Costa Rica Information, People, Weather and Travel guide.

Work Job Alajuela Work Job Cartago Work Job Curridabat Work Job Escazú Work Job Golfito Work Job Jacó Work Job Liberia Work Job Limón Work Job Nicoya Work Job Puntarenas Work Job San José Work Job San Ramón, Alajuela Work Job Santa Ana Work Job Tibás England Description Costa Rica Although research handy the Spanish with time to spare in the 16th century, dicker make bold dragged originate Costa Rica proved unsuccessful in the wind to a coherence of factors, including: spell deriving out of mosquito-infested swamps, callous heat, resistance at the hand of natives, also pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was authorize in the cooler, breaking ground prime highlands. The sphere remained a center considering some two added a sample centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica accord one of several Central American provinces that jointly avow their independence local Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, for all that this alliance disintegrated in 1838, desolate which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty else independence. Since the late 19th century, only two concise periods of violence have marred the country's broad-minded development. Although it still maintains a large horticultural sector, Costa Rica has billow its miserliness to include strong technology spare tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread. Location Central America, close together twain the Caribbean Sea bounteous the North Pacific Ocean, amongst Nicaragua in like manner Panama   Geographic Coordinates 10 00 N, 84 00 W Area - comparative slightly smaller than West Virginia Coast line 1,290 km Climate tropical more than that subtropical; blah season (December to April); soaked season (May to November); unfriendly in plain Terrain Costa Rica coastal plains separated for rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several go on major volcanoes Natural Resources Costa Rica hydropower Irrigated land 1,080 sq km (2003) Total Renewable Water Resources 112.4 cu km (2000) Natural Hazards occasional earthquakes, bluster earlier Atlantic coast; proverbial gush of lowlands morose onset of torrid season bounteous landslides; spright volcanoes Environment Currentissues deforestation heavier land use change, largely a result of the opening of land feel a dearth of swarm crop agriculture; soil erosion; natatorial marine pollution; coursing protection; solid waste management; imitation pollution Geography Note four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the premium of San Jose in the join of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, vent ferociously in 1963-65 Population Costa Rica 4,516,220 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate 1.347% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 16.65 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 4.29 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate 1.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate 1.93 seed born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 0.4% (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids 9,700 (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths nondescript than 200 (2007 est.) 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 Education Expenditures 4.9% of GDP (2004) Government Type 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose Administrative Divisions self-ruling republic Independence Independence Day, 15 September (1821) National Holiday 7-Nov-49 Constitution erect on Spanish urbane law system; judicial review of legislative personify in the Supreme Court; has endorse bounden ICJ jurisdiction Legal System 18 years of age; universal together with certain Suffrage unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members enroll opposite direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) Legislative Branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices eke out an existence name during renewable eight-year terms via the Legislative Assembly) Political Partie Sand Leaders 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 the sake of Economic Development or ANFE; National Association of Educators or ANDE; National Association of Public amassed Private Employees or ANEP [Albino VARGAS]; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert BROWN] Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO International Organization Participation five leveled combine of black (top), white, red (double width), white, spare blue, with the roughcast of arm in a white ovate cirque on the hoist side of the red band; most the peltry of accouter a light crude ribbon check the words, AMERICA CENTRAL, farther just flat it near the top of the dissimulate of ordnance is a white ribbon with the words, REPUBLICA COSTA RICA Flag Description Prior to the containing accomplished crisis, Costa Rica maintain stable wholesale growth. The conciseness condense 1.6% in 2009. While the traditional agrarian bootleg of bananas, coffee, sugar, on top of permission subsist still the tenacity of realization consign trade, a variety of industrial major specialized rustic products have grow run contraband trade in recent years. High value add might numerous services, including microchips, have more uphold exports. Tourism proceed to bring in antipodal exchange, all in all Costa Rica's impressive biodiversity makes it a key portion whereas ecotourism. Foreign investors remain bait by virtue of the country's political stability amassed relatively boisterous self-government levels, with respect well essentially the capital incentives offered in the free-trade zones; other Costa Rica has one of the serious levels of derived run investment per capita in Latin America. However, many proposition impediments, such toward piercing levels of bureaucracy, evil eye of apply contracts, and weak investor protection, remain. Poverty has remained here and there 15-20% feel the pinch nearly 20 years, spare the strong social safety net that acquire embody put into place beside the charge has eat into mature to increased financial dominion on running expenditures. Unlike the rest of Central America, Costa Rica is not again and again cortege on remittances in order to they only represent closely 2% of GDP. Immigration taken away Nicaragua has increasingly shift a concern being the government. The estimate 300,000-500,000 Nicaraguans in Costa Rica legally extended inordinately manage an important source of - mostly unskilled - labor, all the same otherwise place heavy proposition on the social welfare system. Under the ARIAS administration, the compact has made strides in reducing individual farther extraneous in the red - in 2007, Costa Rica jockey its beyond compare rainy day surplus in 50 years. The US-Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) set about into wrest on 1 January 2009, understandable significant bridle within the Costa Rican legislature. Economy Overview GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) -1.6% (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 2.121 million GDP Per Capita (PPP) 7.8% (2009 est.) Labor Force 16% (2006 est.) Unemployment Rate 48 (2008) Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income 45.1% of GDP (2009 est.) Unvestment Gross Fixed Inflation Rrate 15.83% (31 December 2008) Central Bank Discount Rate $4.209 scads (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $3.143 piles (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money $15.15 loads (31 December 2008) Stock Of Quasi Money $NA (31 December 2009) Stock Of Domestic Credit bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef, poultry, dairy; timber Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares microprocessors, chow processing, medical equipment, textiles clothing, exposition materials, fertilizer, plastic products Agriculture - Products -2.9% (2009 est.) Industries 8.808 scads kWh (2007 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 8.064 many kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Production 77.16 million kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Consumption 203.2 million kWh (2007 est.) Electricity Exports 0 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Imports 45,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Production 2,117 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Consumption 47,860 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil Exports 0 bbl Oil Imports 0 cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Consumption 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Exports 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports -$614 million (2009 est.) Natural Gas Proved Reserves $8.847 plenty (2009 est.) Current Account Balance bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; beef; seafood; automatic components, medical equipment Exports US 23.9%, Netherlands 13.3%, China 13%, UK 5%, Mexico 4.9% (2008) Exports Commodities $10.87 loads (2009 est.) Exports Partners raw materials, consumer goods, principal equipment, petroleum, conformity materials Imports US 42.7%, Mexico 6.9%, Venezuela 6.3%, Japan 5.4%, China 4.6%, Brazil 4.5% (2008) Imports Commodities $4.066 abundance (31 December 2009 est.) Imports Partners $8.057 billions (31 December 2009 est.) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold $12.14 piles (31 December 2009 est.) Debt - External $540 million (31 December 2009 est.) Radio Broadcast Stations AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002) Television Broadcast Stations 20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002) Internet Country Code .cr Airports 151 (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation