|
Country
|
Japan | 
Nicaragua |
|
Leader
|
Prime minister: Shinzo Abe
|
President: Daniel Ortega
|
|
Population
|
127,253,075
| 5,788,531
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
84.190 years
| 72.450 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Tokyo
| Managua
|
|
Largest city
|
| Tokyo (population: 8,336,600) | Managua (population: 973,087) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.956
| 0.699
|
| GDP per capita |
$36,200 US
| $3,300 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
99%
| 67.5%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
7.3
| 2.5
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
12.3%
| 18.5%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
Tadashi Yanai & family ($6.0bn US)
| NA
|
| Unemployment Rate |
4.400%
| 7.400%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Legal
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
| republic
|
|
Independence date
|
660 B.C. (traditional date of the founding of the nation by Emperor JIMMU)
| 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
|
| Religions |
observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
| Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)
|
| Languages |
Japanese
| Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
|
| Exports |
transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals
| coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
|
| External Debt |
$3,024,000,000,000 $
| $5,228,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
yen (JPY) per US dollar - 103.58 (2008 est.), 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006), 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004)
| gold cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 19.374 (2008 est.), 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
1.000%
| 0.900%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
25
| 0
|
| Location |
Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
| Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
|
| Area |
377,915 km sq
| 130,370 km sq
|
| Coastline |
29,751 km
| 910 km
|
| Climate |
varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
| tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
|
|
|
|
