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Costa Rica Country Guide
Explore Costa Rica in North America
Costa Rica with the capital city San José is located in North America (Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean). It covers some 51,100 square kilometres (slightly smaller than West Virginia) with 4,191,000 citizens.
The terrain features coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes. The average density of population is approximately 82 per km². The notable climate conditions in Costa Rica can be described as tropical and subtropical with dry season (December to April), rainy season (May to November) and cooler in highlands. Potential natural disasters are occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast or frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides or active volcanoes.
To reach someone in Costa Rica dial +506 prior to a number. There are 1,493,000 installed telephones. And there are 1,950,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 1800 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".cr". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 120V - 60Hz.
About the flag and history of Costa Rica
Five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk toward the hoist side of the red band; Costa Rica retained the earlier blue-white-blue flag of Central America until 1848 when, in response to revolutionary activity in Europe, it was decided to incorporate the French colors into the national flag and a central red stripe was added; today the blue color is said to stand for the sky, opportunity, and perseverance, white denotes peace, happiness, and wisdom, while red represents the blood shed for freedom, as well as the generosity and vibrancy of the people note: somewhat resembles the flag of North Korea; similar to the flag of Thailand but with the blue and red colors reversed.
Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. In 1949, Costa Rica dissolved its armed forces. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: North America Neighbours: Panama, Nicaragua Capital: San José |
| Size | 51,100 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 19,729 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than West Virginia |
| Population | 4,191,000 |
| Currency | Name Colon, Currency Code:CRC |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .cr |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +506 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 1,950,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 1,493,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 51,100 (sq km) | 130 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,695,942 | 121 |
| Population growth rate | 1.27 (%) | 92 |
| Birth rate | 16.25 (births/1,000 population) | 123 |
| Death rate | 4.44 (deaths/1,000 population) | 201 |
| Net migration rate | 0.85 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 60 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 40.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 115 |
| Infant mortality rate | 8.95 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 152 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.06 (years) | 58 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.91 (children born/woman) | 139 |
| Health expenditures | 10.90 (% of GDP) | 22 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.30 (%) | 87 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 9,800 | 98 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 500 | 95 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 23.70 (%) | 73 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 1.10 (%) | 130 |
| Education expenditures | 6.30 (% of GDP) | 32 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 16.60 (%) | 79 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 59,790,000,000 | 90 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 5.00 (%) | 66 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 12,800 | 102 |
| Labor force | 2,196,000 | 119 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.90 (%) | 89 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 50.30 | 21 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 19.90 (% of GDP) | 98 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 15.40 (% of GDP) | 188 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -4.40 (% of GDP) | 147 |
| Public debt | 47.40 (% of GDP) | 72 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.50 (%) | 124 |
| Central bank discount rate | 23.00 (%) | 5 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 16.15 (%) | 32 |
| Stock of narrow money | 4,209,000,000 | 106 |
| Stock of broad money | 20,090,000,000 | 86 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 23,330,000,000 | 77 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 1,445,000,000 | 101 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 2.80 (%) | 99 |
| Current account balance | -2,556,000,000 | 145 |
| Exports | 11,470,000,000 | 89 |
| Imports | 16,790,000,000 | 83 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 5,461,000,000 | 87 |
| Debt - external | 14,470,000,000 | 88 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 18,590,000,000 | 70 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 729,300,000 | 78 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 9,470,000,000 (kWh) | 96 |
| Electricity - consumption | 8,530,000,000 (kWh) | 93 |
| Electricity - exports | 38,000,000 (kWh) | 80 |
| Electricity - imports | 62,000,000 (kWh) | 100 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 2,490,000 (kW) | 95 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 24.80 (% of total installed capacity) | 186 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 61.50 (% of total installed capacity) | 29 |
| Electricity - from other renewable sources | 13.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 13 |
| Crude oil - imports | 7,361 (bbl/day) | 80 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 12,090 (bbl/day) | 104 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 50,200 (bbl/day) | 100 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 737 (bbl/day) | 114 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 39,200 (bbl/day) | 77 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 6,411,000 (Mt) | 118 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 1,234,000 | 68 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 4,358,000 | 114 |
| Internet hosts | 147,258 | 78 |
| Internet users | 1,485,000 | 82 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 153 | 35 |
| Railways | 278 (km) | 122 |
| Roadways | 38,049 (km) | 92 |
| Waterways | 730 (km) | 75 |
| Merchant marine | 1 | 149 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 0.80 (% of GDP) | 145 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Area de Conservación Guanacaste The Area de Conservación Guanacaste (inscribed in 1999), was extended with the addition of a 15,000 ha private property, St Elena. It contains important natural habitats for the conservation of biological diversity, including the best dry forest habi ... | 1999 |
| Cocos Island National Park Cocos Island National Park, located 550 km off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, is the only island in the tropical eastern Pacific with a tropical rainforest. Its position as the first point of contact with the northern equatorial counter-current, an ... | 1997 |
| Precolumbian Chiefdom Settlements with Stone Spheres of the Diquís The property includes four archaeological sites located in the Diquís Delta in southern Costa Rica, which are considered unique examples of the complex social, economic and political systems of the period AD 500–1500. They contain artificial mounds, ... | 2014 |
| Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park The location of this unique site in Central America, where Quaternary glaciers have left their mark, has allowed the fauna and flora of North and South America to interbreed. Tropical rainforests cover most of the area. Four different Indian tribes i ... | 1983 |