Costa Rica Facts

Costa Rica is a wonderful, peaceful and stable country, experience life at it's best! The Costa Rican people are friendly, accepting, patient, peaceful, strong family values, and enjoy a tranquil life. The lifestyle brings many North Americans and Europeans to Costa Rica

Costa Rica continues to have a higher literacy and life expectancy than the United States. Because of the climate, natural beauty, peaceful and prosperous atmosphere, it remains a tranquil place to live because of the higher quality of life.

A democratic government has renounced aggressive militarism and abolished the army in 1949 in an effort to maintain the resources towards education, medical care.

People
Population: 3,604,642 (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.95% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 22.89 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
male: 73.5 years
female: 78.48 years (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Costa Rican(s) are commonly called Ticos)
Languages: Spanish (official), English spoken 
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.8%

Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica
conventional short form: Costa Rica Government type: democratic republic
National capital: San Jose
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias, singular-provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution: 9 November 1949
Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ (since 8 May 1998); First Vice President Astrid FISCHEL (since 8 May 1998), Second Vice President Elizabeth ODIO (since 8 May 1998); note-president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ (since 8 May 1998); First Vice President Astrid FISCHEL (since 8 May 1998), Second Vice President Elizabeth ODIO (since 8 May 1998); note-president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president
elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 1 February 1998 (next to be held NA February 2002)
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 1 February 1998 (next to be held NA February 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PUSC 27, PLN 23, minority parties 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly
Political parties and leaders: Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Miguel Angel RODRIGUEZ Echeverria]; National Liberation Party or PLN [Jose Miguel CORRALES Bolanos]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Independent Party or PNI [Jorge GONZALEZ Marten]; People United Party or PPU [Norma VARGAS Duarte]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Alejandro MADRIGAL Benavides]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Vladimir DE LA CRUZ de Lemos]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Federico MALAVASI Calvo]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Sherman Thomas JACKSON]; New Democratic Party or PDN [Rodrigo GUTIERREZ Schwanhauser]; National Rescue Party or PRN [Marina VOLIO Brenes]; Democratic Party or PD [Alvaro GONZALEZ Espinoza]; Independent Party or PI [Yolanda GUTIERREZ Ventura]
note: mainly a two-party system-PUSC and PLN; small parties share only 5% of population's support
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jose THOMPSON
chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945
FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795
consulate(s) general: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Chicago, Durham, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Tampa
consulate(s): Austin

Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 84 00 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 51,100 sq km
land: 50,660 sq km
water: 440 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
total: 639 km
border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
Coastline: 1,290 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; dry season (December to May); rainy season (June to November)
Terrain: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m, 12,496 ft.
Natural resources: hydropower potential
Land use:
arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 31%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (1993 est.)
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Economy
Economy-overview: Costa Rica's basically stable and progressive economy depends especially on technology, tourism, and the export of bananas, coffee, and other agricultural products. Poverty has been substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has been put in place.  Economic growth slipped from 4.3% in 1994 to 2.5% in 1995, and to 0.9% in 1996, and then rebounded in 1997 to 3% and is continuing to rise. Inflation rose to 22.5% in 1995 from 13.5% in 1994, receded to 17.5% in 1996, then dropped to 11.2% in 1997. Unemployment appears moderate at 5.7%.  One important positive development-the infusion of more than $200 million in 1997 by microchip giant Intel and the anticipated attraction of other high-tech firms to Costa Rica will help stimulate growth and employment over the next several years.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$19.6 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 3% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$5,500 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 18%
industry: 24%
services: 58% (1995)
Labor force:
total: 868,300
by occupation: industry and commerce 35.1%, government and services 33%, agriculture 27%, other 4.9% (1985 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5.7% (1997 est.); much underemployment.

Budget:
revenues: $1.1 billion
expenditures: $1.34 billion, including capital expenditures of $110 million (1991 est.)
Industries: high-tech, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Industrial production growth rate: 10.5% (1992)
Agriculture-products: coffee, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber.
Exports:
total value: $2.9 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: coffee, bananas, textiles, sugar
partners: US, Germany, Italy, Guatemala, El Salvador, Netherlands, UK, France
Imports:
total value: $3.4 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities: raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum
partners: US, Japan, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Germany

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Costa Rican colon (C) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: Costa Rican colones (C) per US$1-467colones. April 2005
Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications:
Telephone system: very good domestic telephone service
international: connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 71, FM 0, short-wave 13
Television broadcast stations: 18

Transportation Highways:
total: 35,597 km
paved: 6,051 km
unpaved: 29,546 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: about 730 km, seasonally navigable
Pipelines: petroleum products 176 km
Ports and harbors: Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas
Airports: 158 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 27
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 6 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 131
914 to 1,523 m: 31
under 914 m: 100 (1997 est.)
 

Military
Military branches: The constitution prohibits armed forces, and there is no standing army.  Law enforcement and border patrol agencies include:  Coast Guard, Air Section, Ministry of Public Security Force (Fuerza Publica); note-during 1996, the Ministry of Public Security reorganized and eliminated the Civil Guard, Rural Assistance Guard, and Frontier Guards as separate entities; they are now under the Ministry and operate on a geographic command basis performing ground security, law enforcement, counternarcotics, and national security (border patrol) functions; the constitution prohibits armed forces.