood. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. However, severe ethnic violence, the closing of key business enterprises, and an empty government treasury have led to serious economic disarray, indeed near collapse. Tanker deliveries of crucial fuel supplies (including those for electrical generation) have become sporadic due to the government's inability to pay and attacks against ships. Telecommunications are threatened by the nonpayment of bills and by the lack of technical and maintenance staff many of whom have left the country.
Electricity - consumption 2.318 billion kWh (2002) 29.76 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 6.8 million kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 15.3 million kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 2.553 billion kWh (2002) 32 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


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


highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying
Environment - international 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


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
Exchange rates gold cordobas per US dollar - 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002), 13.372 (2001), 12.684 (2000) Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - NA (2002), NA (2001), 5.09 (2000), 4.84 (1999), 4.82 (1998)
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 (PCN) 1.4%; Jose RIZO Castellon elected vice president
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir John LAPLI (since NA 1999)


head of government: Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA (since 17 December 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder RINI (since 17 December 2001)


cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament
Exports 738 bbl/day (2003) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa
Exports - partners US 64.8%, El Salvador 7%, Mexico 3.6% (2004) Japan 21.2%, China 18.8%, South Korea 16.3%, Philippines 8.9%, Thailand 7.6%, Singapore 4.1% (2002)
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 divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green
GDP - purchasing power parity - $800 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 20.7%


industry: 24.7%


services: 54.6% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 42%


industry: 11%


services: 47% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4% (2004 est.) -10% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 13 00 N, 85 00 W 8 00 S, 159 00 E
Geography - note largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea
Highways total: 18,712 km


paved: 2,126 km


unpaved: 16,586 km (2002)
total: 1,360 km


paved: 34 km


unpaved: 1,326 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.2%


highest 10%: 45% (2001)
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 27,950 bbl/day (2003) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners US 22.6%, Costa Rica 8.5%, Venezuela 8.4%, Guatemala 6.8%, Mexico 5.8%, El Salvador 4.9%, South Korea 4.5% (2004) Australia 31.3%, Singapore 19.7%, New Zealand 5.1%, Fiji 4.6%, Papua New Guinea 4.5% (2002)
Independence 15 September 1821 (from Spain) 7 July 1978 (from UK)
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 fish (tuna), mining, timber
Infant mortality rate total: 29.11 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 32.6 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 25.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 22.88 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.03 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 19.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 9.3% (2004 est.) 1.8% (2001 est.)
International organization participation BCIE, CACM, 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), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 880 sq km (1998 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) Court of Appeal
Labor force 1.93 million (2004 est.) 26,842
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 30.5%, industry 17.3%, services 52.2% (2003 est.) agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,231 km


border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 15.94%


permanent crops: 1.94%


other: 82.12% (2001)
arable land: 1.5%


permanent crops: 0.64%


other: 97.86% (1998 est.)
Languages Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)


note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population


note: 120 indigenous languages
Legal system civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts English common law, which is widely disregarded
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; members are elected by proportional representation and party lists to serve five-year terms; one seat for previous President, one seat for runner-up in previous Presidential election


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 PCCN, PLC, PALI, PLIUN, and PUCA) 46.03%, FSLN 36.55%, PCN 2.12%; seats by party - Liberal Alliance 53, FSLN 38, PCN 1
unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held not later than December 2005)


election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 40%, SIACC 40%, PPP 20%; seats by party - PAP 16, SIACC 13, PPP 2, SILP 1, independents 18
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.33 years


male: 68.27 years


female: 72.49 years (2005 est.)
total population: 72.1 years


male: 69.64 years


female: 74.68 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 67.5%


male: 67.2%


female: 67.8% (2003 est.)
definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Oceania
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm


continental shelf: natural prolongation
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines


continental shelf: 200 NM


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine - none (2002 est.)
Military branches Army (includes Navy, Air Force) no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $32.8 million (2004) $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.7% (2004) NA%
National holiday Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Nationality noun: Nicaraguan(s)


adjective: Nicaraguan
noun: Solomon Islander(s)


adjective: Solomon Islander
Natural hazards destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity
Natural resources gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Net migration rate -1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines oil 54 km (2004) -
Political parties and leaders Alliance for the Republic or APRE [Miguel LOPEZ Baldizon, Oscar WENDOLYN Vargas, Karla WHITE]; Central American Unionist Party or PUCA [leader NA]; Christian Alternative Party or AC [Orlando TARDENCILLA Espinoza]; Conservative Party of Nicaragua or PCN [Mario RAPPACCIOLI]; Independent Liberal Party or PLI [Anibal MARTINEZ Nunez, Pedro REYES Vallejos]; Independent Liberal Party for National Unity or PLIUN [leader NA]; Liberal Constitutional Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Liberal Salvation Movement or MSL [Eliseo NUNEZ Hernandez]; New Liberal Party or PALI [leader NA]; Nicaraguan Party of the Christian Path or PCCN [Guillermo OSORNO Molina]; Nicaraguan Resistance Party or PRN [Salvador TALAVERA]; Sandinista National Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]; Sandinista Renovation Movement or MRS [leader NA]; Unity Alliance or AU [leader NA] Association of Independents [Snyder RINI]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Allan KEMAKEZA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Alliance for Change Coalition or SIACC [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]


note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
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 5,465,100 (July 2005 est.) 509,190 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 50% (2001 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 1.92% (2005 est.) 2.83% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina
Radio broadcast stations AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 6 km


narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)
0 km
Religions Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census) Anglican 45%, Roman Catholic 18%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 12%, Baptist 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, other Protestant 5%, indigenous beliefs 4%
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 (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 16 years of age; universal 21 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: country code - 505; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 171,600 (2002) 8,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 202,800 (2002) 658 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) 0 (1997)
Terrain extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Total fertility rate 2.81 children born/woman (2005 est.) 4.34 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 7.8% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2003 est.) NA%
Waterways 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (1997) none
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