REPUBLIC OF COSTA RICA Official name: República de Costa Rica (Republic of Costa Rica) Location: Central America International organisations: The Organisation of American States, The United Nations, The World Trade Organisation Borders: Nicaragua, Panama Coastline: Caribbean Sea, Pacific Ocean Land area: 51,100 Km2 Population: 3,800,000 Ethnicity: Most of the population is of European (mainly Spanish) descent, although many have some Amerindian descent. There are small Amerindian, African and Chinese minorities.

Languages: Spanish is the official language and is almost universally used. About 2% speak Limonese, a Caribbean English creole.
Religion: Catholic Christian 75%, Protestant Christian 15%.
Form of government: Presidential democratic republic. Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces.

Capital: San Jose Constitution: The Constitution of the Republic of Costa Rica came into effect on 7 November 1949. Head of state: The President, elected by direct universal suffrage for a four-year term. Head of government: The President, who appoints all ministers. Legislature: Costa Rica has a unicameral legislature, the Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa), which has 57 members, elected for four-year terms by proportional representation from the provinces. Electoral authority: The Supreme Election Tribunal administers national elections Freedom House 2005 rating: Political Rights 1, Civil Liberties 1

Political history

The Caribbean coast of what is now Costa Rica was discovered and named by Columbus in 1502 and the country was incorporated into the Spanish captaincy-general of Guatemala in the late 16th century. The area was an isolated backwater of Spanish Central America for 300 years. With the end of Spanish rule in 1821 it became part of the Central American Federation, becoming an independent republic when the federation broke up in 1838.

Like its neighbours, Costa Rica was dominated by civil disorder and conflict between conservatives and liberals throughout the 19th century, but the presidency of Rafael Yglesias Castro (1894-1902) marked a transition to democratic government. Despite political crises in 1917, 1919 and 1948, Costa Rica maintained constitutional government through the 20th century, partly because it had the good sense in 1948 to abolish its army. Since 1948 politics in Costa Rica have been dominated by the left-wing National Liberation Party, whose leader José Figueres Ferrer was president three times between 1948 and 1974. Its main opposition has been the Christian Party of Social Unity, a moderate Christian democratic party. Minor parties include the Citizens' Action Party and the Libertarian Movement.

José Figueres Ferrer