National name: República de Costa Rica
President: Óscar Arias Sánchez (2006)

Land area: 19,560 sq mi (50,660 sq km)
total area: 19,730 sq mi (51,100 sq km)

Population (2007 est.): 4,133,884 (growth rate: 1.4%)
birth rate: 18.0/1000
infant mortality rate: 9.5/1000
life expectancy: 77.2
density per sq mi: 211

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): San José, 1,527,300 (metro. area), 337,200 (city proper)

Monetary unit: Colón

Languages: Spanish (official), English

Ethnicity/race:
white (including mestizo) 94%
black 3%
Amerindian 1%
Chinese 1%
other 1%

Religion:
Roman Catholic 76%
Evangelical 14%
Jehovah's Witnesses 1%,
other Protestant 1%
other 5%
none 3%

Literacy rate: 96% (2003 est.)

Economic summary:
GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $50.89 billion; per capita $12,500.
Real growth rate: 7.9%.
Inflation: 12.1%.
Unemployment: 6.6%.
Arable land: 4%.
Agriculture: coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber.
Labor force: 1.87 million; agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services 58% (1999 est.).
Industries: microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products.
Natural resource: hydropower.
Exports: $7.931 billion (2006 est.): coffee, bananas, sugar, pineapples, textiles, electronic components, medical equipment.
Imports: $10.88 billion (2006 est.): raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum.
Major trading partners: U.S., Netherlands, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Brazil (2004).

Communications:
Telephones: main lines in use: 1.388 million (2005); mobile cellular: 1.101 million (2005).
Radio broadcast stations: AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002).
Television broadcast stations: 20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002).
Internet hosts: 12,751 (2006).
Internet users: 1 million (2005).

Transportation:
Railways: total: 278 km (only one train system in use)
Highways: total: 35,330 km ; paved: 8,621 km km; unpaved: 26,709 km (2004).
Waterways: 730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2004).
Ports and harbors: Caldera, Puerto Limon.
Airports: 157 (2006 est.).