Vanuatu (2004) | Nicaragua (2002) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | 6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba | 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* |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 34.1% (male 35,281; female 33,785)
15-64 years: 62.4% (male 64,669; female 61,829) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 3,740; female 3,305) (2004 est.) |
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.) |
Agriculture - products | copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits, vegetables; fish, beef | coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products |
Airports | 30 (2003 est.) | 182 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1524 to 2437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 27
914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 17 (2004 est.) |
total: 165
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 141 (2002) |
Area | total: 12,200 sq km
land: 12,200 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited |
total: 129,494 sq km
land: 120,254 sq km water: 9,240 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Connecticut | slightly smaller than the state of New York |
Background | The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980. | 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. |
Birth rate | 23.67 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 26.98 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $94.4 million
expenditures: $99.8 million, including capital expenditures of $30.4 million (1996 est.) |
revenues: $726 million
expenditures: $908 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | Port-Vila (Efate) | Managua |
Climate | tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by cyclones from December to April | tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands |
Coastline | 2,528 km | 910 km |
Constitution | 30 July 1980 | 9 January 1987, with reforms in 1995 and 2000 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu
conventional short form: Vanuatu former: New Hebrides |
conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form: Nicaragua local long form: Republica de Nicaragua local short form: Nicaragua |
Currency | vatu (VUV) | gold cordoba (NIO) |
Death rate | 8.02 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 4.76 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $65.8 million (2001 est.) | $6.1 billion (2001 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu | 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 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN | 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 |
Disputes - international | Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and France | 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 |
Economic aid - recipient | $45.8 million (1995) | NA |
Economy - overview | This South Pacific island economy is based primarily on small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with about 50,000 visitors in 1997, are other mainstays of the economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands. A severe earthquake in November 1999 followed by a tsunami, caused extensive damage to the northern island of Pentecote and left thousands homeless. Another powerful earthquake in January 2002 caused extensive damage in the capital, Port-Vila, and surrounding areas, and also was followed by a tsunami. GDP growth rose less than 3% on average in the 1990s. In response to foreign concerns, the government has promised to tighten regulation of its offshore financial center. In mid-2002 the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism. Agriculture, especially livestock farming, is a second target for growth. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of tourists and foreign aid. Growth expanded moderately in 2003. | 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. |
Electricity - consumption | 40.42 million kWh (2001) | 2.176 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 1 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 100 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 43.46 million kWh (2001) | 2.233 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 82%
hydro: 9% nuclear: 0% other: 9% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m |
Environment - current issues | a majority of the population does not have access to a potable and reliable supply of water; deforestation | deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 | indigenous Melanesian 98%, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, other Pacific Islanders | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% |
Exchange rates | vatu per US dollar - 122.189 (2003), 139.198 (2002), 145.312 (2001), 137.643 (2000), 129.075 (1999) | gold cordobas per US dollar - 13.88 (January 2002), 13.37 (2001), 12.69 (2000), 11.81 (1999), 10.58 (1998), 9.45 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Kalkot Matas KELEKELE (since 16 August 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Ham LINI (since 11 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Sato KILMAN (since 11 December 2004); Prime Minister Serge VOHOR ousted in no-confidence vote on 11 December 2004 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament elections: president elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils; election for president last held 16 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament from among its members; election for prime minister last held 29 July 2004 (next to be held following general elections in 2008) election results: Kalkot Matas KELEKELE elected president, with 49 votes out of 56, after several ballots on 16 August 2004 |
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 |
Exports | NA (2001) | $609.5 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Exports - commodities | copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee | coffee, shrimp and lobster, cotton, tobacco, beef, sugar, bananas; gold |
Exports - partners | India 32.8%, Thailand 25.5%, Indonesia 9.6%, Japan 7.6%, Australia 4%, Poland 4% (2003) | US 57.7%, Germany 5.3%, Canada 4.2%, Costa Rica 3.3%, Honduras 3% (2000) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow | 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 |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $563 million (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $12.3 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 26%
industry: 12% services: 62% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 33%
industry: 23% services: 44% (2000) (2000) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | -0.3% (2002 est.) | 2.5% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 16 00 S, 167 00 E | 13 00 N, 85 00 W |
Geography - note | a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes | largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua |
Highways | total: 1,070 km
paved: 256 km unpaved: 814 km (1999 est.) |
total: 16,382 km
paved: 1,818 km unpaved: 14,564 km (1998) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 49% (1998) (1998) |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing |
Imports | NA (2001) | $1.6 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels | machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products, consumer goods |
Imports - partners | Australia 15.3%, Japan 10.6%, Singapore 7.4%, New Zealand 6%, Fiji 5.1% (2003) | US 23.9%, Costa Rica 11.4%, Venezuela 9.9%, Guatemala 7.9%, Mexico 5.9% (2000) |
Independence | 30 July 1980 (from France and UK) | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
Industrial production growth rate | 1% (1997 est.) | 4.4% (2000 est.) |
Industries | food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning | food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood |
Infant mortality rate | total: 56.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 59.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 53.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
32.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2% (2002 est.) | 7.4% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (observer) | 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 |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 3 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 880 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission) | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly) |
Labor force | NA | 1.7 million (1999) (1999) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 65%, industry 5%, services 30% (2000 est.) | services 43%, agriculture 42%, industry 15% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 1,231 km
border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km |
Land use | arable land: 2.46%
permanent crops: 7.38% other: 90.16% (2001) |
arable land: 20.24%
permanent crops: 2.38% other: 77.38% (1998 est.) |
Languages | three official languages: English, French, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama), plus more than 100 local languages | Spanish (official)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast |
Legal system | unified system being created from former dual French and British systems | civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts |
Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 6 July 2004 (next to be held 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP 8, VP 8, NUP 10, VRP 4, MPP 3, VGP 3, other and independent 16; note - political party associations are fluid note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture and language |
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 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 62.1 years
male: 60.64 years female: 63.63 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 69.37 years
male: 67.39 years female: 71.44 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 53% male: 57% female: 48% (1979 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68.2% (1999) male: 67.1% female: 70.5% (2000 est.) |
Location | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia | Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras |
Map references | Oceania | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
continental shelf: natural prolongation
territorial sea: 200 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,192,474 GRT/1,560,828 DWT
by type: bulk 28, cargo 2, combination bulk 3, container 2, liquefied gas 2, multi-functional large load carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: Australia 2, Canada 1, Estonia 1, Germany 1, Japan 25, Monaco 4, New Zealand 2, Panama 1, Poland 7, Switzerland 3, United Kingdom 5, United States 2 registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.) |
none (2002 est.) |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police Force (VPF; including the paramilitary Mobile Force or VMF) | Army, Navy, Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | $26 million (FY98) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | 1.2% (FY98) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 1,308,430 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 802,779 (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, 30 July (1980) | Independence Day, 15 September (1821) |
Nationality | noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)
adjective: Ni-Vanuatu |
noun: Nicaraguan(s)
adjective: Nicaraguan |
Natural hazards | tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis | destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes |
Natural resources | manganese, hardwood forests, fish | gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | -1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | - | crude oil 56 km |
Political parties and leaders | Jon Frum Movement [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE]; National United Party or NUP [NA]; Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]; Greens (Vanuatu) [Moana CARCASSES] | 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] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | 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 |
Population | 202,609 (July 2004 est.) | 5,023,818 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | 50% (2001 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.57% (2004 est.) | 2.09% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo) | Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama, San Juan del Sur |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2002) | AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | - | 1.24 million (1997) |
Railways | - | total: 6 km
narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge note: carries mostly passengers from Chichigalpa to Ingenio San Antonio (2001) |
Religions | Presbyterian 36.7%, Anglican 15%, Roman Catholic 15%, indigenous beliefs 7.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2%, Church of Christ 3.8%, other 15.7% (including Jon Frum Cargo cult) | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 16 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
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) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 6,500 (2003) | 140,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 7,800 (2003) | 7,911 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2002) | 3 (plus seven low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains | extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes |
Total fertility rate | 2.87 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 3.09 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA | 23% plus considerable underemployment (2001 est.) |
Waterways | - | 2,220 km (including 2 large lakes) |