|
Country
|
New Zealand | 
Costa Rica |
|
Leader
|
Prime minister: John Key
|
President: Laura Chinchilla
|
|
Population
|
4,327,944
| 4,636,348
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
80.710 years
| 77.890 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Wellington
| San Jose
|
|
Largest city
|
| Auckland (population: 417,910) | San Jose (population: 335,007) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.944
| 0.847
|
| GDP per capita |
$28,000 US
| $12,100 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
99%
| 94.9%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
9.3
| 5.1
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
33.1%
| 36.8%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
Graeme Hart ($4.5bn US)
| NA
|
| Unemployment Rate |
6.500%
| 6.500%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
parliamentary democracy
| democratic republic
|
|
Independence date
|
26 September 1907 (from UK)
| 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
|
| Religions |
Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)
| Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
|
| Languages |
English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
| Spanish (official), English
|
| Exports |
dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery
| bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment
|
| External Debt |
$85,650,000,000 $
| $10,050,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.4151 (2008 est.), 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004)
| 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 |
9
| 0
|
| Location |
Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia
| Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
|
| Area |
267,710 km sq
| 51,100 km sq
|
| Coastline |
15,134 km
| 1,290 km
|
| Climate |
temperate with sharp regional contrasts
| tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
|
|
|
|
