Country Profile: Costa Rica

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Geography

  1. Location: Central Africa
  2. Bordering Nations: Panama, Nicaragua
  3. Climate and Terrain: Tropical and subtropical. Coastal plains separated by rugged mountains.
  4. Natural Resources: hydropower

Society

  1. Nationality and Major Ethnic Group: Costa Rican. White
  2. Official Languages and Major Religions: Spanish. Roman Catholic
  3. Population: 4.7 million
  4. Life Expectancy: 78.23 years
  5. Literacy Rate: 96.3%

Government

  1. Official Country Name: Republic of Costa Rica
  2. Government Type: Democratic Republic
  3. Capital: San Jose
  4. Independence: September 15th, 1821, from Spain
  5. President (2014): Laura Chinchilla Miranda
  6. National Anthem: Costa Rican National Anthem

Economy

  1. GDP: $48.51 billion
  2. GDP per capita: $12,900
  3. Agriculture and Industry: bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef, poultry, dairy; timber. Microprocessors, food processing, medical equipment, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
  4. Labor Force: 2.222 million
  5. Population Below the Poverty Line: 24.8%
  6. Inflation Rate: 5.6%
  7. Exports: $11.66 billion. Commodities: bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; beef; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment. Partners: US 38.9%, Netherlands 7.5%, Panama 5.1%, Hong Kong 4.6%, Nicaragua 4.4%
  8. Imports: $17.56 billion. Commodities: craw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum, construction materials. Partners: US 49.8%, China 8.2%, Mexico 6.6%
  9. Debt: $15.1 billion

Communication and Transportation

  1. Number of Cellphones: 6.151 million
  2. Number of Internet Users: 1.485 million 
  3. Number of Airports: 161 (Paved: 47)
  4. Roadways: 17,289 km

Military

  1. No military

Major Transnational Issues

  1. Illicit Drugs

Other Facts

  1. Costa Rica does not have a military.

This page was last updated on: June 6th, 2014

Source: “Costa Rica” Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 6th June 2014.

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