Costa Rica

Geology

Subvention of Cocos Plate for Central America

Costa Rica is located within the Central American segment of the tectonic Antilles-Caribbean region.

Along the Pacific coast (on the Nicoya, Osa, Santa Elena, etc.) fragments of the oceanic crust of the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous age (ophiolites) - serpentinized peridotites, tholeite basalts protrude to the surface. An ancient Late Cretaceous - Miocene volcanoplutonic belt and a young Pliocene-Quaternary volcanic belt, formed over the zone of sub-wave (subduction) of the oceanic lithospheric plate Cocos under Central America in the Central American deep-sea trough, stretch through the entire territory of the country from northwest to southeast.

The Cocos Plate is located in the eastern Pacific Ocean from the California Peninsula to the Isthmus of Panama. Oceanic-type Earth crust. The western boundary of the plate is the spreading ridge of the East Pacific uplift on the axis of which there is a rapid expansion of the bottom (spreading) and the formation of oceanic crust at a speed of about 10 cm per year or more, which determines its large width and weak dismemberment.

To the east, the Cocos Plate leans under the Caribbean Lithosphere Plate. Frequent earthquakes occur in the subduction zone.

The ancient belt (the axial zone of the Cordillera de Talamanca massif and the southeastern part of the Cordillera de Guanacaste) is formed by granite batholiths, andesite lavas and tuffs. The north-eastern and south-western slopes of the Cordillera de Talamanca are composed of Chalk-Cenozoic deep-sea sedimentary (limestones, sandstones, clay shales, turbidites) and volcanogenic-clastic (lavobreccia, tuffs) rocks.

The young volcanic belt (northwestern part of the Cordillera de Guanacaste, Central Cordillera, Central Plateau) is formed by ignimbrites, lava and andesite tuffs, volcanic ash, lahar deposits. In the northern part of Costa Rica, a trough is localized, filled with marine terrigenous rocks of the Upper Cretaceous - Miocene. The cover of continental quaternary deposits (river, slope) is distributed on the Prikaribskaya lowland, in the basin of the river. Tempiska, along the Pacific coast.

Intense seismicity is characteristic; strong earthquakes occurred in 1910 (magnitude 6.4; killed about 700 people), 1991 (magnitude 7.6), 1999 (6.9), 2004 (6.4). The southwest coast of Costa Rica is a tsunamis danger zone.

Volcanic ridges

Most of the area is dominated by mountainous terrain.

In the central part, from northwest to southeast, the volcanic ridges of the Cordillera de Guanacaste stretch with volcanoes:

• Miravalles (2028 m),
• Rincón de la Vieja (1806 m) and
• one of the most active volcanoes in Costa Rica is Arenal (1633 m, continuous activity since 1968).

Central Cordillera with volcanoes:

• Irasu (3432 m, the largest eruption in 1963-1965), etc.

• Turrialba (3328 m),
• Barba (2906 m),
• Poas (2704 m) - has one of the largest craters in the world.

To the southwest of the Central Cordillera at an altitude of 900-1200 m is the volcanic Central Plateau - the most developed and densely populated area of ​ ​ the country.

In the southern part, the strongly dismembered Cordillera de Talamanca ridge rises up to 3819 m high (Mount Chirripo Grande is the highest point of the country).

The Nikoya and Osa peninsulas are dominated by low-altitude mountain ranges up to 830 and 745 m high, respectively.

Coastal lowlands stretch along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts: alluvial, pologenous, swampy in places. The most significant of them are located along the east coast (Prikarib lowland) and in the north-west of the country (the Tempiske river basin).

Minerals

The most important mineral of Costa Rica is gold (Belyavista deposit near San Jose, etc.). Deposits and ore occurrences of silver, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, manganese, chromium, placers of magnetite sands, and sulfur deposits are known. Deposits of cement limestones (in the provinces of Guanacaste, Cartago, San Jose, Puntarenas), ceramic and other clays (prov. Alajuela), diatomites (prov. Guanacaste), natural building materials (sand-gravel mixtures, sandstones, etc.).

Soils

On most of the Prikarib lowland and windward slopes of the mountains, red-yellow ferrallite soils prevail; in the north-west of the country - red ferrallite, in some places dark red ferrallite.

Dark-colored slitozems, swamp and alluvial soils are developed within the lowlands, and marching soils are developed on the coasts.

Fertile volcanic soils are common on the Central Plateau.

Degradation of soil cover due to active erosion is one of the main environmental problems of the country.

Climate

The territory of Costa Rica is within the subequatorial climate belt. The climate of the northeastern and southwestern regions is the wettest (3000-4000 mm of precipitation per year). An abundance of precipitation is characteristic throughout the year with a slight decrease in January - March (50-100 mm of precipitation per month) and a maximum in September - October (over 600 mm per month).

Average monthly temperatures range from 23 to 26 ° C (Lemon). In the northwestern part of the precipitation falls significantly less (1000-1500 mm per year), the dry season is expressed (December - April), the average monthly temperatures are from 26.5 to 28.5 ° C (Puntarenas).

In the mountains, the amount of precipitation is determined by the exposure of the slopes (the leeward western slopes and intermountain basins are the least humid); temperatures decrease with altitude: average temperature at an altitude of about 1000 m - 21-23 ° C (San Jose), in the highlands the average annual temperatures do not exceed 10 ° C.

History

Main article: History of Costa Rica

Population

Number

2022:30 million people

2008

The population of Costa Rica is 4.549 million people (2008). The capital is San Jose. The official language is Spanish.

Since the middle of the 20th century, the population of Costa Rica has increased by almost 6 times:

• 1950 - 800.8 thousand people
• 1984 - 2416.8 thousand people
• 2000 - 3810.2 thousand people (census data).

The dynamics of basic demographic indicators repeats the general trend for the countries of the region: the rate of natural population growth is slowing down (2.8% in 1980-1985; 1.34% in 2008) due to declining birth rates (30.2 per 1,000 residents in 1980-1985; 17.7 in 2008) with a stable mortality rate (4.1 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1980-1985; 4.3 in 2008 - one of the lowest rates for Latin American countries). The infant mortality rate is 9.0 per 1000 live births (almost three times lower than the average for countries in the region). The fertility rate 2.17 a child per 1 woman (3.8 in 1980-1985).

In modern times, the economic backwardness of the region, as well as the constant attacks of English and Dutch pirates, led to an extremely slow increase in the population of Costa Rica in the XVII-XVIII centuries:

• in 1600 - 25 thousand people;
• in 1778 - 24.5 thousand people;
• in 1801 - 52.5 thousand people;
• in 1821 - 60 thousand people.

Age structure and life expectancy

The average age of the population is 27.1 years. The age structure of the population is characterized by a numerical predominance of people of working age (15-64 years old) - 66.8%, the share of children (under 15 years old) - 27.2%, people 65 years and older - 6.0% (2008). Average life expectancy 77.4 years (above average for Latin American countries; men - 74.8, women - 80.1 years; 2008).

Male-to-female ratio

Costa Rica has an average of 102 males per 100 females in 2008.

Migration

2021: Net population inflow in 4 years

2008: Influx of migrants

Costa Rica as a prosperous country is attractive for migrants from neighboring states (migration balance 4.8 people per 10 thousand inhabitants, 2008; the influx of migrants provides about 1/3 of the country's total population growth). According to official figures, 7.8% of the population of Costa Rica are immigrants and their descendants (2000; 4.15% in 1950), including immigrants from Nicaragua - 5.9% (according to other estimates, the share of Nicaraguans is about 10% of the population of Costa Rica), Panama - 0.3%, USA - 0.3%, El Salvador - 0.2%, Colombia - 0.2%.

Population density

The average population density is 89.1 people/km2 (2008). The population is located unevenly throughout the country. About 3/5 of the population is concentrated on the Central Plateau (especially in the area of ​ ​ the cities of San Jose, Cartago, Heredia and Alajuela).

Areas with a high population density were also formed on the coast of Nicoya Bay (around the cities of Puntarenas, Caldera) and the Caribbean coast (Lemon region): in these areas, the average population density usually exceeds 100 people/km2.

The average population density on the Pacific coast of the country (except for the Osa Peninsula) is 30-50 people/km2. It is extremely rare (less than 1 person/km2) to settle low-lying wetlands on the Caribbean coast and in the river basin. San Juan, the highlands (especially the Cordillera de Talamanca range) and the Wasps.

Cities

Cities have 59% of the population (2007). The largest city is San Jose (343.5 thousand people, in the urban agglomeration 1666.6 thousand people; 2008).

Other significant cities are San Francisco (part of the San Jose agglomeration; 66.4 thousand people), Lemon (65.8 thousand people), Liberia (52.4 thousand people).

National composition

In 2008, among Costa Ricans, the majority (78.7%) are white (Creole). Chibcha Indians live mainly in the south of the country, number 1.7%, mestizos - 9.7%, immigrants from other Latin-American countries - 6.8%, West Indian blacks (immigrants from Jamaica) - 1.3%, Chinese - 0.8%; among the rest - Americans, Basques (0.2% each), British, Arabs, Jews (0.1% each).

Religion

About 75% of the population (2006, estimate) are Catholics, about 13% are Protestants (Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, etc.), about 3% are adherents of other religions (Muslims, Judaists, Buddhists, Hindus, Baha'is, etc.), about 9% do not consider themselves to be any religious group.

There are 1 metropolis and 7 dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church.

In January 2008, the first Orthodox church in Costa Rica was founded - a church in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in San Jose (in the jurisdiction of the ROCOR).

Mortality

Low opioid deaths

Average accident mortality rate

State structure

Costa Rica is a unitary state. The Constitution was adopted on November 7, 1949. The form of government is the presidential republic.

The head of state and government is a president elected by the population for 4 years (without the right to re-election for the next term in a row). At the same time as the president, 2 vice presidents are elected.

Executive power is exercised by the President with the help of the Cabinet. Ministers are appointed by the president.

The highest legislative body is the unicameral parliament (Legislative Assembly). It consists of 57 deputies elected by direct and secret ballot for 4 years.

Costa Rica has a multi-party system. Leading political parties for 2008:

• National Liberation,
• Civil action,
• Liberation movement,
• Social Christian unity.

For 2008, Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces, which include 68 cantons.

RESIDENCE PERMIT

The Costa Rican government in July 2021 signed a law that reduces the threshold for entering the investment program of the residence permit to USD 150,000. Previously, the threshold for entering the program was USD 200,000. 

Wealthy foreigners under the "golden" visa program invest in real estate, securities or business projects. The Costa Rican residence permit is received not only by the main applicant, but also by next-of-kin dependent relatives.

Before the pandemic, foreign investment accounted for 7.8% of GDP, but in 2021 the figure fell to 3.5%, so officials were forced to respond quickly.

"The purpose of the new law is to create comfortable conditions for foreign investors. It is important that people come, invest in the country, create jobs. This is another step towards the speedy reconstruction of Costa Rica, "said President Carlos Alvarado Quesada.

Investors, rentiers or pensioners who will issue a residence permit under the new rules in the first five years of the law will retain all benefits for 10 years from the date of their provision. For example, one of the bonuses for investors now is an exemption from the import tax on a car for personal use. If the residence permit is issued in 2021, and the car reaches Costa Rica in 2022, then until 2032 the benefit remains.

Economy

The monetary unit is the Costa Rican colon.

National debt

2023: State debt - 64% of GDP

Economically active population

2022: Proportion of workers aged 65 or over - above 15%

2007: 2018.4 thousand people - economically active

Economically active population 2018.4 thousand people (45.4% of the country's population, 2007). The economy employs 1925.7 thousand people, of which:

• in the service sector - 65.7% (including trade 19%, transport and communications 6.5%, education 5.8%, hotel and restaurant business 5.6%, administrative management 4.6%, social security 3.3%, financial sector 2.6%),
• in industry and construction - 21.1% (including construction 7.9%),
• in agriculture and fishing - 13.2% (including fishing 0.5%).

About 86% of workers work in private sector enterprises, about 14% - public (including in the government apparatus approx. 6.5%).

GDP

2022: GDP size - $0.06 trillion

Unemployment

2023: Youth unemployment 27.1%

2020: Unemployment rate - 22%

2007: Unemployment rate - 4.6%

The unemployment rate is 4.6% (2007; 6.7% in 2003).

Foreign trade

2022: US is the biggest export destination

Coffee production

2014: Major Regions and Coffee Varieties

The main regions of coffee plantations for 2014 are presented in the table below. Better quality coffee grows in the highlands, lower quality coffee is grown in the valleys.

Region	Height	Harvest season	Classification of raw coffee grains, grain size
Плантации Западной Долины	1200-1650 meters	November-March	High acidity Extra large grain Very strong aroma
Таррасу	1200-1700 meters	December-March	High acidity Coarse grain Very strong aroma
Трес Риос	1200-1650 meters	December-March	High acidity Coarse grain Very strong aroma
Ороси	900-1200 meters	September-February	Medium acidity Medium grain Medium aroma
Брунка	800-1200 meters	August-January	Normal acidity Normal grain Moderate aroma
Турриальба	600-900 meters	July-December	Normal acidity Fine grain Medium aroma

1970s: A sharp decline in coffee prices

In the late 1970s, coffee prices plummeted. Despite the subsequent increase in coffee production, the decline in income continued.

1955: Coffee export tax introduced

In 1955, the government introduced an export tax on coffee.

1843: First direct coffee deliveries to Europe

In 1843, the captain of the English ship Monarch, William Le Lasher Lyon, who was transporting cargo from coffee to England, would not see the prospect of direct cooperation with the Costa Ricans. The group of "invisible" exporters from Costa Rica set a difficult task for the captain - he was required to deliver several hundred pounds of coffee directly to London, which was crowned with success - Costa Rican coffee became famous all over the world. Following Europe, the love of Costa Rican coffee was picked up by the United States.

The rapid growth of coffee trade, especially with the involvement of foreign investors, could not but change the face of the country.

1832: Start exporting coffee grains to Europe via Chile

In 1832, the country began exporting coffee directly to Chile, where grains were re-packaged and transported to England under the name "Chilean Coffee Valparaiso."

1829: Coffee is Costa Rica's main export source

Thanks to the initiative of Felix Velarde, a priest, coffee cultivation began at the beginning of the 19th century, and soon the Costa Rican government decided to encourage coffee production in the country, offering land to those who decided to take up coffee plantations.

In 1829, coffee became Costa Rica's main source of income, bypassing cocoa, tobacco and sugar. Coffee exports were carried out across the border with Panama.

1779: First coffee plantations

Coffee production in Costa Rica dates back to 1779, in the central region of the country, in the city of Meseta, which has an optimal combination of climatic conditions and soil characteristics for coffee plantations. Seeds of "Arabian coffee" were imported from Ethiopia to Europe, from where they got to Costa Rica.

Alcohol market

Minimum age to purchase alcoholic beverages

Consumption

Meat

2023: Poultry meat is the most consumed type of meat

R&D

2020: R&D expenses - $412 million

Power

2024: Costa Rica's state energy company shut down all IT systems due to ransomware virus attack and now pleads for help

In early December 2024, Costa Rica's state energy company turned to American experts for help, being attacked by a ransomware virus. Due to malfunctions, the company had to disconnect IT systems and switch to manual control. Read more here.

2020: Energy consumption per capita

and

Cooperation with Russia

2018: Mutual cancellation of visas

The parties signed an intergovernmental agreement on the mutual abolition of visa formalities in May 2018 in San Jose and in Moscow.

Russian citizens can visit Costa Rica from May 25, 2019 without visas with the right to stay in the territory of the Latin American state repeatedly without visas for a period of up to 90 calendar days, not counting the date of departure.

At the same time, Costa Rican citizens will be able to enter Russia visa-free up to 90 calendar days during each period of 180 calendar days, including the date of first entry.

2006: Trade turnover $33.3 million

The trade turnover between the two countries in 2006 amounted to $33.3 million.

1997: Signing of intergovernmental agreements

The legal basis for the development of relations between the Russian Federation and Costa Rica was intergovernmental documents signed in 1997. The Russian Federation and Costa Rica cooperate in disarmament, countering international terrorism, drug trafficking, organized crime, etc.

1944: Establishment of diplomatic relations with the USSR

On May 8, 1944, Costa Rica established diplomatic relations with the USSR.

Crime

Drug trafficking

In August 2018, the coast guard detained a ship with 2 tons of cocaine off the coast of Costa Rica. The vessel, with three sailors aged 43, 47 and 59 from Colombia, was 80 miles from the town of Kepos in Puntarenas province. 2 thousand bags of cocaine weighing 1 kg each were found on the ship. Sailors and the ship were arrested, drugs confiscated.

According to the head of the Ministry of Public Security of Costa Rica, Michael Soto, since the beginning of the year, law enforcement officers have seized more than 17 tons of cocaine^[1] of^[1].

Prisons

2022: Minimum age for children to be jailed

2018: Number of prisoners per 100 thousand citizens

Health care

Maternity leave

in

2020: Duration of guaranteed paid sick leave 6 months or more

Culture

Literature

• Carlos Luis Dallas is the author of Mamita Yunai (1941), a novel about life in the Caribbean Empire by the United Fruit Company
• Joaquin Gutierrez
• Yolanda Oreamuno
• Fabian Dobles
• Jorge Debravo
• Jose Leon Sanchez - автор The Lonely Men's Island
• Luisa Gonzalez is the author of A Ras del Suelo
• Tatiana Lobo
• Ana Cristina Rossi, author of La Loca de Gandoca (1992), a novel about the environmental impact of tourism on the Caribbean coast.

Painting

• Francisco Amighetti
• Manuel de la Cruz Gonzalez
• Fausto Pacheco

Sculpture

• Juan Manuel Sanchez
• Francisco Zuniga

Sport

2022: The most popular sport is football

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Flora and fauna

Despite its relatively small size, the area has a very high level of biological and landscape diversity. In 2010, the flora includes 11 thousand species of higher plants, including 950 endemic and over 450 threatened species. There is a great variety of orchids (about 1,500 species), bromeliads, etc.

Woods

Forests occupy 46.8% of the territory (2005), but back in the middle of the 20th century, the average forest cover reached 85%. Until the mid-1990s, the rate of deforestation in Costa Rica remained the highest in Latin America and among the highest in the world, since the early 2000s, the rate of deforestation has decreased slightly, most of the surviving forest areas are within protected areas.

On the Prikaribskaya lowland and the eastern slopes of the mountains (up to a height of 600-800 m), moist evergreen tropical forests are widespread - high-barreled, multi-tiered, with valuable tree species (Dalbergia, mahogany sweets, karapa, seiba, etc.), a variety of palm trees in undergrowth, an abundance of epiphytes. Higher up the slopes they are replaced by "forests of fogs" with tree ferns. From a height of 2000-2300 m, forests grow, formed by endemic species of oaks with an admixture of holly, laurel, etc. On the highest peaks are high-altitude meadows (paramo).

The northwestern part of Costa Rica and the leeward western slopes are characterized by seasonal wet and dry rainforests, now most of them replaced by secondary savannas and rural lands. Cultural vegetation dominates the Central Plateau.

Animals

Zoogeographically, the territory belongs to the Central American subregion of the Neotropical region. In 2009, over 230 species of mammals (13 threatened with extinction), over 830 species of birds (18 threatened with extinction) are known. Reptiles (St. 250 species live in the country) and amphibians (St. 180 species) differ in high diversity and level of endemism.

The forests have preserved endangered and state-protected all cat species characteristic of Central America: ocelot, cougar, oncilla, jaguarundi, American cat, jaguar).

Also common are Central American tapir, a giant anteater, from primates - red-backed saimiri and coata Geoffroy.

Among the rare and protected species of birds are the Central American quezal, the holochaene umbrella bird, the common harpy, the long-tailed harpy, etc.

On the coasts, nesting sites for rare sea turtles (olive ridley, green turtle, byssa), large clusters of seabirds, etc. are protected. The biological diversity of coastal waters is great (over 700 species of marine fish, St. 20 species of marine mammals, including manatees).

Protected natural parks

In Costa Rica, an extensive national network of protected natural areas has been created, covering about 1/4 of the country's area. By the number of protected areas with the highest status (full reserves and national parks), Costa Rica ranks 1st in Central America.

La Selva Biological Station is a center for tropical ecosystem research, one of the leading in the world. In the largest national park La Amistad (assigned to the UNESCO biosphere reserves), the largest massif of indigenous tropical forests in Central America is protected.

Known are the Marino Ballena and Isla del Coco Marine Reserves, Chirripo Highland National Park and Monteverde Rainforest Reserve. The World Heritage List includes Cocos Island National Park, Guanacaste Protected Area, Talamanca Range and La Amistad Reserves Group (Costa Rica, Panama).

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