Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2007) | Costa Rica (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick | 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 25.9% (male 15,596/female 15,027)
15-64 years: 67.6% (male 41,259/female 38,620) 65 years and over: 6.5% (male 3,358/female 4,289) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years:
31.38% (male 605,728; female 578,128) 15-64 years: 63.37% (male 1,209,084; female 1,181,754) 65 years and over: 5.25% (male 92,314; female 106,049) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish | coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber |
Airports | 6 (2007) | 152 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
total:
29 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
total:
123 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 95 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
land: 389 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
51,100 sq km land: 50,660 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco |
Area - comparative | twice the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than West Virginia |
Background | Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on St. Vincent until 1719. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the latter in 1783. Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979. | Costa Rica is a Central American success story: since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred its democratic development. Although still a largely agricultural country, it has achieved a relatively high standard of living. Land ownership is widespread. Tourism is a rapidly expanding industry. |
Birth rate | 16.02 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 20.27 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $94.6 million
expenditures: $85.8 million (2000 est.) |
revenues:
$1.95 billion expenditures: $2.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | name: Kingstown
geographic coordinates: 13 09 N, 61 14 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
San Jose |
Climate | tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) | tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands |
Coastline | 84 km | 1,290 km |
Constitution | 27 October 1979 | 7 November 1949 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
conventional long form:
Republic of Costa Rica conventional short form: Costa Rica local long form: Republica de Costa Rica local short form: Costa Rica |
Currency | - | Costa Rican colon (CRC) |
Death rate | 5.97 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $223 million (2004) | $4.2 billion (2000 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | chief of mission:
Ambassador Thomas J. DODD embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose mailing address: APO AA 34020 telephone: [506] 220-3939 FAX: [506] 220-2305 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth I. A. JOHN
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736 consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jaime DAREMBLUM Rosenstein chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco, St. Paul, and Tampa consulate(s): Austin |
Disputes - international | joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea | legal dispute over navigational rights of Rio San Juan on border with Nicaragua |
Economic aid - recipient | $4.89 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (2005) | - |
Economy - overview | Economic growth in this lower-middle-income country hinges upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors. Tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002, and tourism in the Eastern Caribbean suffered low arrivals in the immediate aftermath of 11 September 2001. The islands had more than 160,000 tourist arrivals in 2005, mostly to the Grenadines. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. Saint Vincent is also a producer of marijuana and is being used as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics from South America. | Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has been put into place. Foreign investors remain attracted by the country's political stability and high education levels, and tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. However, traditional export sectors have not kept pace. Low coffee prices and an overabundance of bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The government continues to grapple with its large deficit and massive internal debt and with the need to modernize the state-owned electricity and telecommunications sector. |
Electricity - consumption | 107 million kWh (2005) | 5.303 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 165 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 69 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 115 million kWh (2005) | 5.805 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
2.41% hydro: 83.32% nuclear: 0% other: 14.27% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m |
Environment - current issues | pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive | deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; water pollution (rivers); coastal marine pollution; wetlands degradation; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation |
Ethnic groups | black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 7% | white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1% |
Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002) | Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 318.95 (2001), 308.19 (2000), 285.68 (1999), 257.23 (1998), 232.60 (1997), 207.69 (1996) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister |
chief of state:
President Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ (since 8 May 1998); First Vice President Astrid FISCHEL Volio (since 8 May 1998), Second Vice President Elizabeth ODIO Benito (since 8 May 1998); note - president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ (since 8 May 1998); First Vice President Astrid FISCHEL Volio (since 8 May 1998), Second Vice President Elizabeth ODIO Benito (since 8 May 1998); note - president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 1 February 1998 (next to be held 3 February 2002) election results: Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ elected president; percent of vote - Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ (PUSC) 46.6%, Jose Miguel CORRALES (PLN) 44.6% |
Exports | NA bbl/day | $6.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch; tennis racquets | coffee, bananas, sugar; pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment |
Exports - partners | France 26.2%, Greece 21.3%, Italy 18.9%, Russia 7.2%, UK 6.8% (2006) | US 54.1%, EU 21.3%, Central America 8.6% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern | five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white disk on the hoist side of the red band |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $25 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 10%
industry: 26% services: 64% (2001 est.) |
agriculture:
12.5% industry: 30.7% services: 56.8% (1999) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.9% (2005 est.) | 3% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 13 15 N, 61 12 W | 10 00 N, 84 00 W |
Geography - note | the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays | - |
Highways | - | total:
37,273 km paved: 7,827 km unpaved: 29,446 km (1998 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
1.3% highest 10%: 34.7% (1996) |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation | transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America; illicit production of cannabis on small, scattered plots; domestic cocaine consumption is rising, particularly crack cocaine; those who previously only trafficked are now becoming users |
Imports | NA bbl/day | $5.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels | raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum |
Imports - partners | Singapore 17.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.1%, US 11.1%, Italy 11%, Spain 9.5%, Turkey 4.6%, Germany 4.4% (2006) | US 56.4%, EU 9%, Mexico 5.4%, Japan 4.7%, (1999) |
Independence | 27 October 1979 (from UK) | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
Industrial production growth rate | -0.9% (1997 est.) | 4.3% (2000) |
Industries | food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch | microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products |
Infant mortality rate | total: 14.01 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
11.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1% (2005 est.) | 11% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO | BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 3 (of which only one is legal) (2000) |
Irrigated land | 10 sq km (2003) | 1,200 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly) |
Labor force | 41,680 (1991 est.) | 1.9 million (1999) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 26%
industry: 17% services: 57% (1980 est.) |
agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services 58% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
639 km border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km |
Land use | arable land: 17.95%
permanent crops: 17.95% other: 64.1% (2005) |
arable land:
6% permanent crops: 5% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 31% other: 12% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English, French patois | Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon |
Legal system | based on English common law | based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and six appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 55.3%, NDP 44.7%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3 |
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 1 February 1998 (next to be held 3 February 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - PUSC 41%, PLN 35%, minority parties 24%; seats by party - PUSC 27, PLN 23, minority parties 7 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 74.09 years
male: 72.21 years female: 76.04 years (2007 est.) |
total population:
76.02 years male: 73.49 years female: 78.68 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 96% male: 96% female: 96% (1970 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.8% male: 94.7% female: 95% (1995 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago | Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm |
exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 582 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,598,917 GRT/8,255,014 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 92, cargo 353, carrier 19, chemical tanker 4, container 17, liquefied gas 6, livestock carrier 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 31, roll on/roll off 21, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 536 (Austria 2, Bangladesh 1, Barbados 1, Belgium 9, Bulgaria 13, Canada 6, China 106, Croatia 7, Cyprus 3, Czech Republic 1, Denmark 16, Egypt 4, Estonia 20, France 7, Germany 3, Greece 81, Guyana 2, Hong Kong 7, Iceland 15, India 5, Iran 1, Israel 4, Italy 19, Kenya 2, Latvia 20, Lebanon 7, Lithuania 7, Malta 1, Monaco 6, Montenegro 1, Netherlands 5, Norway 19, Pakistan 1, Philippines 1, Poland 1, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 1, Romania 1, Russia 19, Singapore 6, Slovenia 5, Sweden 2, Switzerland 12, Syria 11, Turkey 20, Ukraine 12, UAE 12, UK 9, US 21) (2007) |
total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,716 GRT/NA DWT ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, Coast Guard (2007) | Coast Guard, Air Section, Ministry of Public Security Force (Fuerza Publica)
note: Costa Rica has no military, only domestic police forces, including the Coast Guard and Air Section |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $69 million (FY99) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | 1.6% (FY99) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
1,035,090 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
692,973 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
39,411 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 27 October (1979) | Independence Day, 15 September (1821) |
Nationality | noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s)
adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian |
noun:
Costa Rican(s) adjective: Costa Rican |
Natural hazards | hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat | occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes |
Natural resources | hydropower, cropland | hydropower |
Net migration rate | -7.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | - | petroleum products 176 km |
Political parties and leaders | New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU) | Agricultural Labor Action or PALA [Carlos Alberto SOLIS Blanco]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Justo OROZCO]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Jose M. NUNEZ]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Alejandro MADRIGAL]; National Independent Party or PNI [Jorge GONZALEZ Marten]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Liberation Party or PLN [Sonia PICADO]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Luis Manuel CHACON]
note: mainly a two-party system - PUSC and PLN; numerous small parties share less than 25% of population's support |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; Confederated Union of Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party affiliate); Federation of Public Service Workers or FTSP; National Association for Economic Development or ANFE; National Association of Educators or ANDE; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert Brown] |
Population | 118,149 (July 2007 est.) | 3,773,057 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 20.6% (1999 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.248% (2007 est.) | 1.65% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 50, FM 43, shortwave 19 (1998) |
Radios | - | 980,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | total:
950 km narrow gauge: 950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2000) |
Religions | Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, other (includes Hindu, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant) 12% | Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, other Protestant 0.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other 4.8%, none 3.2% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.038 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.068 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.783 male(s)/female total population: 1.039 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
Telephone system | general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines international: country code - 1-784; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia |
general assessment:
very good domestic telephone service domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave, fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is available international: connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); two submarine cables (1999) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 22,600 (2006) | 450,000 (1998)
note: 584,000 installed in 1997, but only about 450,000 were in use 1998 |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 87,600 (2006) | 143,000 (2000) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2004) | 6 (plus 11 repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | volcanic, mountainous | coastal plains separated by rugged mountains |
Total fertility rate | 1.81 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 2.47 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 15% (2001 est.) | 5.2% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | - | 730 km (seasonally navigable) |