Bhutan and Costa Rica Comparison - Examine Similarities and Differences

Country
Bhutan	Costa Rica
Leader
Head of state: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck	President: Laura Chinchilla
Population
716,896	4,636,348
Life Expectancy
67.880 years	77.890 years
Capital City
Thimphu	San Jose
Largest city
Thimphu (population: 98,676)	San Jose (population: 335,007)
Human Development Index
0.613	0.847
GDP per capita
$6,200 US	$12,100 US
Literacy Rate
47%	94.9%
Corruption Perception Index
5.2	5.1
Percentage of Women in Parliament
13.9%	36.8%
Wealthiest Citizens

Unemployment Rate
4.000%	6.500%
Death Penalty
Abolished	Abolished

Political System
in transition to constitutional monarchy; special treaty relationship with India	democratic republic
Independence date
1907 (became a unified kingdom under its first hereditary king)	15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Religions
Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%	Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
Languages
Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects	Spanish (official), English
Exports
electricity (to India), cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, precious stones, spices	bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment
External Debt
$1,275,000,000 $	$10,050,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
ngultrum (BTN) per US dollar - 41.487 (2007), 45.279 (2006), 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003) note: the ngultrum is pegged to the Indian rupee	Costa Rican colones (CRC) per US dollar - 529.62 (2008 est.), 519.53 (2007), 511.3 (2006), 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.000%	0.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count

Location
Southern Asia, between China and India	Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
Area
38,394 km sq	51,100 km sq
Coastline
0 km	1,290 km
Climate
varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas	tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands

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Bhutan vs Costa Rica