1981 Edition

Area

Voting strength (1978): Democratic Party, 16 seats, Cook Islands Party, 6 seats

51,000 km2; 30% agricultural land (8% cultivated, 22% meadows and pasture), 60% forested, 10% waste, urban, and other

Coastline

1,290 km

Land boundaries

670 km

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

12 run (fishing 200 nm; specialized competence over living resources to 200 nm)

Ethnic divisions

98% white (including mestizo), 2% Negro

Labor force

770,000 (1980 est); 26.9% agriculture; 16.2% manufacturing; 18.1% commerce; 7.9% construction; 6.4% transportation, utilities; 22.9% service (government, education, social); 0.2% other; 15% unemployment (1981 est.)

Language

Spanish

Literacy

about 90%

Nationality

noun — Costa Rican(s); adjective — Costa Rican

Organized labor

about 13.8% of labor force

Population

2,396,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.9%

Religion

95% Roman Catholic

Branches

President, unicameral legislature, Supreme Court elected by legislature

Capital

San Jose

Communists

10,000 members and sympathizers

Elections

every four years; last, February 1982 Political parties and leaders: National Liberation Party (PLN), Luis Alberto Monge, Daniel Oduber, Jose "Pepe" Figueres; National Salvation Movement (MSN), Mario Echandi; Unity Coalition (UNIDAD) comprised of: Democratic Renovation Party (PRD), Rodrigo Carazo; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Rafael Grille Rivera; Republican Calderonista Party (PRC), Rafael Angel Calderon Fournier; Popular Union Party (PUP), Jose Joaquin Trejos Fernandez; United People's Coalition (PU) comprised of three Marxist parties: Popular Vanguard Party (PVP), Manuel Mora Valverde; Popular Revolutionary Movement (MRP), Sergio Erick Ardon; Socialist Party (PS), Alvaro Montero Mejia Voting strength (1982 election): PLN 57.3%, 33 seats; UNIDAD 32.7%, 18 seats; PU 3.2%, 4 seats; MSN 3.7%, 1 seat; other, 1 seat

Government leader

President Rodrigo CARAZO Odio until the inauguration of Luis Alberto MONGE on 8 May

Legal system

based on Spanish civil law system; constitution adopted 1949; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; legal education at University of Costa Rica; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Member of

CACM, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDE, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IPU, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, NAMUCAR (Caribbean Multinational Shipping Line — Naviera Multinacional del Caribe), OAS, ODECA, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPEB, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 15 September COSTA RICA (Continued)

Official name

Republic of Costa Rica

Other political or pressure groups

Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers (CCTD; Liberation Party affiliate), General Confederation of Workers (CGT; Communist Party affiliate), Chamber of Coffee Growers, National Association for Economic Development (ANFE); Free Costa Rica Movement (MCRL; rightwing militants)

Political subdivisions

seven provinces

Suffrage

universal and compulsory age 18 and over

Type

unitary republic

Agriculture

export crops include copra, citrus fruits, pineapples, tomatoes, and bananas, with subsistence crops of yams and taro

main products — bananas, coffee, sugarcane, rice, corn, cocoa, livestock products; caloric intake, 2,550 calories per day per capita (1977); protein intake 58 grams per day per capita (1974)

Aid

Australia (1980-83), $2.0 million; Australia and New Zealand (1977), $6.5 million

economic bilateral commitments — US authorized (FY70-80) including Ex-Im $142 million, other Western countries ODA and OOF (1970-79) $127 million, Communist (1971-74) $17 million; military commitments negligible

Budget

(1981) $825 million total revenues, $1,209 million total expenditures including debt amortization

Electric power

4,000 kW capacity (1981); 13 million kWh produced (1981), 733 kWh per capita

510,000 kW capacity (1980); 1.95 billion kWh produced (1980), 860 kWh per capita

Exports

$3.0 million (1977); copra, fresh and canned fruit

$1,017 million (f.o.b., 1980); coffee, bananas, beef, sugar, cacao

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 14,491 metric tons (1978); exports, $5.1 million (1976), imports, $0.3 million (1976)

GDP

$15.4 million (1977), $860 per capita (1978)

$4.8 billion (1980, in current prices), $2,109 per capita; 67.5% private consumption, 19.0% public consumption, 24.2% gross domestic investment, —10.7% net foreign balance (1980); 1.2% real growth rate (1980)

Government budget

$121 million (1977)

Imports

$16.8 million (1977); foodstuffs, textiles, fuels

$1,529 million (c.i.f., 1980); manufactured products, machinery, transportation equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, fertilizer

Industry

fruit processing

Major industries

food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer

Major trade partners

(1970) exports — 98% New Zealand, imports — 76% New Zealand, 7% Japan

exports — 35% US, 27% CACM, 10% West Germany; imports— 36% US, 17% CACM, 4% West Germany, 12% Japan (1980)

Monetary conversion rate

1 New Zealand$=US$1.01 (1978/79)

2.0 colones=US$l

Airfields

6 total, 5 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

217 total, 216 usable; 27 with permanentsurface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

no major transport aircraft

14 major transport aircraft, including 2 leased in

Highways

187 km total (1980); 35 km paved, 35 km gravel, 84 km improved earth, 33 km unimproved earth

28,235 km total; 2,425 km paved, 9,360 km gravel, 16,450 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

none

about 730 km perennially navigable

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $13.9 million for Ministry of Public Security, including the Civil Guard; about 2.6% of total central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 619,000; 422,000 fit for military service; about 28,000 reach military age (18) annually

Pipelines

refined products, 318 km

Ports

2 minor

3 major (Limon, Golfito, Puntarenas), 4 minor

Railroads

none

790 km total; 740 km 1.067-meter gauge, 50 km 0.914-meter gauge, all single track, 160 km electrified

Supply

dependent on imports from US

Telecommunications

6 AM, no FM, and no TV stations; 7,000 radio receivers, and 1,186 telephones (1.3 per 100 popl.) CSee reference map III)

good domestic telephone service; 145,000 telephones (6.7 per 100 pop!.); connection into Central American microwave net; 55 AM, 10 FM, and 15 TV stations DEFENSE FORCES