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Costa Rica is a small Central American country which has been a real exception to the pattern prevailing in Central America. The crucial factors that set it apart early on were the relative weakness of the oligarchy and relative strength of the rural middle class which had their roots in colonial times. As a result of this feature Costa Rica has enjoyed political and economic stability. 1
General Country Information 2
Full Country Name
República de Costa Rica
Government Type
Democratic Republic
Legal System
Based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Location
Costa Rica is located in southern Central America. Its neighbors are Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. The country has coasts to both the Caribbean Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west and southwest. The Cocos Island located about 480 km (a bout 300 miles) to the southwest is under Costa Rican sovereignty.
Area
Total: 51,100 sq. km (includes the Cocos Island)
Land: 50,660 sq. km
Water: 440 sq. km
Administrative Divisions
Seven provinces: Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón,
Puntarenas, San José
Capital City
San José
Climate
Tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in the highlands
Natural Hazards
Occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes
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
1.61% (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
People
Most Costa Rican citizens are of European descent. Whites and mestizos (mix of Native Americans and Spanish people) account for about 96% of the population; a small black community in the city of Limón (Costa Rica’s city on the east coast) is largely of Jamaican origin.
Language
Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limón.
Religion
Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, other Protestant 0.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.5%
male: 95.5%
female: 95.5% (1999 est.)
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.)
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.)
Industries
Microprocessors (Intel), food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Industrial production growth rate:
-2.1% (2001 est.)
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)
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