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Background:
|
 Costa
Rica is a Central American success story: since the late 19th
century, only two brief periods of violence have marred its
democratic development. Although still a largely agricultural
country, it has expanded its economy to include strong
technology and tourism sectors. The standard of living is
relatively high. Land ownership is widespread. |
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Location:
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Central America,
bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean,
between Nicaragua and Panama |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
51,100 sq km
water: 440 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco
land: 50,660 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller
than West Virginia |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 639
km
border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km |
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Coastline:
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1,290 km |
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and
Definitions):
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territorial
sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical and
subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May
to November); cooler in highlands |
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Terrain:
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coastal plains
separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic
cones, of which several are major volcanoes |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m |
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Natural resources:
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hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable land:
4.41
permanent crops: 5.48%
other: 90.11% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,260 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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occasional
earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent
flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides;
active volcanoes |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation and
land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for
cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine
pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air
pollution |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
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Geography - note:
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four volcanoes,
two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the
center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted
destructively in 1963-65 |
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Population:
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3,956,507 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
29.5% (male 597,332; female 570,008)
15-64 years: 65% (male 1,300,206; female 1,271,010)
65 years and over: 5.5% (male 101,270; female 116,681)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
25.7 years
male: 25.2 years
female: 26.2 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.52% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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18.99
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.32 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0.51 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
10.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 11.17 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 76.63 years
male: 74.07 years
female: 79.33 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.33 children
born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.6% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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11,000 (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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890 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Costa Rican(s)
adjective: Costa Rican |
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Ethnic groups:
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white (including
mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1% |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic
76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other
Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2% |
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Languages:
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Spanish
(official), English |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: 95.9%
female: 96.1% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Costa Rica
conventional short form: Costa Rica
local short form: Costa Rica
local long form: Republica de Costa Rica |
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Government type:
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democratic
republic |
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Capital:
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San Jose |
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Administrative divisions:
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7 provinces (provincias,
singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia,
Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose |
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Independence:
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15 September 1821
(from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
15 September (1821) |
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Constitution:
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7 November 1949 |
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Legal system:
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based on Spanish
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the
Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May 2002); First
Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since NA May 2002); Second Vice
President Luis FISHMAN (since NA May 2002); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May
2002); First Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since NA May
2002); Second Vice President Luis FISHMAN (since NA May 2002);
note - the 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 3 February 2002; run-off election held 7 April 2002 (next
to be held NA February 2006)
election results: Abel PACHECO elected president;
percent of vote - Abel PACHECO (PUSC) 58%; Rolando ARAYA (PLN)
42% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats;
members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year
terms)
elections: last held 3 February 2002 (next to be held 3
February 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - PUSC 19, PLN 17, PAC 14, PML 6, PRC 1 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or
Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by
the Legislative Assembly) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Agricultural
Labor Action or PALA [Carlos Alberto SOLIS Blanco]; Citizen
Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS]; Costa Rican Renovation
Party or PRC [Justo OROZCO]; Democratic Force Party or PFD
[Jose M. NUNEZ]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto
GUEVARA Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC
[Alejandro MADRIGAL]; National Independent Party or PNI [Jorge
GONZALEZ Marten]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter
MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Liberation Party or PLN [Sonia
PICADO]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Luis Manuel
CHACON]
note: mainly a two-party system - PUSC and PLN - until
the 3 February 2002 election in which the PAC captured a
significant percentage, forcing a run-off in April 2002 |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Authentic
Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist Party
affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; Confederated Union of
Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa Rican
Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party
affiliate); Federation of Public Service Workers or FTSP;
National Association for Economic Development or ANFE;
National Association of Educators or ANDE; Rerum Novarum or
CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert Brown] |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Jaime DAREMBLUM Rosenstein
chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Durham
(North Carolina), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans,
New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco, St. Paul, and
Tampa
consulate(s): Austin
FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795
telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador John J. DANILOVICH
embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose
mailing address: APO AA 34020
telephone: [506] 220-3939
FAX: [506] 220-2305 |
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Economy - overview:
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Costa Rica's
basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and
electronics exports. Poverty has been substantially reduced
over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has
been put into place. Foreign investors remain attracted by the
country's political stability and high education levels, and
tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. Low prices for
coffee and bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The
government continues to grapple with its large deficit and
massive internal debt. The reduction of inflation remains a
difficult problem because of rises in the price of imports,
labor market rigidities, and fiscal deficits. Costa Rica
recently concluded negotiations to participate in the US -
Central American Free Trade Agreement, which, if ratified by
the Costa Rican Legislature, would result in economic reforms
and an improved investment climate. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $35.16 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.2% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $9,000 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
9%
industry: 30%
services: 61% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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20.6% (2002 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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9.4% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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1.8 million (July
2003) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 20%,
industry 22%, services 58% (1999 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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6.7% (July 2003
est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$2.17 billion
expenditures: $2.84 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2002 est.) |
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Industries:
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microprocessors,
food processing, textiles and clothing, construction
materials, fertilizer, plastic products |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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8.6% (2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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6.839 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
1.5%
hydro: 81.9%
other: 16.6% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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6.109 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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379 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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128 million kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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37,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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coffee,
pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef;
timber |
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Exports:
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$6.176 billion
(2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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coffee, bananas,
sugar; pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical
equipment |
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Exports - partners:
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US 29.1%,
Netherlands 8.2%, UK 4.2%, Mexico 4% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$7.057 billion
(2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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raw materials,
consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum |
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Imports - partners:
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US 35.4%, Japan
4.3%, Mexico 3.9% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$3.654 billion
(September 2003 est.) |
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Currency:
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Costa Rican colon
(CRC) |
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Currency code:
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CRC |
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Exchange rates:
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Costa Rican
colones per US dollar - 398.66 (2003), 359.82 (2002), 328.87
(2001), 308.19 (2000), 285.69 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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1.132 million
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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528,047 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: good domestic telephone service in terms of
breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service
domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point
microwave, fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas;
Internet service is available
international: country code - 506; connected to Central
American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); two submarine cables (1999) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 65, FM 51,
shortwave 19 (2002) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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20 (plus 43
repeaters) (2002) |
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Internet country code:
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.cr |
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Internet hosts:
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7,725 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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800,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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total: 950
km
narrow gauge: 950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified)
(2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
35,892 km
paved: 7,896 km
unpaved: 27,996 km (2000) |
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Waterways:
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730 km
(seasonally navigable) |
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Pipelines:
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refined products
421 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Caldera, Golfito,
Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 1
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,716 GRT/ DWT
by type: passenger 1
registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports:
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149 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 30
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 8 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 119
914 to 1,523 m: 24
under 914 m: 95 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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no regular
military forces; Ministry of Public Security |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18 years of age
(2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 1,101,887 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 736,007 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
41,709 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$64 million
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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0.4% (2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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legal dispute
over navigational rights of Rio San Juan on the border with
Nicaragua remains unsolved |
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Illicit drugs:
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transshipment
country for cocaine and heroin from South America; illicit
production of cannabis on small, scattered plots; domestic
cocaine consumption is rising, particularly crack cocaine |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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