|
Country
|
Costa Rica | 
Sweden |
|
Leader
|
President: Laura Chinchilla
|
King: Carl XVI Gustaf Prime minister: Fredrik Reinfeldt
|
|
Population
|
4,636,348
| 9,103,788
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
77.890 years
| 81.180 years
|
|
Capital City
|
San Jose
| Stockholm
|
|
Largest city
|
| San Jose (population: 335,007) | Stockholm (population: 1,253,310) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.847
| 0.958
|
| GDP per capita |
$12,100 US
| $40,900 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
94.9%
| 99%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
5.1
| 9.3
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
36.8%
| 47%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
NA
| Ingvar Kamprad & family ($22.0bn US)
|
| Unemployment Rate |
6.500%
| 7.500%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
democratic republic
| constitutional monarchy
|
|
Independence date
|
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
| 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king)
|
| Religions |
Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
| Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%
|
| Languages |
Spanish (official), English
| Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
|
| Exports |
bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment
| machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals
|
| External Debt |
$10,050,000,000 $
| $1,016,000,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
Costa Rican colones (CRC) per US dollar - 529.62 (2008 est.), 519.53 (2007), 511.3 (2006), 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004)
| Swedish kronor (SEK) per US dollar - 6.4074 (2008 est.), 6.7629 (2007), 7.3731 (2006), 7.4731 (2005), 7.3489 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
0.600%
| 1.500%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
0
| 5
|
| Location |
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
| Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
|
| Area |
51,100 km sq
| 450,295 km sq
|
| Coastline |
1,290 km
| 3,218 km
|
| Climate |
tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
| temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
|
|
|
|
