For more information Costa Rica you may write to the chancery at 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 ; check the U.S. State Department or World Factbook country sites; or type in the country's name on the Internet using a broad-based world wide web search engine.

Costa Rica

Physical. Costa Rica is located in Central America, south of Mexico. It covers an area slightly smaller than West Virginia. It has a tropical climate that is tropical and subtropical. The Costa Rican terrain features coastal plains separated by rugged mountains. With the exception of hydropower, Costa Rica has few natural resources.

People. More than 3.9 million people live in Costa Rica. The official language is Spanish, while English is occasionally spoken. Whites (including Mestizos) comprise 94% of the population with Amerindian (1%) Chinese (1%) and black (3%) minorities. The country is mainly Roman Catholic (76%) and Protestant (Evangelical 12.7%).

Government. Using the politics of consensus and with no military establishment (except for a brief period in 1948), Costa Rica’s political stability has been much admired. Costa Rica’s years of free and democratic elections are a remarkable achievement of political stability and civil rights. President Oscar Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 and remains a respected world leader. However, a low voter turnout of 65% in presidential elections signaled dissatisfaction with the nation's traditional parties.  In 2004, evidence of high level corruption resulted in the failure of two former presidents on charges of graft. President Oscar Arias won very narrowly in 2006.

Costa Rica’s concrete action to preserve its natural resources has protected 13% of its land with plans for 25% of the land to be preserved as national parkland. Using a debt for nature swap, Costa Rica has been able to enlarge and protect La Amistad, a 1.7 million-acre reserve of tropical rain forest.

Economy. Costa Ricans enjoy the highest standard of living in Central America. The presence of few large landowners and the predominance of small- and medium-range agricultural operations as well as the government’s commitment to the social welfare of the majority have contributed to more generalized economic and social benefits. Tight controls exist on banking, insurance, oil refining and public utilities. Even within the privatization of the state-owned cement and fertilizer industries, employees, trade unions and cooperatives are protected. But Costa Rica’s indigenous populations in part because of their remote location have inadequate schools, health care and access to potable water. Fully 20% of the population lives in poverty.

Areas of Concern. Enabling indigenous people to benefit from the economy is a concern. Refugees from other war-torn countries are a concern. The economy has been under stress since 1994. Environmental concerns include deforestation, soil erosion, coastal marine pollution, solid waste management and air pollution. There is concern that the tropical rain forests are being destroyed before their usefulness can be discovered.
 

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