Costa Rica

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 still a largely agricultural country, it has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism sectors. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.

• tropical and subtropical;
• dry season (December to April);
• rainy season (May to November);
• cooler in highlands

• occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast;
• frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides;
• active volcanoes

• 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

• 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

0-14 years:

30.1% (male 600,812; female 573,375)

15-64 years:

64.4% (male 1,269,667; female 1,241,097)

65 years and over:

5.4% (male 98,156; female 112,985) (2003 est.)

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 (2003 est.)

noun:

Costa Rican(s)

adjective:

Costa Rican

conventional long form:

Republic of Costa Rica

conventional short form:

Costa Rica

local short form:

Costa Rica

local long form:

Republica de Costa Rica

• based on Spanish civil law system;
• judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;
• has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

chief of state:

• President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May 2002);
• First Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since NA May 2002);
• Second Vice President Luis FISHMAN (since NA May 2002);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:

• President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May 2002);
• First Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since NA May 2002);
• Second Vice President Luis FISHMAN (since NA May 2002);
• note - the 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 3 February 2002;
• run-off election held 7 April 2002 (next to be held NA February 2006)

election results:

• Abel PACHECO elected president;
• percent of vote - Abel PACHECO (PUSC) 58%;
• Rolando ARAYA (PLN) 42%

• Agricultural Labor Action or PALA [Carlos Alberto SOLIS Blanco];
• Citizen Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS];
• Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Justo OROZCO];
• Democratic Force Party or PFD [Jose M. NUNEZ];
• Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth];
• National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Alejandro MADRIGAL];
• National Independent Party or PNI [Jorge GONZALEZ Marten];
• National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes];
• National Liberation Party or PLN [Sonia PICADO];
• Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Luis Manuel CHACON]

note: mainly a two-party system - PUSC and PLN - until the 3 February 2002 election in which the PAC captured a significant percentage, forcing a run-off in April 2002

• 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]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jaime DAREMBLUM Rosenstein

chancery:

2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Durham (North Carolina), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco, St. Paul, and Tampa

consulate(s):

Austin

FAX:

[1] (202) 265-4795

telephone:

[1] (202) 234-2945

chief of mission:

Ambassador John J. DANILOVICH

embassy:

Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose

mailing address:

APO AA 34020

telephone:

[506] 220-3939

FAX:

[506] 220-2305

• 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

lowest 10%:

1.7%

highest 10%:

34.6% (2001)

• coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes;
• beef;
• timber

• coffee, bananas, sugar;
• pineapples;
• textiles, electronic components, medical equipment

general assessment:

very good domestic 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:

• connected to Central American Microwave System;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
• two submarine cables (1999)

total:

950 km

narrow gauge:

950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2002)

total:

35,892 km

paved:

7,896 km

unpaved:

27,996 km (2000)

total:

1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,716 GRT/ DWT

ships by type:

passenger 1 (2002 est.)

• transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America;
• illicit production of cannabis on small, scattered plots;
• domestic cocaine consumption is rising, particularly crack cocaine