Capital |
San José |
Land area |
51.060 km2 = 0.03% of the planet earth |
Geographic coordinates |
8º to 11°north latitude 82° to 86º west longtitude |
Land boundaries |
309 km with Nicaragua to the North Cañas Jerez Agreement of April 15, 1858 Ratified by the Laudo Cleveland of May 22, 1888 330 km with Panama to the South Echandi – Fernandez Agreement of May 01, 1941 |
Administrative divisions |
7 Provinces, 82 Cantons, 488 Districts |
Highest mountain |
Cerro Chirripo 3.820 m |
Atlantic Coast |
212 km from Punta Castillas to Sixaola |
Pacific Coast |
1.016 km Bahia from Salinas to Punta Burica |
Form of government |
Presidential, reelections every 4 years Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
President |
Carlos Alvarado Quesada Acción Ciudadano Party (PAC) |
Parlament |
unicameral Legislative Assembly with 57 seats |
Population |
5.111.401 inhabitants (2010: 4.570.000) |
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Urbanization |
Urban population: 80% (2010: 70%) |
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Central Valley metropolitan area |
approx. 65% the total population (2010: 55%) |
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Density |
99,77 inhabitants per sq km (2010: 88) |
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Occupants per housing unit |
3.2 (2010: 3.6) |
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Life expectancy at birth |
80.9 years (2010: 78.8) |
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Populaton development |
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Growth rate |
0,92% (2010: 1,3%) |
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Languages |
Spanish (official), Patois in the Caribbean regions, five indigenous languages |
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Illiteracy rate |
2,14% (2010: 3.8%) |
66% |
Whites (of Spanish and European descent) |
14% |
Mestizos (of mixed indigenous and white descent) |
9% |
Immigrants |
8% |
Afro-Costa Ricans and mulattos |
2.5% (approx. 104.000) |
Indigenous people of nine tribes |
1% |
Chinese/Asians |
0 to 9 years |
14.4% |
10 to 19 years |
14.8% |
20 to 29 years |
16.9% |
30to 39 years |
16.9 % |
40 to 49 years |
12.8 % |
50 to 59 years |
10.9% |
60 to 69 years |
7.8% |
70 to 79 years |
3.7% |
80+ years |
1.8% |
Female |
83.4 years (2010: 81.7) |
Male |
78.5 years (2010: 76.5) |
1st to 6th grade Primary School |
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7th to 9th grade Secondary School |
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10th to 11th grade Technical College |
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10th to 12th grade Academic College |
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Private Schools and Universities |
10% |
State Schools and Universities |
90% |
Average vocational training takes 9 months |
National Trainings Institute INA |
Requirement: Completed college education |
GDP |
61,774,000,000 US$ (2010: 35,789,000,000) |
GDP per capita |
12,238 US$ (2010: 7,842) |
GDP by sectors |
Agriculture 6% |
Tourism |
3.983.000.000 US$ |
7% of GBP |
Optical, technical, medical apparatus |
3.700.000.000 US$ |
31.9% of exports |
Fruits, nuts |
2.200.000.000 US$ |
18.9% of exports |
Miscellaneous food preparations |
593.900.000 US$ |
5.2% of exports |
Electrical machinery, equipment |
471,600.000 US$ |
4.1% of exports |
Plastics, plastic articles |
378.900.000 US$ |
3.3% of exports |
Vegetable / fruit / nut preparations |
334.600.000 US$ |
2.9% of exports |
Pharmaceuticals |
325.000.000 US$ |
2.8% of exports |
Coffee, herbal tea, spices |
285.600.000 US$ |
2.5% of exports |
Rubber, rubber articles, tires |
270,300.000 US$ |
2.4% of exports |
Vegetables |
172.200.000 US$ |
1.5% of exports |
We would like to thank all our guests who have been travelling with us since 1994 in the most beautiful time of the year - their well-deserved holidays. When developing itineraries for groups and individual travelers, selecting our local service partners and caring about the well-being of our guests, we always focus on the highest possible quality standards. Since the founding of Amadeus Travel, we have been committed to sustainable tourism as the only long-term viable form of tourism, e.g. through our social commitment, visiting and supporting private and state nature reserves as well as the training of our team and experienced, fully licenced tour guides.