Costa Rica

The name means "rich coast" in Spanish and was first applied in the early colonial period of the 16th century

 

Location:
Middle America, between Nicaragua and Panama
borders both the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean
Size (Area): 51,100 square kilometers (including Isla del Coco)
Area comparative: Slightly smaller than West Virginia

 

Climate:
Tropical and sub-tropical;
Dry season lasts from December to April;
Rainy season from May to November;
Cooler in highlands.

 

Terrain:
costal plains separated by rugged mountain terrain;
has over 100 volcanic cones, including several major volcanoes
lowest point – Pacific Ocean, 0 m
highest point – Cerro Chirripo – 3,810 m
Natural Resources: hydropower

Natural hazards:
Earthquakes;
Hurricanes along Atlantic coast;
Flooding and landslides in lowlands at onset of rainy season;
Active volcanoes: 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

Population: 5,151,140 (July 2021 est.)

Age breakdown:
0-14 years: 22.08 %
15-64 years: 69.16 %
65 years and older: 8.76 %

Population growth rate: 1.04 % (2021 est.)

Birth rate: 14.53 births/1,000 population

Death rate: 4.86 deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate: 0.78 migrants/1,000 population

Infant mortality: 8.59 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
Total population: 79.41 years;
Female: 82.22 years;
Male: 76.75 years.

Ethnic groups:
White (including mestizo): 83.6%;
Mulatto: 6.7%
Indigenous: 2.4%
Black: 1,1%;
Amerindian: 1%;
Chinese: 1%;
Other: 1.1%.

 

Religion: (2016 est.)
Roman Catholic: 71.8%;
Evangelical: 12.3%;
Other Protestant: 2.6%;
Jehovah’s Witnesses: 0.5%;
Other: 2.4;
None: 10.4%.

 

Language:
Spanish (official).

 

Nacionality:
Costa Rican
Ticos

 

Government type: democratic republic

 

President: Carlos Alvarado Quesada (2018 - 2022)

Capital: San Jose

 

Provinces: San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Limón, Guanacaste and Puntarenas.

 

Economy: Costa Rica has a basically stable economy that is dependant on tourism, agriculture and electronics exports, but low coffee prices and an overabundance of bananas have hurt the agricultural sector in recent years. The government continues to grapple with a large deficit and massive internal debt, but poverty in the country has been dramatically reduced over the last 15 years and a strong social safety net has been established.

GDP:

Purchasing power parity: $31.9 billion;
Real growth rate: 0.3%;
Per capita: purchasing power parity -- $8,500.
Population below the poverty line: 21%

Labour force: 1.8 million

Unemployment rate:

2% (2019 est.)

2.2% (2018 est.)

1.6% (2017 est.)

 

Exchange rate:

Costa Rican colones (CRC) per US dollar: 614 (2021 est.)

 

Source: CIA World Factbook