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Compare Nicaragua (2005) - Swaziland (2004)

Compare Nicaragua (2005) z Swaziland (2004)

 Nicaragua (2005)Swaziland (2004)
 NicaraguaSwaziland
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 4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni
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: 41% (male 242,090; female 237,395)


15-64 years: 55.3% (male 323,004; female 324,029)


65 years and over: 3.7% (male 18,685; female 24,038) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep
Airports 176 (2004 est.) 18 (2003 est.)
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: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.)
Area total: 129,494 sq km


land: 120,254 sq km


water: 9,240 sq km
total: 17,363 sq km


land: 17,203 sq km


water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than the state of New York slightly smaller than New Jersey
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. Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured the monarchy (one of the oldest on the continent) to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection
Birth rate 24.88 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 28.55 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $725.5 million


expenditures: $1.039 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $462.4 million


expenditures: $563.4 million, including capital expenditures of $147 million (2003)
Capital Managua Mbabane; note - Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital
Climate tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands varies from tropical to near temperate
Coastline 910 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 9 January 1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000 a constitution was adopted 14 November 2003
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: Kingdom of Swaziland


conventional short form: Swaziland
Currency - lilangeni (SZL)
Death rate 4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 23.06 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $4.573 billion (2004 est.) $320 million (2002 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
chief of mission: Ambassador James D. McGEE


embassy: Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane


mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane


telephone: [268] 404-6441 through 404-6445


FAX: [268] 404-5959
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 Mary Madzandza KANYA


chancery: 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 362-6683


FAX: [1] (202) 244-8059
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) $104 million (2001)
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. In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more than 80% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives about nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends nearly three-quarters of its exports. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2002 because of drought, and more than one-third of the adult population was infected by HIV/AIDS.
Electricity - consumption 2.318 billion kWh (2002) 962.9 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 6.8 million kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 15.3 million kWh (2002) 639 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)
Electricity - production 2.553 billion kWh (2002) 348.3 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m
lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m


highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
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, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% African 97%, European 3%
Exchange rates gold cordobas per US dollar - 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002), 13.372 (2001), 12.684 (2000) emalangeni per US dollar - 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999)
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: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)


head of government: Prime Minister Absolom Themba DLAMINI (since 14 November 2003)


cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
Exports 738 bbl/day (2003) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit
Exports - partners US 64.8%, El Salvador 7%, Mexico 3.6% (2004) South Africa 72%, EU 14.2%, Mozambique 3.7%, US 3.5% (1999)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
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 blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally
GDP - purchasing power parity - $5.702 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 20.7%


industry: 24.7%


services: 54.6% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 16.2%


industry: 43.2%


services: 40.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $2,300 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $4,900 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4% (2004 est.) 2.2% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 13 00 N, 85 00 W 26 30 S, 31 30 E
Geography - note largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa
Highways total: 18,712 km


paved: 2,126 km


unpaved: 16,586 km (2002)
total: 3,247 km


paved: NA


unpaved: NA (1998)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.2%


highest 10%: 45% (2001)
lowest 10%: 1%


highest 10%: 50.2% (1995)
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 motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, 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) South Africa 88.8%, EU 5.6%, Japan 0.6%, Singapore 0.4% (1999)
Independence 15 September 1821 (from Spain) 6 September 1968 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 4.4% (2000 est.) 3.7% (FY95/96)
Industries food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood mining (coal), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel
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: 68.35 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 71.64 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 64.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 9.3% (2004 est.) 7.3% (2003 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, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land 880 sq km (1998 est.) 690 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) High Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch
Labor force 1.93 million (2004 est.) 383,200 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 30.5%, industry 17.3%, services 52.2% (2003 est.) NA
Land boundaries total: 1,231 km


border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
total: 535 km


border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
Land use arable land: 15.94%


permanent crops: 1.94%


other: 82.12% (2001)
arable land: 10.35%


permanent crops: 0.7%


other: 88.95% (2001)
Languages Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)


note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official)
Legal system civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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
bicameral Parliament or Libandla, an advisory body, consists of the Senate (30 seats - 10 appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats - 10 appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Assembly - last held 18 October 2003 (next to be held NA October 2008)


election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.33 years


male: 68.27 years


female: 72.49 years (2005 est.)
total population: 37.54 years


male: 39.1 years


female: 35.94 years (2004 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: 81.6%


male: 82.6%


female: 80.8% (2003 est.)
Location Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 200 nm


continental shelf: natural prolongation
none (landlocked)
Military branches Army (includes Navy, Air Force) Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (Army, including Air Wing)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $32.8 million (2004) $29 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.7% (2004) 1.8% (2003)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 289,985 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 168,257 (2004 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Independence Day, 6 September (1968)
Nationality noun: Nicaraguan(s)


adjective: Nicaraguan
noun: Swazi(s)


adjective: Swazi
Natural hazards destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes drought
Natural resources gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
Net migration rate -1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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] political parties are banned by the constitution - the following are considered political associations; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM [leader NA]; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president]; Swaziland National Front or SWANAFRO [Elmond SHONGWE, president]
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.) 1,169,241


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 50% (2001 est.) 40% (1995)
Population growth rate 1.92% (2005 est.) 0.55% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff none
Radio broadcast stations AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 3, FM 2 plus 4 repeaters, shortwave 3 (2001)
Railways total: 6 km


narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2004)
total: 301 km


narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2003)
Religions Roman Catholic 72.9%, Evangelical 15.1%, Moravian 1.5%, Episcopal 0.1%, other 1.9%, none 8.5% (1995 census) Zionist (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship) 40%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish and other 30%
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: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 16 years of age; universal 18 years of age
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: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system


domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay


international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 171,600 (2002) 46,200 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 202,800 (2002) 88,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) 5 plus 7 relay stations (2001)
Terrain extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Total fertility rate 2.81 children born/woman (2005 est.) 3.81 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 7.8% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2003 est.) 34% (2000 est.)
Waterways 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (1997) -
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