|
Country
|
Nicaragua | 
Cape Verde |
|
Leader
|
President: Daniel Ortega
|
President: Jorge Carlos Fonseca
|
|
Population
|
5,727,707
| 523,568
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
72.180 years
| 71.000 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Managua
| Praia
|
|
Largest city
|
| Managua (population: 973,087) | Praia (population: 113,364) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.699
| 0.705
|
| GDP per capita |
$3,200 US
| $4,000 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
67.5%
| 76.6%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
2.5
| 5.1
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
18.5%
| 18.1%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
7.300%
| 21.000%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
republic
| republic
|
|
Independence date
|
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
| 5 July 1975 (from Portugal)
|
| Religions |
Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)
| Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs), Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)
|
| Languages |
Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
| Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words)
|
| Exports |
coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
| fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides
|
| External Debt |
$4,073,000,000 $
| $657,700,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
gold cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 19.374 (2008 est.), 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004)
| Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar - 73.84 (2008 est.), 81.235 (2007), 87.946 (2006), 88.67 (2005), 88.808 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
0.600%
| 0.500%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
|
|
| Location |
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
| Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal
|
| Area |
130,370 km sq
| 4,033 km sq
|
| Coastline |
910 km
| 965 km
|
| Climate |
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
| temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic
|
|
|
|
