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. In 1949, Costa Rica dissolved its armed forces. 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

slightly smaller than West Virginia

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

occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes

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

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

white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%

Spanish (official), English

Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%

Costa Rica's political stability, high standard of living, and well-developed social benefits system set it apart from its Central American neighbors. Through the government's sustained social spending - almost 20% of GDP annually - Costa Rica has made tremendous progress toward achieving its goal of providing universal access to education, healthcare, clean water, sanitation, and electricity. Since the 1970s, expansion of these services has led to a rapid decline in infant mortality, an increase in life expectancy at birth, and a sharp decrease in the birth rate. The average number of children born per women has fallen from about 7 in the 1960s to 3.5 in the early 1980s to below replacement level today. Costa Rica's poverty rate is lower than in most Latin American countries, but it has stalled at around 20% for almost two decades.

Costa Rica is a popular regional immigration destination because of its job opportunities and social programs. Almost 9% of the population is foreign-born, with Nicaraguans comprising nearly three-quarters of the foreign population. Many Nicaraguans who perform unskilled seasonal labor enter Costa Rica illegally or overstay their visas, which continues to be a source of tension. Less than 3% of Costa Rica's population lives abroad. The overwhelming majority of expatriates have settled in the United States after completing a university degree or in order to work in a highly skilled field.

4,636,348 (July 2012 est.)

16.4 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

4.38 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

SAN JOSE (capital) 1.416 million (2009)

40 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

1.92 children born/woman (2012 est.)

1.32 physicians/1,000 population (2000)

1.2 beds/1,000 population (2008)

urban: 95% of population

rural: 96% of population

total: 95% of population

urban: 5% of population

rural: 4% of population

total: 5% of population

fewer than 500 (2009 est.)

7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

civil law system based on Spanish civil code; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for renewable eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly)

Accessibility Without Exclusion or PASE [Oscar Andres LOPEZ Arias]; Citizen Action Party or PAC [Elizabeth FONSECA]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Gerardo Justo OROZCO Alvarez]; Broad Front (Frente Amplio) or PFA [Jose MERINO del Rio]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Liberation Party or PLN [Bernal JIMENEZ]; National Restoration Party or PRN; Patriotic Alliance [Mariano FIGUERES Olsen]; Popular Vanguard [Trino BARRANTES Araya]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Gerardo VARGAS]

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; 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; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate)

BCIE, CACM, CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, SICA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk toward the hoist side of the red band; Costa Rica retained the earlier blue-white-blue flag of Central America until 1848 when, in response to revolutionary activity in Europe, it was decided to incorporate the French colors into the national flag and a central red stripe was added; today the blue color is said to stand for the sky, opportunity, and perseverance, white denotes peace, happiness, and wisdom, while red represents the blood shed for freedom, as well as the generosity and vibrancy of the people

clay-colored robin known as Yiguirro

Prior to the global economic crisis, Costa Rica enjoyed stable economic growth. The economy contracted 1.3% in 2009 but resumed growth at about 4.5% per year in 2010-12. While the traditional agricultural exports of bananas, coffee, sugar, and beef are still the backbone of commodity export trade, a variety of industrial and specialized agricultural products have broadened export trade in recent years. High value added goods and services, including microchips, have further bolstered exports. Tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange, as Costa Rica's impressive biodiversity makes it a key destination for ecotourism. Foreign investors remain attracted by the country's political stability and relatively high education levels, as well as the incentives offered in the free-trade zones; and Costa Rica has attracted one of the highest levels of foreign direct investment per capita in Latin America. However, many business impediments remain such as high levels of bureaucracy, legal uncertainty due to overlapping and at times conflicting responsibilities between agencies, difficulty of enforcing contracts, and weak investor protection. Poverty has remained around 15-20% 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. Unlike the rest of Central America, Costa Rica is not highly dependent on remittances as they only represent about 2% of GDP. Immigration from Nicaragua has increasingly become a concern for the government. The estimated 300,000-500,000 Nicaraguans in Costa Rica legally and illegally are an important source of mostly unskilled labor but also place heavy demands on the social welfare system. The US-Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) entered into force on 1 January 2009 after significant delays within the Costa Rican legislature. CAFTA-DR has increased foreign direct investment in key sectors of the economy, including the insurance and telecommunications sectors recently opened to private investors. President CHINCHILLA was not able to gain legislative approval for fiscal reform, her top priority, though she continued to pursue fiscal reform in 2012. President CHINCHILLA and the PLN were successful in passing a tax on corporations to fund an increase for security services.

$58.6 billion (2012 est.)

$55.92 billion (2011 est.)

$53.68 billion (2010 est.)

$44.88 billion (2012 est.)

19.9% of GDP (2012 est.)

15.5% of GDP (2012 est.)

-4.4% of GDP (2012 est.)

47.4% of GDP (2012 est.)

44.9% of GDP (2011 est.)

21.5% (31 December 2010 est.)

23% (31 December 2009 est.)

16% (31 December 2012 est.)

16.15% (31 December 2011 est.)

$4.209 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$3.693 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$20.09 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$18.68 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$23.33 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$19.21 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$1.443 billion (31 December 2011)

$1.445 billion (31 December 2010)

$1.452 billion (31 December 2009)

bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef, poultry, dairy; timber

-$2.556 billion (2012 est.)

-$2.2 billion (2011 est.)

$11.47 billion (2012 est.)

$10.38 billion (2011 est.)

bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; beef; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment

US 30.4%, China 11.3%, Netherlands 10.9%, UK 9.6%, Mexico 8.5% (2011)

$16.79 billion (2012 est.)

$15.53 billion (2011 est.)

raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum, construction materials

US 43%, Mexico 7%, China 6.2%, Japan 6% (2011)

$5.461 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$4.756 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$12.04 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$10.75 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$18.59 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$16.34 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$729.3 million (31 December 2012 est.)

$704.3 million (31 December 2011 est.)

Costa Rican colones (CRC) per US dollar -

9.113 billion kWh (2009 est.)

8.144 billion kWh (2009 est.)

38 million kWh (2010 est.)

62 million kWh (2010 est.)

2.49 million kW (2009 est.)

24.8% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

61.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

13.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

7,361 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

12,090 bbl/day (2008 est.)

50,200 bbl/day (2011 est.)

737 bbl/day (2008 est.)

39,200 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

6.411 million Mt (2010 est.)

1.234 million (2011)

4.358 million (2011)

multiple privately-owned TV stations and 1 publicly-owned TV station; cable network services are widely available; more than 100 privately-owned radio stations and a public radio network (2007)

1.485 million (2009)

refined products 662 km (2010)

730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2011)

Caldera, Puerto Limon

no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security, Government, and Police (2011)

the ICJ had given Costa Rica until January 2008 to reply and Nicaragua until July 2008 to rejoin before rendering its decision on the navigation, security, and commercial rights of Costa Rican vessels on the Rio San Juan over which Nicaragua retains sovereignty

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; seizures of smuggled cash in Costa Rica and at the main border crossing to enter Costa Rica from Nicaragua have risen in recent years (2008)