Full name: Republic of Costa Rica President: Laura Chinchilla
(woman) Population: 4.6 million (UN, 2010) Capital: San Jose
Area: 51,100 sq km (19,730 sq miles) Major languages: Spanish
(official), English Life expectancy: 77 years (men), 82 years
(woman) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 Costa Rican colon = 100 centimos
Main exports: Coffee, bananas, sugar, textiles, electronic
components, electricity GNI per capita: US$6,230 (World Bank,
2009) Internet domain: .cr International dialling code: +506
Costa Rica was inhabited by an estimated 400,000 Indians when
Columbus explored it in 1502. The Spanish conquest began in
1524. The region grew slowly and was administered as a Spanish
province. Costa Rica achieved independence in 1821 but was
absorbed for two years by Agustín de Iturbide in his Mexican
empire. It became a republic in 1848. Except for the military
dictatorship of Tomás Guardia from 1870 to 1882, Costa Rica has
enjoyed one of the most democratic governments in Latin America.
In the 1970s, rising oil prices, fal