|
Background:
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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
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. |
|
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:
|
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.) |
|
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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San Jose |
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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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$44.68 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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4% (2005 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$11,100 (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 - 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 30.3%, Netherlands
13.1%, UK 7.9%, China 7.7% (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 43.2%, Japan 5.8%,
Mexico 5.5%, Brazil 4.6%, Venezuela 4.5% (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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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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Telephones - main lines in use:
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1,343,200 (2004) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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923,100 (2004) |
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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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Television broadcast stations:
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20 (plus 43 repeaters)
(2002) |
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Internet country code:
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.cr |
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Internet hosts:
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12,578 (2005) |
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Internet users:
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1 million (2005) |
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Airports:
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156 (2005) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 31
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 9 (2005) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 125
914 to 1,523 m: 25
under 914 m: 100 (2005) |
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Pipelines:
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refined products 242 km
(2004) |
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Railways:
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total: 278 km
narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge (2004) |
|
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 (2005) |
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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 |
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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:
|
$83.46 million (2005
est.) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
0.4% (2005 est.) |
|
Disputes - international:
|
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 |
This page was last updated on 20 July, 2006
Courtesy of https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
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