]! ^! 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. 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. 
]" ^" Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama ^# 10 00 N, 84 00 W ^$ Central America and the Caribbean ^% `! 51,100 sq km `" 50,660 sq km `# 440 sq km `* includes Isla del Coco ^& slightly smaller than West Virginia ^' `! 639 km `Y Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km ^( 1,290 km ^) `$ 12 nm `N 200 nm `O 200 nm ^* tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands ^+ coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes ^, `% Pacific Ocean 0 m `& Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m ^- hydropower ^. `' 4.4% `( 5.87% `) 89.73% (2005) ^/ 1,080 sq km (2003) ^0 occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes ^1 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 _P `P Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling `Q Marine Life Conservation ^2 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 
]# ^3 4,133,884 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 27.8% (male 587,395/female 560,408) `, 66.4% (male 1,388,114/female 1,357,157) `- 5.8% (male 111,758/female 129,052) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 26.8 years `. 26.3 years `/ 27.2 years (2007 est.) ^6 1.412% (2007 est.) ^7 18.02 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 4.39 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 0.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.05 male(s)/female `1 1.048 male(s)/female `, 1.023 male(s)/female `- 0.866 male(s)/female `2 1.02 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 9.45 deaths/1,000 live births `. 10.32 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 8.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 77.21 years `. 74.61 years `/ 79.94 years (2007 est.) ^= 2.21 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 0.6% (2003 est.) ^? 12,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 900 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Costa Rican(s) `4 Costa Rican ^B white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1% ^C Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2% ^D Spanish (official), English ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 96% `. 95.9% `/ 96.1% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Costa Rica `7 Costa Rica `Z Republica de Costa Rica `[ Costa Rica ^H democratic republic ^I `8 San Jose `9 9 56 N, 84 05 W `: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose ^K 15 September 1821 (from Spain) ^L Independence Day, 15 September (1821) ^M 7 November 1949 ^N based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O 18 years of age; universal and compulsory ^P `; President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice President Kevin CASAS Zamora (since 8 May 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government `< President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice President Kevin CASAS Zamora (since 8 May 2006) `= Cabinet selected by the president `> president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 5 February 2006 (next to be held in February 2010) `? Oscar ARIAS Sanchez elected president; percent of vote - Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (PLN) 40.9%; Otton SOLIS (PAC) 39.8%, Otto GUEVARA Guth (PML) 8%, Ricardo TOLEDO (PUSC) 3% ^Q unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) `> last held 5 February 2006 (next to be held in February 2010) `? percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLN 25, PAC 17, PML 6, PUSC 5, other 4 ^R Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly) ^S Authentic Member from Heredia [Jose SALAS]; Citizen Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Gerardo Justo OROZCO Alvarez]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Vladimir DE LA CRUZ]; General Union Party or PUGEN [Carlos Alberto FERNANDEZ Vega]; Homeland First or PP [Juan Jose VARGAS Fallas]; Independent Worker Party or PIO [Jose Alberto CUBERO Carmona]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Juan Carlos CHAVEZ Mora]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Liberation Party or PLN [Francisco Antonio PACHECO]; National Patriotic Party or PPN [Daniel Enrique REYNOLDS Vargas]; National Restoration Party or PRN [Carlos AVENDANO]; Nationalist Democratic Alliance or ADN [Jose Miguel VILLALOBOS Umana]; Patriotic Union or UP [Humberto ARCE Salas]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Luis FILMAN]; Union for Change Party or UPC [Antonio ALVAREZ Desanti]; United Leftist Coalition or IU [Humberto VARGAS Carbonel] ^T Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; Confederated Union of Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party affiliate); Costa Rican Exporter's Chamber or CADEXCO; Costa Rican Solidarity Movement; Costa Rican Union of Private Sector Enterprises or UCCAEP [Rafael CARRILLO]; Federation of Public Service Workers or FTSP; National Association for Economic Development or ANFE; National Association of Educators or ANDE; National Association of Public and Private Employees or ANEP [Albino VARGAS]; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert BROWN] ^U BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Tomas DUENAS `S 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 234-2945 `U [1] (202) 265-4795 `V Atlanta, Chicago, Hammond (temporary location in Louisiana), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa (temporarily closed), Washington, DC `^ San Francisco ^W `R Ambassador Mark LANGDALE `_ Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose `` APO AA 34020 `T [506] 519-2000 `U [506] 519-2305 ^X five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk on the hoist side of the red band; above the coat of arms a light blue ribbon contains the words, AMERICA CENTRAL, and just below it near the top of the coat of arms is a white ribbon with the words, REPUBLICA COSTA RICA 
]% ^Y Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has remained at roughly 20% for nearly 20 years, and the strong social safety net that had been put into place by the government has eroded due to increased financial constraints on government expenditures. Immigration from Nicaragua has increasingly become a concern for the government. The estimated 300,000-500,000 Nicaraguans estimated to be in Costa Rica legally and illegally are an important source of (mostly unskilled) labor, but also place heavy demands on the social welfare system. Foreign investors remain attracted by the country's political stability and high education levels, and tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. The government continues to grapple with its large internal and external deficits and sizable internal debt. Reducing inflation remains a difficult problem because of rising import prices, labor market rigidities, and fiscal deficits. The country also needs to reform its tax system and its pattern of public expenditure. The current administration has made it a priority to pass the necessary reforms to implement the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). CAFTA implementation would result in an improved investment climate. ^Z $48.77 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $20.77 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 4.7% (2006 est.) ^] $12,000 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 8.6% `A 31% `B 60.4% (2006 est.) ^_ 1.866 million `* this official estimate excludes Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica legally and illegally (2006 est.) ^` `@ 20% `A 22% `B 58% (1999 est.) ^a 6.6% (2006 est.) _! 18% (2004 est.) _" `C 1.1% `D 36.8% (2002) _d 46.5 (2000) _# 12.1% (2006 est.) _V 19.4% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $3.134 billion `F $3.475 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 53.4% of GDP (2006 est.) _& bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber _' microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products _( 8.4% (2006 est.) _) 8.4 billion kWh (2004) _* 7.574 billion kWh (2004) _+ 440 million kWh (2004) _, 202 million kWh (2004) _- 0 bbl/day (2004) _. 44,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _1 0 cu m (2004 est.) _2 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Q $-1.176 billion (2006 est.) _3 $7.931 billion (2006 est.) _4 bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment _5 US 42.6%, Hong Kong 6.9%, Netherlands 6.4%, Guatemala 4.2% (2005) _6 $10.88 billion (2006 est.) _7 raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum _8 US 41.3%, Japan 5.6%, Venezuela 4.8%, Mexico 4.8%, Ireland 4.3%, Brazil 4.2%, China 4.2% (2005) _[ $2.5 billion (2006 est.) _9 $6.42 billion (30 June 2006 est.) _; Costa Rican colon (CRC) _< Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 511.3 (2006), 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003), 359.82 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 1.388 million (2005) _? 1.101 million (2005) _@ `G the parastatal monopoly provides good domestic telephone service in terms of breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service `H point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave, fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is available `I country code - 506; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 2 submarine cables (1999) _A AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002) _B 20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002) _C .cr _D 12,751 (2006) _E 1 million (2005) 
]' _F 157 (2006) _G `! 32 `J 2 `b 2 `c 19 `W 9 (2006) _R `! 125 `c 24 `W 101 (2006) _^ refined products 242 km (2006) _e `! 278 km `n 278 km 1.067-m gauge `* none of the railway network is in use (2007) _H `! 35,330 km `K 8,621 km `L 26,709 km (2004) _b 730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2005) _S `! 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,308 GRT/743 DWT by type: passenger/cargo 2 (2006) _I Caldera, Puerto Limon 
]( _J no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security, Government, and Police (2006) _T 18 years of age (2004) _K males age 18-49: 997,690 females age 18-49: 968,290 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 829,874 females age 18-49: 809,343 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 41,097 females age 18-49: 39,243 _U 0.5% (2006 est.) 
]) _N in September 2005, Costa Rica took its case before the ICJ to advocate the navigation, security, and commercial rights of Costa Rican vessels using the R o San Juan over which Nicaragua retains sovereignty _c `o 9,470 (Colombia) (2006) _O transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America; illicit production of cannabis in remote areas; domestic cocaine consumption, particularly crack cocaine, is rising; significant consumption of amphetamines 