I | INTRODUCTION |
Costa
Rica, country in southern Central America, between Nicaragua and Panama.
It has coasts along the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Costa Rica, which
means “rich coast” in Spanish, was named by Christopher Columbus and his
explorers, who expected to find gold here. Their hopes were misplaced, and Costa
Rica became one of Spain’s poorest colonies. The situation began to improve
after Costa Rica gained independence in 1821. Today, the country is known for
having the highest standard of living in Central America as well as the highest
literacy rate and longest lifespan. Costa Rica has had a stable democracy since
the late 1800s.
More people are of Spanish descent in Costa
Rica than anywhere else in Central America. Most of the Native American
inhabitants died off or fled after Spanish settlers arrived. Today, the country
has small mestizo (mixed Spanish and Native American) and black
populations.
Most of Costa Rica’s people live in the
interior highlands rather than along the coasts. The country’s capital, San
José, and other large cities are in the central highlands. The most fertile
farmland is also here.
For years Costa Rica was known for its two
principal crops: coffee and bananas. Although these crops remain important,
Costa Rica’s economy today depends more on industry and tourism than on
agriculture. Computer chips are among the products manufactured in the country.
Beaches, “cloud forests” high in the mountains, and national parks filled with
colorful birds, butterflies, and plants attract many tourists to Costa Rica each
year.
II | LAND AND RESOURCES |
The total area of Costa Rica is 51,060 sq km
(19,714 sq mi). The country is bounded on the north by Nicaragua, on the east by
the Caribbean Sea, on the southeast by Panama, and on the southwest and west by
the Pacific Ocean. The uninhabited and densely wooded tropical Cocos Island,
about 480 km (about 300 mi) to the southwest in the Pacific Ocean, is under
Costa Rican sovereignty.
The distance across Costa Rica, from the
Caribbean to the Pacific, varies from about 120 to 265 km (75 to 165 mi). The
short, straight Caribbean coast is low and marshy and fringed with mangrove
swamps and lagoons. It lacks good harbors. The more rugged Pacific coast is
indented by the Gulf of Nicoya, where the port of Puntarenas is situated, and
the Gulf of Dulce. Wide lowlands extend along the almost unindented Caribbean
coast. The lowlands along the Pacific are narrower.
Although Costa Rica has lowland areas in the
north and along both coasts, most of the country is mountainous. Its rugged
highlands, about 900 to 1,800 m (about 3,000 to 6,000 ft) above sea level,
consist of several mountain ranges, isolated and clustered volcanoes, and
plateau areas. The highest peaks are in the south, near Costa Rica’s border with
Panama, where the highlands rise to more than 3,700 m (12,000 ft). Several
mountain ranges extend nearly the entire length of the country. These include
the Cordillera de Talamanca, Cordillera Central, and Cordillera de Guanacaste.
The highest peaks are Chirripó Grande (3,819 m/12,530 ft) and the active volcano
of Irazú (3,432 m/ 11,260 ft). In 1968 the Arenal Volcano erupted for the first
time in more than 500 years, causing extensive damage and loss of life.
A central plateau, the Meseta Central, is
located between the ranges and contains the bulk of the population. Volcanoes
have deposited volcanic ash on the plateau, making the soil here extremely
fertile. In addition to the capital, San José, the central plateau contains the
cities of Alajuela, Heredia, and Cartago.
A | Rivers and Lakes |
Costa Rica has no long rivers. The
principal stream is the San Juan River, the outlet of Lake Nicaragua. The San
Juan River forms part of Costa Rica’s boundary with Nicaragua to the north. The
Reventazón River drains the southern central plateau, flowing eastward through
deep gorges to the Caribbean. The Río Grande de Tárcoles drains the northwestern
part of the central plateau and empties into the Pacific. Costa Rica's only
natural lake of any significant size is Lake Arenal, which is located on the
eastern side of the Cordillera de Guanacaste.
B | Climate |
The climate of Costa Rica ranges from
tropical on the coastal plains to temperate in the interior highlands. Average
annual temperatures range from 31.7°C (89°F) on the coast to 16.7°C (62°F)
inland. Rainfall is abundant. Along the Caribbean coast annual rainfall totals
2,000 to 2,500 mm (80 to 100 in) or more. The Caribbean coast has seasons of
more rain and less rain but has no well-defined dry season. On the Pacific side,
near Panama, the rainfall is also heavy, but there is a short dry season. In San
Jose on the central plateau, the rainy season lasts from May through October,
and annual rainfall averages nearly 2,000 mm (77 in). Rainfall is greatest in
the mountains. Annual precipitation in the country averages about 3,000 to 3,500
millimeters (120 to 140 inches).
C | Natural Resources |
Costa Rica’s resources include its fertile
soils and abundant rainfall. Good agricultural soils in Costa Rica are
concentrated in the Meseta Central and in the river valleys. The mountainous
terrain and the plentiful rainfall combine to provide waterpower, which the
country has harnessed to generate electricity. About one-third of the country’s
total land area is covered by forests. However, the government limits commercial
use of the forests to prevent further deforestation. Mineral resources,
including bauxite, are believed to be extensive but remain largely undeveloped.
Although petroleum deposits are located offshore, Costa Rica has decided not to
develop them to protect the environment. Fishing for tuna, sharks, and turtles
is carried out along the coast.
D | Plants and Animals |
Costa Rica’s forests contain rich stands of
ebony, balsa, mahogany, and cedar. More than 1,000 species of orchids are found
in Costa Rica. Wildlife is abundant and includes puma, jaguar, deer, monkeys,
and at least 600 species of birds. Among the colorful birds to be seen in Costa
Rica are the quetzal, the macaw, and the toucan.
E | Environmental Issues |
Costa Rica’s land is protected by one of
the most ambitious conservation programs in Central America. Costa Rica was one
of the first, and most active, countries to participate in debt-for-nature
swaps, which cancel some national debt in exchange for the protection of a
specified amount of land from environmental degradation. In an effort to bolster
its economy while remaining responsible to the environment, Costa Rica has also
established a booming ecotourism business. This form of tourism encourages
travelers to learn more about the country’s natural wonders and to respect the
environment in the course of their exploration.
Despite Costa Rica’s efforts to protect
its valuable forest resources, much of what lies outside the country’s protected
reserves is subject to deforestation. Land is cleared for cattle ranching and
for harvesting valuable tropical timber for export. In addition, because some of
Costa Rica’s protected lands are privately owned, their protection from future
deforestation is not guaranteed. Deforestation places Costa Rica’s rich
biodiversity in danger. The country’s location on the cusp between North and
South America and its abundance of tropical forests make it home to a great
variety of species, many of them rare and threatened. Deforestation also
contributes to the country’s problematic rate of soil erosion.
Costa Rica is party to international
treaties concerning biodiversity, climate change (see Global Warming),
endangered species, hazardous wastes, marine dumping, and wetlands.
III | PEOPLE |
A majority of the people of Costa Rica are of
European, largely Spanish, ancestry. Whites and mestizos (people of mixed
Spanish and Native American ancestry) account for about 96 percent of the
population; the small black community is largely of Jamaican origin. About 38
percent of the population is defined as rural. Spanish is the official language,
but English is also spoken by many people, including most of the ethnic
Jamaicans. Roman Catholicism is the state religion, but freedom of worship is
guaranteed by the constitution.
The population of Costa Rica (2008 estimate)
is 4,191,948, giving the country an overall population density of 83 persons per
sq km (214 per sq mi).
A | Principal Cities |
The capital is San José, which had an
estimated population in 2005 of 1,489,237. Important cities include Alajuela
(1,014), a center for the production of coffee and sugar; Cartago (6,086), a
commercial and transportation hub; Puntarenas (26,913), a major Pacific seaport;
and Puerto Limón (18,714), a trading center and the principal port on the
country’s eastern coast. The cities of San José, Alajuela, and Cartago are
located on the fertile central plateau.
B | Education |
Costa Rica has one of the highest rates
of literacy in Latin America, estimated at 96 percent. Primary and secondary
education is free, and attendance is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 15. In
2000, 551,465 pupils were enrolled in 3,711 primary schools and 255,600 students
attended public and private secondary schools.
The prominent University of Costa Rica in
San José was founded in 1843. It has an annual enrollment of about 29,000. Other
public universities include the National University (founded in 1973) in Heredia
and the Technological Institute of Costa Rica (1971) in Cartago. Costa Rica also
has several private universities.
C | Culture |
Costa Rica, with a relatively small
Native American population, has been strongly influenced by the culture and
traditions of Spain but with some Native American and Afro-Caribbean influences.
The Roman Catholic cultural pattern of Spain, with emphasis on the family and
the church, has evolved into a national style of life. Festivals in honor of
patron saints are a colorful part of village and town life. The guitar,
accordion, and mandolin have traditionally been the most popular musical
instruments, and the country’s music primarily reflects a Spanish heritage.
Afro-Caribbean influences are also present, and salsa dance music remains
popular. Traces of Native American culture survive in designs used in jewelry,
leather goods, and clothing. The national sport is soccer.
Costa Rica has vibrant communities of
artists, writers, actors, and musicians. Theater performances are well-attended
in Costa Rica, and the National Theater in San Jose is one of the city’s most
impressive buildings. Both local and touring drama companies perform here. The
building also serves as an opera house and concert hall.
IV | ECONOMY |
The economy of Costa Rica remained
agricultural through most of the 20th century, until manufacturing overtook
agriculture in the 1990s in economic importance. Most of the country’s economic
activity takes place on the central plateau. Overall living conditions in Costa
Rica are high by Latin American standards, and the country has a large middle
class.
In 2002 the country’s gross domestic product
(GDP) was $16.8 billion, or $4,270 per person. GDP is a measure of the value of
all goods and services a country produces. In 2006 annual budget figures showed
revenues of $5.4 billion and expenditures of $4.9 billion. Controlling the
national debt remains a problem for the government.
A | Agriculture |
Some 10.3 percent of Costa Rica’s land
area is under cultivation or used for plantation agriculture. Apart from banana
plantations, most of the agricultural landholdings are small. Coffee,
traditionally one of the most valuable crops, is cultivated mainly in the
central plateau. However, coffee production has declined since the mid-1990s. In
2006, 131,949 metric tons of coffee was produced.
Bananas, the country’s main crop, are
raised in the tropical coastal regions on plantations. In the late 19th and
early 20th century a United States firm, the United Fruit Company (now United
Brands), opened the largest banana plantation in the world on the Pacific coast
of Costa Rica and constructed the ports of Quepos and Golfito as banana-shipping
points.
A decline in coffee prices in the 1990s
led the government to encourage farmers to grow other crops for export. Today,
sugarcane and pineapples and other tropical fruit provide export earnings. Corn,
rice, vegetables, tobacco, and cotton are cultivated throughout the country,
generally for domestic consumption. Cattle are raised for meat and dairy
products, and hogs are also raised for meat.
B | Mining and Manufacturing |
Gold and silver are mined in the western
part of Costa Rica. Deposits of manganese, nickel, mercury, and sulfur are
largely unworked. Petroleum deposits have been found in the south, but the
government has chosen not to exploit these deposits in order to preserve the
environment. Salt is produced from seawater.
Manufacturing has grown in importance to
Costa Rica’s economy since the 1960s. Traditionally, manufacturing was largely
confined to small-scale enterprises such as coffee-drying plants, sawmills,
woodworking factories, breweries, and distilleries and small factories that
produced textiles, food products, furniture, cigarettes, and other consumer
goods. In the 1960s and 1970s larger factories in the country began to produce
petroleum products, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. From the 1980s on,
foreign-owned firms opened factories in Costa Rica for assembling electronic
products and clothing for export. Medical equipment companies and pharmaceutical
companies also opened plants in Costa Rica.
C | Energy |
Costa Rica has developed its hydroelectric
resources and no longer requires petroleum to meet any of its energy needs. By
the end of the 20th century, it had become an exporter of electricity. A new
hydroelectric plant under construction in the early 2000s would increase the
country’s electricity exports.
D | Currency and Foreign Trade |
The unit of currency is the colón,
consisting of 100 centimos (511.30 colones equal U.S.$1; 2006 estimate).
The Banco Central, established in 1950, is the bank of issue and administers
foreign reserves.
In 2003 the value of imports was $7.4
billion and of exports, $5.8 billion. The chief exports included bananas, beef,
coffee, machinery and electrical equipment, sugar, and textiles. Principal
imports were manufactured goods, machinery, transportation equipment, chemicals,
crude petroleum, and foodstuffs. Chief purchasers of exports are the United
States, the Netherlands, Guatemala, Germany, and Malaysia. Leading suppliers of
imports were the United States, Mexico, Japan, and Venezuela.
The entry in 1963 of Costa Rica into the
Central American Common Market brought about major increases in trade in that
region although its importance has since waned. In 1995 Costa Rica joined in the
formation of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). A free-trade
organization, the ACS comprises the members of the Caribbean Community and
Common Market (CARICOM) as well as 12 Latin nations bordering the Caribbean.
E | Tourism |
Costa Rica is a popular tourist
destination in Latin America. It has a stable government and fairly high
standard of living as well as excellent beaches, beautiful mountain scenery,
volcanoes, and stunning national parks. Birdwatchers are attracted by the
country’s diverse bird life. Butterflies also abound. Most of the country’s
tourists come from the United States.
F | Transportation |
Railroad lines in Costa Rica were severely
damaged by an earthquake in the early 1990s and were shut down indefinitely.
Roads total 35,330 km (21,953 mi); some 680 km (some 425 mi) of roadway forms a
portion of the Inter-American Highway. San José is linked by road with the
cities of the surrounding plateau region, and bus service is good. Several
domestic airlines provide service within the country. Juan Santamaría Airport,
which is located near San José, is served by the Costa Rican national airline
and several foreign airlines.
G | Communications |
In 2004 Costa Rica had 7 daily newspapers.
There were 829 radio receivers and 248 televisions for every 1,000 residents. In
2005 Costa Rica had 321 telephone mainlines for every 1,000 people. Internet
usage was growing steadily.
H | Labor |
Agriculture employs 15 percent of the
labor force while industry employs 22 percent. The remainder was employed in the
public and private service sectors. Labor unions are relatively weak in Costa
Rica.
V | GOVERNMENT |
Costa Rica is a republic governed under the
constitution of 1949.
A | Executive |
Executive power is vested in a president
and two vice presidents, each of whom is elected by direct popular vote for
single four-year terms. Each candidate must receive more than 40 percent of the
total vote. Voting is compulsory for all citizens over 18 years of age. The
president is assisted by a cabinet of some 20 ministers.
B | Legislature |
Legislative power in Costa Rica is vested
in a single-chamber Legislative Assembly, with 57 deputies, elected for
four-year terms.
C | Political Parties |
The leading political groups in Costa Rica
are the National Liberation Party (Partido de Liberación Nacional, or PLN), a
reformist party; the Social Christian Unity Party (Partido de Unidad
Socialcristiana, or PUSC), a conservative party; and the Citizens’ Action Party
(Partido Acción Ciudadana, or PAC), a party formed in 2000 by dissatisfied
members of the PLN.
D | Judiciary |
Judicial power in Costa Rica is vested in a
Supreme Court, appellate courts, a court of cassation (highest appeals court),
and subordinate provincial courts. Capital punishment has been banned.
E | Local Government |
Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces:
San José, Alajuela, Cartago, Puntarenas, Guanacaste, Heredia, and Limón. Each of
the provinces has a governor appointed by the president.
F | Social Services |
The average life expectancy in Costa Rica
is 77 years, one of the highest in the western hemisphere. A national health
plan was established in the 1970s. Health services are concentrated in urban
areas. A social security program has been in operation since 1942, with
participation compulsory for all employees under 65 years of age.
G | Defense |
Costa Rica has had no armed forces since
1948, when the PLN came to power and abolished the army. The only security
forces are the 4,500-member Civil Guard and the 2,000-member Rural Guard.
VI | HISTORY |
Human habitation of Costa Rica dates from at
least 5000 bc, but in comparison
with the great civilizations of pre-Columbian America the Native Americans of
Costa Rica were neither numerous nor highly developed. When confronted by
Spanish soldiers and missionaries, they resisted violently. Those who did not
succumb to the epidemics that swept over the isthmus either died fighting or
fled to remote areas. See also Native Americans of Middle and South
America.
A | The Colonial Period |
Christopher Columbus sailed along Costa
Rica’s Caribbean shore in 1502 and gave the region its name, meaning “rich
coast.” Despite the name, Costa Rica had few resources of interest to Spanish
explorers. Spanish conquest, therefore, came later than in most of the rest of
Central America, delayed by the absence of obvious wealth as well as by the
hostility of the natives. Juan de Cavallón led the first successful Spanish
colonizers into Costa Rica in 1561. Juan Vásquez de Coronado followed from 1562
to 1565 and founded Cartago, the capital until 1823, and other Spanish
settlements in the central valley, where most of the population is still
concentrated.
Spain administered Costa Rica as part of
the kingdom of Guatemala from 1570 forward. Such circumstances as Costa Rica’s
remoteness from Guatemala City and its lack of wealth allowed it to develop with
less direct interference and regulation than the other provinces of Central
America. Costa Rica’s relative obscurity gave it some of its distinguishing
characteristics. The Spanish conquerors were unable to subjugate a sedentary
native population, nor could they afford to import African slaves, as they did
in areas of more apparent commercial agricultural or mining potential.
Costa Ricans consequently turned to
subsistence farming on small land grants, without the extremes of wealth and
poverty that characterized so much of Latin America. Government and church
officials were fewer than in the centers of authority and production. Thus,
Costa Rica played only a minor role in the kingdom of Guatemala, and it
developed to a large degree apart from the mainstream of Latin American history.
It was first in the late 18th century, when Spanish emphasis on commercial
agriculture led to the growth of tobacco as a major export, that the colony
became of some importance to the Guatemalan authorities.
B | Nationhood |
Tobacco exports promoted the growth of a
more prosperous society, and Costa Ricans became prominent in the intellectual
and political life of Central America in the early 19th century. When Spanish
rule ended in 1821, the country became part of Mexico until 1823, and then part
of the United Provinces of Central America, from 1824 to 1838. However, it
avoided involvement in the civil wars that plagued the latter federation.
After independence Costa Rican politics
reflected the liberal-conservative ideologies found elsewhere in Latin America,
with the towns of Cartago, San José, Heredia, and Alajuela vying for leadership.
San José gained ascendancy, but the most important development of the mid-19th
century was the growth of coffee as the country’s major export. The nation’s
first president, Juan Mora Fernández, launched educational reforms. An education
law provided for free, universal education for both sexes.
From 1849 to 1859 coffee-grower J. Rafael
Mora served as Costa Rica’s president. Mora took the lead in organizing Central
American resistance against William Walker, a U.S. adventurer who took over
Nicaragua in 1855 and invaded Costa Rica. After a bloodless coup ousted the
conservative Mora in 1859, liberal domination followed, notably under Tomás
Guardia. During his time in office, from 1870 to 1882, Costa Rica became
committed to heavy foreign investment in railroads and other public
improvements.
In the late 1800s U.S. investors
introduced banana cultivation along the Caribbean coast. The banana empire
created by the U.S. businessman Minor Keith became the United Fruit Company in
1899. United Fruit developed the lowland coasts and built railroads and other
communications, but it also made Costa Rica more dependent on foreign markets
and capital.
C | Democracy and Stable Government |
Although late 19th- and early 20th-century
Costa Rican politics had its share of irregularities, the clear trend was away
from military solutions toward a more orderly political process. Costa Ricans
took pride in having more teachers than soldiers and a higher standard of living
than elsewhere in Central America. Coffee remained the mainstay of the economy,
but a growing urban middle class began to challenge the political control of the
coffee elite with more modern political parties.
The 1930s saw the rise of a strong
communist movement, which organized strikes on the banana plantations. The
reformist National Republican Party (Partido Republicano Nacional, or PRN) won
the presidency with León Cortes Castro in 1936 and again in 1940 with Rafael
Angel Calderón Guardia. Calderón lost the support of wealthy conservatives by
implementing a labor code and expanding social welfare. His party then turned to
the communists and the Catholic Church for support.
When the PRN attempted to continue in
power after a narrow defeat in 1948 elections, a new political force, the
National Liberation Party (Partido de Liberación Nacional, or PLN), overthrew
it. Led by José Figueres Ferrer, the PLN became the country’s dominant party.
Figueres disbanded the army, nationalized the banks, expanded social welfare
programs, extended voting rights, and imposed a 10 percent tax on private
capital to pay for social and economic development. Under moderate governments,
Costa Rica became Latin America’s most democratic country. Figueres served as
president from 1953 to 1958 and again from 1970 to 1974.
The PLN won the presidency in 1974 with
Daniel Oduber, but differences between him and Figueres, along with economic
troubles, brought an opposition coalition headed by Rodrigo Carazo Odio to power
in 1978. His administration was troubled by growing instability throughout
Central America and by an economic crisis made worse by falling coffee prices
and high oil prices. The government failed to meet the terms of loan agreements
with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and international bankers refused to
provide more loans.
Costa Rica experienced rapid population
growth and consequent strains on its economy in the early 1980s. The PLN
returned to power in 1982, when Luis Alberto Monge Alvarez was elected
president. Monge cut government spending on social welfare and other programs.
He also turned to the United States for aid. To receive assistance, Monge
pledged to cooperate with the United States in opposing leftist movements in
Central America.
Monge was succeeded by Oscar Arias
Sánchez, also of the PLN, in 1986. Arias closed camps near the border with
Nicaragua that were set up under Monge to train contras—U.S.-backed
counterrevolutionaries dedicated to bringing down Nicaragua’s leftist
government. Arias won consensus among Central American leaders for a peace plan,
which created a framework for settling civil wars and democratizing countries in
the region. Arias received international recognition for his plan and in 1987
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. However, the United States curtailed aid
during his term, contributing to Costa Rica’s ongoing economic problems. In
addition, several drug- and arms-related corruption scandals involving PLN
politicians marred his administration.
D | Recent Developments |
The inability to solve Costa Rica’s
economic problems has prevented either political party from dominating the
executive office. Rafael Ángel Calderón Fournier, son of former president Rafael
Calderón, won the 1990 presidential election as the candidate of the
conservative Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC). Calderón encouraged
free-market economic policies and cut public spending. In 1994 José María
Figueres Olsen of the PLN was elected president. Figueres, the son of former
president José Figueres Ferrer, promoted Costa Rica as a world leader in
environmental conservation and adopted a hard line against public-sector unions
seeking wage and benefit improvements. Social unrest increased as taxes rose,
government spending declined, and living standards fell.
In 1998 conservative economist Miguel
Angel Rodríguez of the Social Christian Unity Party narrowly defeated José
Miguel Corrales of the ruling PLN in a presidential election that centered on
Costa Rica’s economic problems. The Social Christian Unity Party held on to the
presidency in 2002 when Abel Pacheco was elected president. Pacheco managed to
win because of a split in the opposition PLN and the formation of the breakaway
Citizens’ Action Party (PAC).
Government efforts to cut spending,
promote foreign investment, and stabilize the economy continued to provoke
unrest. In August 2004 a general strike, called by the country’s public sector
unions, was accompanied by mass demonstrations. At the same time corruption
scandals embroiled a number of prominent political figures, including Pacheco
and former presidents Figueres and Rodríguez. Several government ministers were
forced to resign over the controversy.
In 2005 former president Oscar Arias
Sánchez announced his candidacy for the 2006 presidential elections. Arias
campaigned under the banner of free trade, arguing that Costa Rica must join the
rest of the countries in the region in approving the Central American Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA). His opponent, Ottón Solís, maintained that CAFTA would hurt
the country’s farmers and worsen Costa Rica’s economic difficulties. In February
2006 Arias narrowly defeated Solís and became president for a second time.
No comments:
Post a Comment