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Costa Rica
NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA
FACTFILE
OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Costa Rica
DATE OF FORMATION: 1838
CAPITAL: San José
POPULATION: 4.58 million
TOTAL AREA: 19,730 sq. miles
(51,100 sq. km)
DENSITY: 232 people per sq. mile
LANGUAGES: Spanish*, English Creole,
Bribri, Cabecar
RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 76%,
other (including Protestant) 24%
ETHNIC MIX: Mestizo and European 96%,
Black 2%, Chinese 1%, Amerindian 1%
GOVERNMENT: Presidential system
CURRENCY: C.R. colón = 100 céntimos
Costa Rica, Central America’s most stable country, is
rich in pristine scenery and exotic wildlife. Its neutrality in
foreign affairs is long-standing, but it has strong ties with the US.
GEOGRAPHY
Coastal plains of swamp and
savanna rise to a fertile central plateau,
which leads to a mountain range with
active volcanic peaks.
CLIMATE
Hot and humid in coastal regions.
Temperate central uplands. High
annual rainfall.
PEOPLE & SOCIETY
Most people are mestizo, of partly
Spanish origin. There is a black, English-
speaking minority and around 35,000
indigenous Amerindians. Plantation
owners are the wealthiest group, while
one in six people live in poverty.
Nonetheless, living standards are high for
the region, and education and healthcare
provision is good.
THE ECONOMY
Stability has attracted
multinationals. The main exports are
bananas, pineapples, coffee, and beef,
but all are vulnerable to fluctuating world
prices. History of high inflation. Pioneer
of eco-tourism. Pledged to be carbon
neutral by 2021.
INSIGHT: Costa Rica’s 1949
constitution bans a national army
3000m/9843ft
2000m/6562ft
1000m/3281ft
500m/1640ft
200m/656ft
Sea Level50 km50 miles00
NICARAGUAPANAMA
PACIFIC
OCEANCaribbean
Seade(^) T
al
am
an
ca
(^) C
or
di
lle
ra
Península
de Osa
(^) S
an Ju
an^
Quesada
TurrialbaLimón
Cañas
Cartago
Heredia
Liberia
Puntarenas
San Isidro
San Ramón
SAN JOSÉ