Costa Rica - Geography
(source: infoplease.com)
Republic of Costa Rica
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This Central American country lies between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. Its area slightly exceeds that of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. It has a narrow Pacific coastal region. Cocos Island (10 sq mi; 26 sq km), about 300 mi (483 km) off the Pacific Coast, is under Costa Rican sovereignty |
National name: República de Costa Rica
President: Óscar Arias Sánchez (2006)
Current government officials
Land area: 19,560 sq mi (50,660 sq km); total area: 19,730 sq mi (51,100 sq km)
Population (2007 est.): 4,133,884 (growth rate: 1.4%);
birth rate: 18.0/1000;
infant mortality rate: 9.5/1000;
life expectancy: 77.2; density per sq mi: 211
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.)
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Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $50.89 billion; per capita $12,500. Real growth rate: 7.9%. Inflation: 12.1%. Unemployment: 6.6%. Arable land: 4%. Agriculture: coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber. Labor force: 1.87 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: $7.931 billion (2006 est.): coffee, bananas, sugar, pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment. Imports: $10.88 billion (2006 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: 1.388 million (2005); mobile cellular: 1.101 million (2005). Radio broadcast stations: AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002). Television broadcast stations: 20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002). Internet hosts: 12,751 (2006). Internet users: 1 million (2005).
Transportation: Railways: total: 278 km, none of which is in use. Highways: total: 35,330 km ; paved: 8,621 km km; unpaved: 26,709 km (2004). Waterways: 730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2004). Ports and harbors: Caldera, Puerto Limon. Airports: 157 (2006 est.).
International disputes: legal dispute over navigational rights of Rio San Juan on the border with Nicaragua remains unresolved.
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