• English language courses are mandatory for all Costa Rican students
• Costa Rica is setting up a nationwide network of computer labs in high schools and universities
• Costa Rica has a literacy rate reaching 95%
• Costa Rica boasts an educated work force with 12,000 engineering students
• Costa Rica has one of the highest rates of computer usage in the northern hemisphere after the United States and Canada

(Source: The Wall Street Journal, April 2, 1998)

Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 84 00 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 51,100 sq km
land: 50,660 sq km
water : 440 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco

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; peak season (December to May) and (July and August)

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 potential

Land use:
arable land: 6%
permanent crops : 5%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 31%
other: 12% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (1993 est.)

Environment - current issues: reforestation is a major focus

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Marine Life Conservation

Age structure:
0-14 years: 34% (male 617,256; female 587,566)
15-64 years: 61% (male 1,090,414; female 1,065,273)
65 years and over : 5% (male 80,304; female 93,361) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 2% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 23.35 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 4.15 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 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: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.82 years
male : 73.41 years
female: 78.36 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.85 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Costa Rican(s)
adjective: Costa Rican

Ethnic groups: white (including mestizo) 96%, black 2%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 95%

Languages: Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon

Literacy:
definition : age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.8%
male: 94.7%
female: 95% (1995 est.)

Data code: CS

Government type: democratic republic

National 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: 9 November 1949

Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state : President is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: 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 6 February 1994 (next to be held NA February 1998)

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 6 February 1994 (next to be held NA February 1998)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLN 28, PUSC 25, minority parties 4

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly

Political parties and leaders: National Liberation Party or PLN [Rolando ARAYA]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Rafael Angel CALDERON Fournier]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ]; National Agrarian Party or PAN; People's Party of Costa Rica or PPC [Lenin CHACON Vargas]; Agricultural Union Party or PUAC [Juan Guillermo BRENES Castillo]; Democratic Force Party or FD [Isaac Felipe AZOFEIFA Bolanos]; People United [Humberto VARGAS Carbonell]; Patriotic Front Party; New Democratic Party or PDN [Rodrigo GUTIERREZ)]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party affiliate); Confederated Union of Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; National Association for Economic Development or ANFE; Free Costa Rica Movement or MCRL (rightwing militants); National Association of Educators or ANDE; Federation of Public Service Workers or FTSP

International organization participation: AG (observer), BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia PICADO
chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945
FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795
consulate(s) general : Albuquerque, Atlanta, Chicago, Durham, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Tampa
consulate(s): Austin

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Jon DE VOS
embassy: Pavas Road, 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

GDP: purchasing power parity - $19 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: -0.9% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,500 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 18%
industry: 24%
services: 58% (1995)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 13.9% (1996 est.)

Labor force:
total: 868,300
by occupation: industry and commerce 35.1%, government and services 33%, agriculture 27%, other 4.9% (1985 est.)

Unemployment rate: 5.5% (1996 est.); much underemployment

Budget:
revenues : $1.1 billion
expenditures: $1.34 billion, including capital expenditures of $110 million (1991 est.)

Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products

Industrial production growth rate: 10.5% (1992)

Electricity - capacity: 1,113,900 kW (1995)

Electricity - production: 5.138 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,330 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: coffee, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber (depletion of forest resources has resulted in declining timber output)

Exports:
total value: $3.82 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: coffee, bananas, textiles, sugar
partners: US, Germany, Italy, Guatemala, El Salvador, Netherlands, UK, France

Imports:
total value: $3.857 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities : raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum
partners: US, Japan, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Germany

Debt - external: $3.2 billion (October 1996 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 Costa Rican colon (C) = 100 centimos

Fiscal year: calendar year

Telephone system: very good domestic telephone service
domestic: NA
international: connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 71, FM 0, shortwave 13

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 18

Televisions: 340,000 (1993 est.)

Highways:
total : 35,600 km
paved: 5,945 km
unpaved: 29,655 km (1995 est.)

Waterways: about 730 km, seasonally navigable

Pipelines: petroleum products 176 km

Ports and harbors: Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 143 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 115
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m : 1
914 to 1,523 m: 16
under 914 m: 96 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 28
914 to 1,523 m: 28 (1996 est.)

Pacifism: In 1949, Costa Rica became the "country with no army." Ever since the army was abolished in that year, this has been the nation's hallmark, a tradition that has been reinforced by Costa Rica's recurring role as mediator and pacifier in Central American conflicts. International recognition of this came in 1987 when President Oscar Arias was presented with the Nobel Peace Prize, while Ticos proudly point out that what would have been defense budgets are channeled into schools and health services.