1.
[syn: Costa Rica, Republic of Costa Rica]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Costa Rica
n 1: a republic in Central America; one of the most politically
stable countries in Latin America [syn: Costa Rica,
Republic of Costa Rica]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Costa Rica
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
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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: 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/ 12,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
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 Authentic Confederation of
leaders: 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 BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB,
participation: 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 chief of mission: Ambassador John J.
US: 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)
Population below poverty line: 20.6% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 1.7%
percentage share: highest 10%: 34.6% (2001)
Distribution of family income - Gini 45.9 (1997)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12.1% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 1.9 million (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.)
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: 1.15%
hydro: 82.56%
other: 16.29% (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: 250,000 (2001)
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: 29
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 7 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 123
914 to 1,523 m: 28
under 914 m: 95 (2001)
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 males age 15-49: 707,927 (2002 est.)
service:
Military manpower - reaching males: 39,411 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $69 million (FY99)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1.6% (FY99)
GDP:
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