Population:
4,331,000
Capital:
San José; 1,085,000
Area:
51,100 square kilometers (19,730 square miles)
Language:
Spanish, English
Religion:
Roman Catholic, Evangelical
Currency:
Costa Rican colon
Life Expectancy:
79
GDP per Capita:
U.S. $8,300
Literacy Percent:
96
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Located in Central America, Costa Rica has coastlines on the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. The tropical coastal plains rise to mountains, active volcanoes, and a temperate central plateau where most people live (San José, the capital, is here). The only country in Central America with no standing army, it enjoys continuing stability after a century of almost uninterrupted democratic government. Tourism, which has overtaken bananas as Costa Rica's leading foreign exchange earner, bolsters the economy. A quarter of the land has protected status; the beauty of rain forest preserves draws more and more visitors.
ECONOMY
• Industry: Microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials
• Agriculture: Coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar; beef; timber
• Exports: Coffee, bananas, sugar, pineapples, textiles