The Facts

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 (2008 est.): 4,191,948 (growth rate: 1.3%); birth rate: 17.7/1000; infant mortality rate: 9.2/1000; life expectancy: 77.3; density per sq mi: 82

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%

National Holiday: Independence Day, September 15

Religion: Roman Catholic 76%, Evangelical 14%, Jehovah’s Witnesses 1%, other Protestant 1%, other 5%, none 3%

Literacy rate: 94.9% (2006 est.)

Economic summary: 

GDP/PPP(2007 est.): $45.77 billion; per capita $10,300. 

Real growth rate:6.8%. 

Inflation: 9.4%.

Unemployment: 4.6%. 

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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