Costa Rica ( Republica de Costa Rica) is a country in Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama. Costa Rica geographic coordinates 10 00 N, 84 00 W; area 50,660 sq km; area comparative slightly smaller than West Virginia; land boundaries Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km; coastline 1,290 km; maritime claims exclusive economic zone:<; climate tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in; terrain coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are; elevation extremes Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m; natural resources hydropower; land use 89.71% (2001); irrigated land 1,260 sq km (1998 est.); natural hazards occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of r; environment current issues 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; environment international agreements Marine Life Conservation; geography note 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;

introduction

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. government type democratic republic; capital San Jose; administrative divisions 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose; independence 15 September 1821 (from Spain); national holiday Independence Day, 15 September (1821); constitution 7 November 1949; legal system based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory;

people

Costa Rica population 4,016,173 (July 2005 est.); age structure 5.6% (male 104,564/female 120,563) (2005 est.); median age 26.5 years (2005 est.); population growth rate 1.48% (2005 est.); birth rate 18.6 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 4.33 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate 0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 10.85 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 79.55 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 2.28 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate 0.6% (2003 est.); hiv people with aids 12,000 (2003 est.); hiv deaths 900 (2003 est.); nationality Costa Rican; ethnic groups white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%; religions Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%; languages Spanish (official), English; literacy 96.1% (2003 est.);

Regions

Cities