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COSTA RICA |
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| Location: | Central America. Costa Rica is located south of Nicaragua, north of Panama. Costa Rica has two coastlines, the Caribbean and Pacific. |
| Climate: | Tropical and subtropical; dry season (Dec-April) rainy season (May-Nov.) |
| Elivation: | Sea level 0 meters to Cerro Chirripo 3,810 meters |
| Population: | 4,253,877 (July 2009 est) |
| Literacy: | Literacy: Defined: age 15 and over can read and write; Total population; 94.9% Male; 94.7% Female; 95.1% |
| Language: | Spanish (official) English |
| Government: | Democratic Republic (stable) |
| Capital City: | San Jose |
| Independence: | September 15, 1821 from Spain |
| Economic Overview: | Costa Rica's mostly stable economy depends on tourism, electronics, and agricultural exports. Tourism continues to bring foreign exchange, as Costa Rica's biodiversity makes it a prime destination for ecotourism. Foreign investors remain attracted by the countries political stability and high education levels, as well as the fiscal incentives offered in the free trade zones. Costa Rica has attracted one of the highest levels of foreign direct investment per capita in Latin America. After some delay, in January 2009 Costa became part of the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Recent growth in Costa Rica has slowed as result of the global recession and reduced export demand and investment inflows. |
| GDP: | $48.32 billion (2008 est) |
| GDP real growth rate | 2.7%(2008 est) |
| GDP by sector: |
agriculture: 6.5% Industry: 25.9% Services: 67.6% (2008 est) |
| Unemployment rate: | 4.9% (2008 est) |
| Military: | None! |
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