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Republic of Costa Rica
National name: República de Costa Rica
President: Óscar Arias Sánchez (2006)
Land area: 19,560 sq mi (50,660 sq km); total area: 19,730 sq mi (51,100 sq km)
Population (2006 est.): 4,075,261 (growth rate: 1.5%); birth rate: 18.3/1000;
infant mortality rate: 9.7/1000; life expectancy: 77.0; density per sq mi: 208
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): San José, 1,527,300 (metro. area), 337,200
(city proper)
Monetary unit: Colón
Languages: Spanish (official), English
Ethnicity/race: white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese
1%, other 1%
Religion: Roman Catholic 76%, Evangelical 14%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other
Protestant 1%, other 5%, none 3%
Literacy rate: 96% (2003 est.)
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $40.44 billion; per capita $10,100. Real
growth rate: 3.3%. Inflation: 13.8%. Unemployment: 6.6%. Arable land: 4%.
Agriculture: coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes;
beef; timber. Labor force: 1.82 million; agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services
58% (1999 est.). Industries: microprocessors, food processing, textiles and
clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products. Natural
resource: hydropower. Exports: $7.005 billion (2005 est.): coffee, bananas,
sugar, pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment. Imports:
$9.69 billion (2005 est.): raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment,
petroleum. Major trading partners: U.S., Netherlands, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico,
Brazil (2004).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 1.132 million (2002); mobile
cellular: 528,047 (2002). Radio broadcast stations: AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19
(2002). Television broadcast stations: 20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002). Internet
hosts: 10,826 (2003). Internet users: 800,000 (2002).
Transportation: Railways: total: 278 km (2004). Highways: total: 35,303 km;
paved: 4,236 km; unpaved: 31,067 km (2002). Waterways: 730 km (seasonally
navigable by small craft) (2004). Ports and harbors: Caldera, Puerto Limon.
Airports: 149 (2004 est.).
International disputes: legal dispute over navigational rights of Rio San Juan
on the border with Nicaragua remains unresolved.
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