|
Country
|
Nicaragua | 
Paraguay |
|
Leader
|
President: Daniel Ortega
|
President: Federico Franco
|
|
Population
|
5,727,707
| 6,541,591
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
72.180 years
| 76.400 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Managua
| Asuncion
|
|
Largest city
|
| Managua (population: 973,087) | Asuncion (population: 1,482,200) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.699
| 0.752
|
| GDP per capita |
$3,200 US
| $5,500 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
67.5%
| 94%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
2.5
| 2.4
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
18.5%
| 13.6%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
7.300%
| 6.600%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Abolished
|
| |
|
Political System
|
republic
| constitutional republic
|
|
Independence date
|
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
| 14 May 1811 (from Spain)
|
| 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 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census)
|
| Languages |
Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census)
note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
| Spanish (official), Guarani (official)
|
| Exports |
coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts
| soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather
|
| External Debt |
$4,073,000,000 $
| $5,330,000,000 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)
| guarani (PYG) per US dollar - 4,337.7 (2008 est.), 5,031 (2007), 5,672.8 (2006), 6,178 (2005), 5,974.6 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
0.600%
| 1.000%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
|
|
| Location |
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
| Central South America, northeast of Argentina
|
| Area |
130,370 km sq
| 406,752 km sq
|
| Coastline |
910 km
| 0 km
|
| Climate |
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
| subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west
|
|
|
|
