r:
8%
Irrigated land:
1,180 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
deforestation, largely a result of land clearing for cattle ranching;
soil erosion
natural hazards:
subject to occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast;
frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season; active
volcanoes
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not
ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Marine Life Conservation

@Costa Rica, People

Population:
3,342,154 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.31% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
25.48 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
3.52 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
11 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
77.8 years
male:
75.88 years
female:
79.81 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.06 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Costa Rican(s)
adjective:
Costa Rican
Ethnic divisions:
white (including mestizo) 96%, black 2%, Indian 1%, Chinese 1%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%
Languages:
Spanish (official), English; spoken around Puerto Limon
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
93%
male:
93%
female:
93%
Labor force:
868,300
by occupation:
industry and commerce 35.1%, government and services 33%, agriculture
27%, other 4.9% (1985 est.)

@Costa Rica, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Costa Rica
conventional short form:
Costa Rica
local long form:
Republica de Costa Rica
local short form:
Costa Rica
Digraph:
CS
Type:
democratic republic
Capital:
San Jose
Administrative divisions:
7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago,
Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose
Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution:
9 November 1949
Legal system:
based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
President