Republic of Costa Rica
COSTA RICA. Republic of Costa Rica
A country in Central America. Area — 51.1 thousand km². Capital - San José (approx. 1 million). Administrative-territorial division - 1 province. Population — 4 million (2003); mainly descendants of Spanish settlers. Official language - Spanish. Dominant religion - Catholicism. Currency — Costa Rican colón.
Has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on May 8, 1944).
National holiday - September 15 - Independence Day (1821).
According to the 1949 constitution, Costa Rica is a republic. The head of state and government is the president (since May 8, 2002 - A. Pacheco de la Espriella, Party of Social Christian Unity, elected for 4 years). Legislative power belongs to the Legislative Assembly (57 deputies, elected by direct and secret ballot for 4 years); elected in February 2002.
Political parties: Party of Social Christian Unity (PSCU) (ruling) - formed in 1983, has 19 seats in parliament; National Liberation Party (NLP) - founded in 1945, leading opposition, 17 seats; Civil Action Party, 8 seats; Parliamentary Patriotic Bloc, 6 seats; "Movement for Freedom" party, 5 seats; "Costa Rican Renewal" party, 1 seat; Authentic Party of Heredia, 1 seat.
Largest trade unions: Unitary Confederation of Workers - formed in November 1980; Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers - established in 1965, part of the ICFTU and ORIT; Workers' Center of Costa Rica; Workers' Center of the Costa Rican Movement.
The first European to set foot on Costa Rican soil was X. Columbus in 1502. Before the Spanish conquest (1509), the territory of the country was inhabited by indigenous tribes, which were almost completely destroyed by them later. In 1821, during the war of 1810-26 for the liberation of Spanish colonies in America, Costa Rica became an independent state. In the 1870s, American capital began to penetrate the country. In 1889, the "United Fruit Company" was formed, becoming a de facto monopoly in the country's economy. In 1941, Costa Rica sided with the anti-Hitler coalition. The democratic movement intensified in the country, leftist forces entered parliament and government, which contributed to the adoption of a number of progressive laws. After the civil war of 1948, the political forces that came to power banned the army constitutionally, leaving the police - the civil guard - for national security. In January 1972, the Costa Rican government nationalized the railway, and in 1974 - the oil refinery owned by foreign corporations.
A two-party system has developed in the country, in which the NLP and PSCU periodically alternate in power. In 1983, permanent unarmed neutrality was proclaimed. The president elected in 1986 from the NLP, O. Arias, actively implemented a policy of neutrality (awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his proposed plan for the peaceful settlement of the Central American conflict). President M. Rodríguez (1998-2002, PSCU) continued the course of economic liberalization and government reform, implemented tax reform.
Costa Rica is a member of the UN (since 1945), OAS (since 1948), as well as the Rio Group, LAI, CAIS, and various international and regional organizations; it was a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (1974-75, 1997-98).
Costa Rica is an industrial-agrarian country. The share of industrial production in GDP is 19%, and in exports - 50-60% (textiles, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, etc.). The share of agriculture in GDP is 17.5% (about 30% of the economically active population is employed in the sector). GDP growth in 2004 was 5.5%. The structure of exports is dominated by bananas, coffee, seafood, and palm oil.
Industry is mainly represented by small and medium-sized enterprises, over 70% of which specialize in the production of food, textiles, footwear, and wood processing. Since 1998, components for computer technology have been produced. In 2004, growth in telecommunications, computer technologies, and communications was approximately 5%. The tourism sector is one of the most profitable and reached 9% of GDP ($1.3 billion).
Foreign direct investment in the Costa Rican economy amounted to $530 million in 2003. There is a gradual process of "dollarization" in the financial sector.
Foreign trade turnover in 2003 amounted to approximately $13.4 billion, of which $5.9 billion accounted for exports. Main trading partners: the USA, EU member countries, Central American countries, Mexico, Japan.
External debt - $3.6 billion. The inflation rate is approximately 9.5%. Unemployment affects over 6.8% of the economically active population. According to official data, in 2003, 18.5% of Costa Ricans were living below the poverty line.
According to international organizations, Costa Rica ranks 3rd in Latin America in terms of social and humanitarian development after Argentina and Uruguay and 42nd among all countries in the world. The average life expectancy is 76 years, and the literacy rate is 96%.
Costa Rica has 5 universities, including the Costa Rican University and the National University of Costa Rica.
More than a dozen newspapers are published, among which the major ones are "Nación" (118 thousand copies), "Diario Extra" (120 thousand), "República" (60 thousand), and "Prensa Libre" (56 thousand). There are more than 10 local television channels (government and commercial television stations), 5 non-profit and 40 commercial radio stations.
