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)                           
                                                                                
