CIA World Fact Book, 2004/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.
 * }


 * }

!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 440 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco land: 50,660 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 5.88% other: 89.71% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation !| Geography - note:
 * Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
 * 10 00 N, 84 00 W
 * Central America and the Caribbean
 * total: 51,100 sq km
 * slightly smaller than West Virginia
 * total: 639 km
 * 1,290 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
 * coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes
 * lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
 * hydropower
 * arable land: 4.41%
 * 1,260 sq km (1998 est.)
 * occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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
 * }


 * }

!| Population: !| Age structure: 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.) !| Median age: male: 25.2 years female: 26.2 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: 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.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 9.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 11.17 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 74.07 years female: 79.33 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Costa Rican !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 96% male: 95.9% female: 96.1% (2003 est.)
 * 3,956,507 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 29.5% (male 597,332; female 570,008)
 * total: 25.7 years
 * 1.52% (2004 est.)
 * 18.99 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 4.32 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 0.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
 * total: 10.26 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 76.63 years
 * 2.33 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * 0.6% (2003 est.)
 * 12,000 (2003 est.)
 * 900 (2003 est.)
 * noun: Costa Rican(s)
 * white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%
 * Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
 * Spanish (official), English
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
 * }


 * }

!| Country name: conventional short form: Costa Rica local short form: Costa Rica local long form: Republica de Costa Rica !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: 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: 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; note - seats by party as of January 2005 - PUSC 19, PLN 16, PAC 8, PML 5, PRC 1, Patriotic Union 3, Homeland First 1, Authentic Member from Heredia 1, Democratic National Alliance 1, independent 2 !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: consulate(s): Austin 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 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795 telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945 chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 !| Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose mailing address: APO AA 34020 telephone: [506] 220-3939 FAX: [506] 519-2305 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica
 * democratic republic
 * San Jose
 * 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose
 * 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
 * Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
 * 7 November 1949
 * based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
 * 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
 * chief of state: President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May 2002); First Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since 8 May 2002); Second Vice President Luis FISHMAN (since 8 May 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
 * unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
 * Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly)
 * Authentic Member from Heredia [Jose SALAS]; Citizen Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Justo OROZCO]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Juan Carlos CHAVES Mora]; Democratic National Alliance [Emilia RODRIGUEZ]; General Union Party or PUGEN [Carlos Alberto FERNANDEZ Vega]; Homeland First [Juan Jose VARGAS]; Independent Worker Party or PIO [Jose Alberto CUBERO Carmona]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Victor GONZALEZ]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Liberation Party or PLN [Francisco Antonio PACHECO]; National Patriotic Party or PPN [Daniel Enrique REYNOLDS Vargas]; National Rescue Party or PRN [Carlos VARGAS Solano]; Patriotic Union [Humberto ARCE]; Popular Vanguard [Trino BARRANTES Araya]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Lorena VASQUEZ Badilla]
 * 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]
 * BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Tomas DUENAS
 * chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Douglas M. BARNES
 * five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk on the hoist side of the red band; above the coat of arms a light blue ribbon contains the words, AMERICA CENTRAL, and just below it near the top of the coat of arms is a white ribbon with the words, REPUBLICA COSTA RICA
 * }


 * }

!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 29.4% services: 62.1% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: 36.8% (2002) !| Distribution of family income - Gini index: !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $2.851 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $35.34 billion (2003 est.)
 * 5.6% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $9,100 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 8.5%
 * 20.2% of GDP (2003)
 * 20.6% (2002 est.)
 * lowest 10%: 1.1%
 * 45.9 (1997)
 * 9.4% (2003 est.)
 * 1.758 million (2003)
 * agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services 58% (1999 est.)
 * 6.7% (2003 est.)
 * revenues: $2.313 billion
 * 56.1% of GDP (2003)
 * coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber
 * microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
 * 8% (2003 est.)
 * 6.839 billion kWh (2001)
 * 6.109 billion kWh (2001)
 * 379 million kWh (2001)
 * 128 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 37,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * $-970 million (2003)
 * $6.176 billion (2003 est.)
 * coffee, bananas, sugar; pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment
 * US 14.2%, Guatemala 3%, Nicaragua 2.7% (2003)
 * $7.057 billion (2003 est.)
 * raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum
 * US 23.2%, Mexico 4.7%, Venezuela 3.2% (2003)
 * $1.836 billion (2003)
 * $5.366 billion (2003 est.)
 * Costa Rican colon (CRC)
 * CRC
 * Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 398.663 (2003), 359.817 (2002), 328.871 (2001), 308.187 (2000), 285.685 (1999)
 * calendar year
 * }


 * }

!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: 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) !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 1.132 million (2002)
 * 528,047 (2002)
 * general assessment: good domestic telephone service in terms of breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service
 * AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002)
 * 980,000 (1997)
 * 20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)
 * 525,000 (1997)
 * .cr
 * 10,826 (2003)
 * 3 (of which only one is legal) (2000)
 * 800,000 (2002)
 * }


 * }

!| Railways: narrow gauge: 950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2003) !| Highways: paved: 7,896 km unpaved: 27,996 km (2000) !| Waterways: !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: by type: passenger 1 registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.) !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 95 (2004 est.)
 * total: 950 km
 * total: 35,892 km
 * 730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2004)
 * refined products 242 km (2004)
 * Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas
 * total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,716 GRT/ DWT
 * 149 (2003 est.)
 * total: 30
 * total: 119
 * }


 * }

!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security
 * 18 years of age (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 1,101,887 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 736,007 (2004 est.)
 * males: 41,709 (2004 est.)
 * $64 million (2003)
 * 0.4% (2003)
 * }