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| The World Factbook |
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Costa
Rica |
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Flag
Description:
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
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Background:
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Although explored by the
Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica
proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including: disease from
mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate
raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was
established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a
colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of
several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence
from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central
America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica
proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century,
only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic
development. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa
Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism
industries. 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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Geographic coordinates:
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10 00 N, 84 00 W |
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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
land: 50,660 sq km
water: 440 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco |
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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:
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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: 4.4%
permanent crops: 5.87%
other: 89.73% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,080 sq km (2003) |
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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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4,075,261 (July 2006 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 28.3%
(male 590,261/female 563,196)
15-64 years: 66% (male 1,359,750/female 1,329,346)
65 years and over: 5.7% (male 108,041/female 124,667) (2006 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 26.4 years
male: 26 years
female: 26.9 years (2006 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.45% (2006 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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18.32 births/1,000 population
(2006 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.36 deaths/1,000 population
(2006 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0.49 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2006 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 (2006 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 9.7
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population:
77.02 years
male: 74.43 years
female: 79.74 years (2006 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.24 children born/woman
(2006 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.6% (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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12,000 (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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900 (2003 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 long form: Republica de Costa Rica
local short form: Costa Rica |
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Government type:
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democratic republic |
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Capital:
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name: San Jose
geographic coordinates: 9 56 N, 84 05 W
time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard
Time) |
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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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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
and compulsory |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state:
President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006); First Vice President Laura
CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice President Kevin CASAS Zamora
(since 8 May 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head
of government
head of government: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006);
First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice
President Kevin CASAS Zamora (since 8 May 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president
elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 5 February
2006 (next to be held February 2010)
election results: Oscar ARIAS Sanchez elected president; percent of
vote - Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (PLN) 40.9%; Otto SOLIS (PAC) 39.8%, Otto GUEVARA
Guth (PML) 8%, Ricardo TOLEDO (PUSC) 3%; note - official results pending the
resolution of election challenges |
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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 5 February 2006 (next to be held February 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLN
25, PAC 18, PML 6, PUSC 4, other 4 |
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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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Authentic Member from Heredia
[Jose SALAS]; Citizen Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS]; Costa Rican
Renovation Party or PRC [Gerardo Justo OROZCO Alvarez]; Democratic Force
Party or PFD [Vladimir DE LA CRUZ]; General Union Party or PUGEN [Carlos
Alberto FERNANDEZ Vega]; Homeland First or PP [Juan Jose VARGAS Fallas];
Independent Worker Party or PIO [Jose Alberto CUBERO Carmona]; Libertarian
Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party
or ANC [Juan Carlos CHAVEZ Mora]; 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 Restoration Party or PRN [Carlos AVENDANO]; Nationalist Democratic
Alliance or ADN [Jose Miguel VILLALOBOS Umana]; Patriotic Union or UP [Humberto
ARCE Salas]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Lorena VASQUEZ Badilla];
Union for Change Party or UPC [Antonio ALVAREZ Desanti]; United Leftist
Coalition or IU [Humberto VARGAS Carbonel] |
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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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International organization participation:
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BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, 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 |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission:
Ambassador Tomas DUENAS
chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945
FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Hammond (temporary location
in Louisiana), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto
Rico), Tampa (temporarily closed), Washington, DC
consulate(s): San Francisco |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission:
Ambassador Mark LANGDALE
embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose
mailing address: APO AA 34020
telephone: [506] 519-2000
FAX: [506] 519-2305 |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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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 internal and external deficits and sizable internal debt. The
reduction of inflation remains a difficult problem because of rises in the
price of imports, labor market rigidities, and fiscal deficits. The country
also needs to reform its tax system and its pattern of public expenditure.
Costa Rica is the only signatory to the US-Central American Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA) that has not ratified it. CAFTA implementation would
result in economic reforms and an improved investment climate. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$45.67 billion (2005 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$19.38 billion (2005 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.9% (2005 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$11,400 (2005 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 8.8%
industry: 29.9%
services: 61.4% (2005 est.) |
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Labor force:
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1.82 million (2005 est.) |
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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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6.6% (2005 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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18% (2004 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 36.8% (2002) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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46.5 (2000) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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13.8% (2005 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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19.6% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $2.722
billion
expenditures: $3.195 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.) |
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Public debt:
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56.8% of GDP (2005 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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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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5.7% (2005 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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7.726 billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 1.5%
hydro: 81.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 16.6% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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7.12 billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - exports:
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115 million kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - imports:
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50 million kWh (2003) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2003) |
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Oil - consumption:
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40,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA bbl/day |
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Oil - imports:
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NA bbl/day |
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2003 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2003 est.) |
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Current account balance:
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$-955 million (2005 est.)
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Exports:
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$7.005 billion (2005 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 42.6%, Hong Kong 6.9%,
Netherlands 6.4%, Guatemala 4.2% (2005) |
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Imports:
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$9.69 billion (2005 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 41.3%, Japan 5.6%,
Venezuela 4.8%, Mexico 4.8%, Ireland 4.3%, Brazil 4.2%, China 4.2% (2005)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$2.313 billion (2005 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$5.049 billion (2005 est.)
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Currency (code):
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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 - 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003), 359.82 (2002), 328.87
(2001) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Communications |
Costa Rica |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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1,388,500 (2005) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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1.101 million (2005) |
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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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Radios:
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980,000 (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)
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Televisions:
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525,000 (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.cr |
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Internet hosts:
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12,751 (2006) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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3 (of which only one is
legal) (2000) |
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Internet users:
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1 million (2005) |
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Transportation |
Costa Rica |
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Airports:
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157 (2006) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 32
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 9 (2006) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 125
914 to 1,523 m: 24
under 914 m: 101 (2006) |
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Pipelines:
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refined products 242 km
(2006) |
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Railways:
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total: 278 km
narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge (2005) |
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Roadways:
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total: 35,889 km
paved: 8,075 km
unpaved: 27,814 km (2003) |
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Waterways:
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730 km (seasonally navigable
by small craft) (2005) |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 2 ships (1000
GRT or over) 2,308 GRT/743 DWT
by type: passenger/cargo 2 (2006) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Caldera, Puerto Limon |
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Military branches:
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no regular military forces;
Ministry of Public Security, Government, and Police (2006) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years of age (2004) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 18-49:
997,690
females age 18-49: 968,290 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 18-49:
829,874
females age 18-49: 809,343 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males age 18-49:
41,097
females age 18-49: 39,243 |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$83.46 million (2005 est.)
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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0.4% (2005 est.) |
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Transnational Issues |
Costa Rica |
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Disputes - international:
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in September 2005, Costa Rica
took its case before the ICJ to advocate the navigation, security, and
commercial rights of Costa Rican vessels using the Río San Juan over which
Nicaragua retains sovereignty |
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Refugees and internally displaced persons:
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refugees (country of
origin): 8,266 (Colombia) (2005) |
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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, particularly crack
cocaine, is rising |
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This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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