COSTA RICA GEOGRAPHY Total area: 51,100 km2; land area: 50,660 km2; includes Isla del Coco Comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia Land boundaries: 639 km total; Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km Coastline: 1,290 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: 200 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: tropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November) Terrain: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains Natural resources: hydropower potential Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops 7%; meadows and pastures 45%; forest and woodland 34%; other 8%; includes irrigated 1% Environment: subject to occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season; active volcanoes; deforestation; soil erosion PEOPLE Population: 3,111,403 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991) Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 79 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 3.2 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Costa Rican(s); adjective--Costa Rican Ethnic divisions: white (including mestizo) 96%, black 2%, Indian 1%, Chinese 1% Religion: Roman Catholic 95% Language: Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon Literacy: 93% (male 93%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 868,300; industry and commerce 35.1%, government and services 33%, agriculture 27%, other 4.9% (1985 est.) Organized labor: 15.1% of labor force GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Republic of Costa Rica Type: democratic republic Capital: San Jose Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain) 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 National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema) Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Rafael Angel CALDERON Fournier (since 8 May 1990); First Vice President German SERRANO Pinto (since 8 May 1990); Second Vice President Arnoldo LOPEZ Echandi (since 8 May 1990) Political parties and leaders: National Liberation Party (PLN), Rolando ARAYA Monge; Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC), Rafael Angel CALDERON Fournier; Marxist Popular Vanguard Party (PVP), Humberto VARGAS Carbonell; New Republic Movement (MNR), Sergio Erick ARDON Ramirez; Progressive Party (PP), Isaac Felipe AZOFEIFA Bolanos; People's Party of Costa Rica (PPC), Lenin ChACON Vargas; Radical Democratic Party (PRD), Juan Jose ECHEVERRIA Brealey Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 Elections: President--last held 4 February 1990 (next to be held February 1994); results--Rafael Angel CALDERON Fournier 51%, Carlos Manuel CASTILLO 47%; Legislative Assembly--last held 4 February 1990 (next to be held February 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(57 total) PUSC 29, PLN 25, PVP/PPC 1, regional parties 2 Communists: 7,500 members and sympathizers Other political or pressure groups: Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers (CCTD; Liberation Party affiliate), Confederated Union of Workers (CUT; Communist Party affiliate), Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers (CATD; Communist Party affiliate), Chamber of Coffee Growers, National Association for Economic Development (ANFE), Free Costa Rica Movement (MCRL; rightwing militants), National Association of Educators (ANDE) Member of: AG (observer), BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Gonzalo FACIO Segreda; Chancery at Suite 211, 1825 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-2945 through 2947; there are Costa Rican Consulates General at Albuquerque, Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Tampa, and Consulates in Austin, Buffalo, Honolulu, and Raleigh; US--Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Robert O. HOMME; Embassy at Pavas Road, San Jose (mailing address is APO Miami 34020); telephone 506 20-39-39 Flag: 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 ECONOMY Overview: In 1990 the economy grew at an estimated 3.5% rate, a decrease from the strong 5.0% gain of the previous year. Gains in agricultural production (on the strength of good coffee and banana crops) and in construction, were partially offset by lower rates of growth for industry. In 1990 consumer prices rose by about 25% and the trade deficit widened. Unemployment is officially reported at 6%, but much underemployment remains. External debt, on a per capita basis, is among the world's highest. GDP: $5.5 billion, per capita $1,810; real growth rate 3.6% (1990) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 25% (1990 est.) Unemployment rate: 6% (1990) Budget: revenues $831 million; expenditures $1.08 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.) Exports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--coffee, bananas, textiles, sugar; partners--US 75%, FRG, Guatemala, Netherlands, UK, Japan Imports: $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1990); commodities--petroleum, machinery, consumer durables, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs; partners--US 35%, Japan, Guatemala, FRG External debt: $4.5 billion (1989) Industrial production: growth rate 2.3% (1990 est.); accounts for 23% of GDP Electricity: 927,000 kW capacity; 2,987 million kWh produced, 980 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products Agriculture: accounts for 20-25% of GDP and 70% of exports; cash commodities--coffee, beef, bananas, sugar; other food crops include corn, rice, beans, potatoes; normally self-sufficient in food except for grain; depletion of forest resources resulting in lower timber output Illicit drugs: illicit production of cannabis on small scattered plots; transshipment country for cocaine from South America Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $781 million; Communist countries (1971-88), $27 million Currency: Costa Rican colon (plural--colones); 1 Costa Rican colon (C) = 100 centimos Exchange rates: Costa Rican colones (C) per US$1--105.82 (January 1991), 91.58 (1990), 81.504 (1989), 75.805 (1988), 62.776 (1987), 55.986 (1986), 50.453 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: 950 km total, all 1.067-meter gauge; 260 km electrified Highways: 15,400 km total; 7,030 km paved, 7,010 km gravel, 1,360 km unimproved earth Inland waterways: about 730 km, seasonally navigable Pipelines: refined products, 176 km Ports: Puerto Limon, Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puntarenas Merchant marine: 12 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,831 GRT/4,506 DWT Civil air: 9 major transport aircraft Airports: 173 total, 159 usable; 26 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 11 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: very good domestic telephone service; 292,000 telephones; connection into Central American Microwave System; stations--71 AM, no FM, 18 TV, 13 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Civil Guard, Rural Assistance Guard; note--Constitution prohibits armed forces Manpower availability: males 15-49, 807,853; 545,541 fit for military service; 32,149 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: $20 million, 0.4% of GDP (1988)