"Pura vida" is what they like to say here in Costa Rica. It means "pure life" and that is absolutely what you'll find when visiting this country. With its exotic animal life and lush, varied landscapes, you will be irresistibly drawn to Costa Rica and its residents.

As one of the oldest democracies in Central America, Costa Rica enjoys full political stability. In fact, the country abolished its army in 1948, preferring instead to spend the money that would normally be used for military purposes on education and first-rate medical services.

The country is a geographic wonderland full of rich tropical forests, black and white sandy beaches, mountains, volcanoes, and nature more abundant than anywhere else on the planet. And this is all contained within a relatively small space roughly the size of West Virginia. Although it only spans 19,700 square miles, Costa Rica holds 6% of the world's biodiversity. There are 10,000 varieties of plants, 1,200 of them orchids. There are 1,240 species of butterflies and 845 species of birds. Among the animal life, 205 classifications of mammals inhabit Costa Rica, as do 160 kinds of amphibians, 218 types of reptiles and 1,013 varieties of fresh and salt water fish. The diverse natural setting means Costa Rica also offers a huge range of local activities for its visitors and residents from hiking and white-water rafting to fishing and scuba diving to simply lounging around on the beach. It's what makes Costa Rica the "must-see" destination of the Western Hemisphere, if not of the world.

Full Name:	Republic of Costa Rica
People:	96% Spanish, 2% African, 1% Indigenous, 1% Chinese
Area:	51,100 sq km (19,929 sq mi)
Population:	3.8 million
Capital city:	San José (pop 340,000)
Language:	Spanish, Creole English and Indian dialects
Religion:	85% Roman Catholic, 14% Protestant
Government:	Democracy
President:	Abel Pacheco
GDP:	US$16.6 billion
GDP per head:	US$4300
Annual growth:	1%
Inflation:	11.6%
Major industries:	Tourism, electronics, coffee, bananas, sugar, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products, software
Major trading partners:	USA, Germany, Italy, Japan, Guatemala, Mexico

and a very popular country for foreign residents.

Related Documents

    2005 Doing Business in Costa Rica