al, 157 usable; 33 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 46 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: excellent international and domestic systems;
2,110,000 telephones; stations 64 AM, 2 FM, 14 TV; submarine cables
extend to Australia and Fiji; 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

_*_Defense Forces
_#_Branches: New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New
Zealand Air Force

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 874,443; 740,831 fit for
military service; 28,814 reach military age (20) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $832 million, 1-2% of GDP (FY90)
_%_
_@_Nicaragua
_*_Geography
_#_Total area: 129,494 km2; land area: 120,254 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than New York State

_#_Land boundaries: 1,231 km total; Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

_#_Coastline: 910 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 25 nm security zone (status of claim uncertain);

Continental shelf: not specified;

Territorial sea: 200 nm

_#_Disputes: territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago
de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; unresolved maritime
boundary in Golfo de Fonseca

_#_Climate: tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

_#_Terrain: extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central
interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes

_#_Natural resources: gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc,
timber, fish

_#_Land use: arable land 9%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
43%; forest and woodland 35%; other 12%; including irrigated 1%

_#_Environment: subject to destructive earthquakes, volcanoes,
landslides, and occasional severe hurricanes; deforestation; soil
erosion; water pollution

_*_People
_#_Population: 3,751,884 (July 1991), growth rate 2.8% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 60 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 65 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 4.7 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Nicaraguan(s); adjective--Nicaraguan

_#_Ethnic divisions: mestizo 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Indian 5%

_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant 5%

_#_Language: Spanish (official);