|
Country
|
Nicaragua | 
Central African Republic |
|
Leader
|
President: Daniel Ortega
|
President: Francois Bozize
|
|
Population
|
5,727,707
| 5,057,208
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
72.180 years
| 50.480 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Managua
| Bangui
|
|
Largest city
|
| Managua (population: 973,087) | Bangui (population: 542,393) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.699
| 0.352
|
| GDP per capita |
$3,200 US
| $800 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
67.5%
| 48.6%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
2.5
| 2
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
18.5%
| 10.5%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
7.300%
| 8.000%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished in practice
|
| |
|
Political System
|
republic
| republic
|
|
Independence date
|
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
| 13 August 1960 (from France)
|
| Religions |
Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)
| indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority
|
| Languages |
Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
| French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages
|
| Exports |
coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
| diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco
|
| External Debt |
$4,073,000,000 $
| $483,900,000 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)
| Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar 438.77 (2008 est.), 481.8 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
0.600%
| 0.900%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
|
|
| Location |
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
| Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
| Area |
130,370 km sq
| 622,984 km sq
|
| Coastline |
910 km
| 0 km
|
| Climate |
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
| tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers
|
|
|
|
