Costa Rica. English. |
| The World Factbook 2002 | ||
| Costa Rica | 
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| Introduction | Costa Rica |
| 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. |
| Geography | Costa Rica |
| 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 note: includes Isla del Coco water: 440 sq km land: 50,660 sq km |
| 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 and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands |
| Terrain: |
coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific
Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m |
| Natural
resources: |
hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 4.41%
permanent crops: 5.48% other: 90.11% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
1,260 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes |
| Environment
- current issues: |
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 |
| 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, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography
- note: |
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 |
| People | Costa Rica |
| Population: |
3,834,934 (July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 30.8%
(male 603,270; female 575,766) 15-64 years: 63.9% (male 1,239,618; female 1,211,641) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 95,182; female 109,457) (2002 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.61% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
19.83 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
4.31 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
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 (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
10.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
76.22 years female: 78.89 years (2002 est.) male: 73.68 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.42 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.54% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
12,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
750 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Costa Rican(s)
adjective: Costa Rican |
| Ethnic
groups: |
white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, other Protestant 0.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other 4.8%, none 3.2% |
| Languages: |
Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15
and over can read and write total population: 95.5% male: 95.5% female: 95.5% (1999 est.) |
| Government | Costa Rica |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
Republic of Costa Rica conventional short form: Costa Rica local short form: Costa Rica local long form: Republica de Costa Rica |
| Government
type: |
democratic republic |
| 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: |
7 November 1949 |
| Legal
system: |
based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Executive
branch: |
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% |
| 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 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 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
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 |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
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] |
| International
organization participation: |
BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jaime DAREMBLUM Rosenstein chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, 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 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
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 |
| Flag
description: |
five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white disk on the hoist side of the red band |
| Economy | Costa Rica |
| Economy
- overview: |
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. However, traditional export sectors have not kept pace. Low coffee prices and an overabundance of bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The government continues to grapple with its large deficit and massive internal debt and with the need to modernize the state-owned electricity and telecommunications sector. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $31.9 billion (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
0.3% (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $8,500 (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 11%
industry: 37% services: 52% (2000) (2000) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
21% (1999 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 35% (2001) (2001) |
| Distribution
of family income - Gini index: |
46 (1997) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
12.1% (2001 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
1.9 million (1999) (1999) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services 58% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
5.2% (2000 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $1.91 billion
expenditures: $2.35 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
-2.1% (2001 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
6.887 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 1% hydro: 83% other: 16% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
5.895 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
532 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
22 million kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber |
| Exports: |
$5 billion (2001) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
coffee, bananas, sugar; pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 51.8%, EU 20%, Central America 10.6%, Puerto Rico 2.8%, Mexico 1.7% (2000) |
| Imports: |
$6.5 billion (2001) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 53.2%, EU 10.3%, Mexico 6.2%, Venezuela 5.3%, Central America 4.9% (2000) |
| Debt
- external: |
$4.6 billion (2001 est.) |
| Currency: |
Costa Rican colon (CRC) |
| Currency
code: |
CRC |
| Exchange
rates: |
Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 343.08 (January 2002), 328.87 (2001), 308.19 (2000), 285.68 (1999), 257.23 (1998), 232.60 (1997) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Communications | Costa Rica |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
450,000 (1998) note: 584,000 installed in 1997, but only about 450,000 were in use in 1998 |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
143,000 (2000) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
very good domestic 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: connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); two submarine cables (1999) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 50, FM 43, shortwave 19 (1998) |
| Radios: |
980,000 (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
6 (plus 11 repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
525,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.cr |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
3 (of which only one is legal) (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
384,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Costa Rica |
| Railways: |
total: 950 km narrow gauge: 950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2000 est.) |
| Highways: |
total: 37,273 km
paved: 7,827 km unpaved: 29,446 km (1998 est.) |
| Waterways: |
730 km (seasonally navigable) |
| Pipelines: |
petroleum products 176 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 1 ship (1,000
GRT or over) totaling 1,716 GRT/NA DWT ships by type: passenger 1 (2002 est.) |
| Airports: |
152 (2001) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 30 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 8 (2002) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 121 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 93 (2002) |
| Military | Costa Rica |
| Military
branches: |
no regular indigenous military forces; Air Section, Ministry of Public Forces (Fuerza Publica) |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49: 1,058,283 (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49: 707,927 (2002 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 39,411 (2002 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$69 million (FY99) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.6% (FY99) |
| Transnational Issues | Costa Rica |
| Disputes
- international: |
legal dispute over navigational rights of Rio San Juan on border with Nicaragua |
| Illicit
drugs: |
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 |
Source:
The World Factbook 2002
Last Updated: 19 March 2003
2000-2007
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