Costa Rica
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Costa Rica is a Central American nation located between Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. Its eastern coast fronts the Caribbean Sea while its western coast fronts the Pacific Ocean.
Its main environmental issues include 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; and air pollution. It is also susceptible to occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; and, active volcanoes.
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. 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.
Geography
Location: Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
Geographic Coordinates: 10 00 N, 84 00 W
Area: 51,100 sq km (50,660 sq km land and 440 sq km water). This includes Isla del Coco 550 km off the Pacific Coast of the main land.
Coastline: 1,290 km
Maritime Claims: Territorial sea to 12 nautical miles; exclusive economic zone to 200 nautical miles; continental shelf to 200 nautical miles
Natural Hazards: Occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes.
Terrain: Coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes.
Climate: Tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands.
Capital: San Jose
Ecology and Biodiversity
Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of plants and animals. While the country has only about 0.1% of the world's landmass, it contains 5% of the world's biodiversity. All of Costa Rica is included in the subtropical and tropical Mesoamerica Biodiversity Hotspot.
In northern Costa Rica, remnants remain of the Isthmian-Pacific moist forests among cattle pastures, crops and human settlements. Located at elevations below 500m, the Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests cover the Atlantic lowlands. Also in northwestern Costa Rica lies the Central American dry forests ecoregion. Cocos Island is the only island in the eastern Pacific with very moist tropical flora and fauna, and the only Pacific oceanic island off Central America. The Talamancan montane forests ecoregion, located in the mountainous regions of Costa Rica and Panama, is one of Central America’s most intact habitats. Deciduous trees that loose their leaves during the distinct dry season make up the dominant vegetation in the Costa Rican seasonal moist forests, located along Costa Rica's border with Panama.
Mangroves are sparse in the Rio Negro-Rio San Sun mangroves ecoregion, and are primarily found in estuarine lagoons and small patches at river mouths along the Atlantic coastline. The Southern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves ecoregion found along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica is unique as it marks the transition from dry to moist forest along this coast. Along Costa Rica's eastern shore are the Mosquitia-Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast mangroves, which are part of a complex of diverse habitats that include humid broadleaf forest, pine forest, coastal wetlands and bamboo forests, as well as coral reefs and some of the most extensive seagrass beds in the world. The Moist Pacific Coast mangroves ecoregion runs along the coastline of Central America from near the town of Jaco, Costa Rica to the southwestern corner of the Peninsula de Azuero, Panama. Mangroves are more developed in this ecoregion than those further north due to the higher rate of freshwater inflow that reduces salt accumulation in the mangroves by increasing evapotranspiration.
Protected Areas
Around 25% of the country's land area is in protected national parks and protected areas, the largest percentile of protected areas in the world. Located in northwestern Costa Rica, the Area de Conservación Guanacaste's boundaries start 12 miles out into the Pacific Ocean and extend inland across the Pacific coastal lowlands, over three tall volcanoes and down into the Atlantic coastal lowlands. The total area of the Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) (as of 2004) comprises 147,000 hectares (ha), comprising 104,000 terrestrial habitats and 43,000 marine habitats. The Isla del Coco Marine and Terrestrial Conservation Area includes the entire Isla del Coco and the marine ecosystems up to a distance of 15 kilometers around the island. Isla del Coco is located 555 km south-west off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, almost to the Galápagos Archipelago.
International Environmental Agreements
Costa Rica is party to international agreements on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, and Whaling.
People and Society
Population: 4,253,877 (July 2009 est.)
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 581,916/female 555,216)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,443,606/female 1,411,168)
65 years and over: 6.2% (male 120,969/female 141,002) (2009 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 1.356% (2009 est.)
Birthrate: 17.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death Rate: 4.31 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 77.58 years
Total Fertility Rate: 2.14 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Languages: Spanish (official), English
Literacy: 94.9%
Economy
Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Exports have become more diversified in the past 10 years due to the growth of the high-tech manufacturing sector, which is dominated by the microprocessor industry and the production of medical devices. 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 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. Poverty has remained around 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. 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. Under the ARIAS administration, the government has made strides in reducing internal and external debt - in 2007, Costa Rica had its first budget surplus in 50 years. Reducing inflation remains a difficult problem because of rising commodity import prices and labor market rigidities, though lower oil prices will decrease upward pressures. The Central Bank is moving towards a more flexible exchange rate system to focus on inflation targeting by 2010. The US-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) entered into force on 1 January 2009, after significant delays within the Costa Rican legislature. Nevertheless, economic growth has slowed in 2009 as the global downturn reduced export demand and investment inflows.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): (Purchasing Power Parity): $48.48 billion (2008 est.)
GDP: (Official Exchange Rate): $30.38 billion (2008 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 3% (2008 est.)
GDP- per capita (PPP): $11,600 (2008 est.)
GDP- composition by sector:
agriculture: 7.6%
industry: 29.1%
services: 63.3% (2008 est.)
Industries: microprocessors, food processing, medical equipment, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Natural Resources: hydropower
Currency: Costa Rican colones (CRC)
Energy
In November 1999, U.S.-based Harken Energy began a seismic exploration program in Costa Rica in the Caribbean Sea. Despite promising results, the company has been unable to acquire the approval of the Costa Rican government to commence drilling operations due to opposition from environmental and indigenous activists. The former Pacheco administration (2002-2006) had expressed its opposition to any oil activities in the country.
See Energy profile of Central America.
Further Reading
- The CIA World Factbook
- World Wildlife Fund Homepage
- Energy profile of Central America from the Energy Information Administration
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