About Costa Rica
La Brisa Del Mar is located in the quaint town of Samara adjacent to the town of Carrillo in the Providence of Guanacaste on the Nicoya Peninsula located on the North Western Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. For more information on the Samara / Carillo area, visit www.samarabeach.com by clicking here.
Maps of Costa Rica: Click here to view other maps
Weather: Enjoy a temperate climate year round, click here for current conditions
Currency: Colónes, click here for exchange rates
Costa Rica at a Glance:
| Official Name: |
Republic of Costa Rica |
| Capital: |
San José |
| Area: |
51,100 square kilometers (19,652 square miles) |
| Location: |
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama |
| Administrative Divisions: |
7 provinces (Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas, San José) |
| Population: |
3,956,507 million (July 2004 est.) |
| Official Language: |
Spanish (official), English |
| Local Currency: |
Colónes (named after Christopher Columbus) |
| Official Religion: |
Roman Catholic, but there is freedom of expression of other beliefs |
| System of Government: |
Democratic Republic |
| Executive Branch: |
Chief of State and Head of Government: President Dr. Oscar Arias; First Vice President Mrs. Laura Chinchilla; Second Vice President Mr. Kevin Casas. The cabinet is selected by the President. The President and Vice Presidents are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; last election was held on February 5, 2006. |
| Legislative Branch: |
Unicameral Legislative Assembly (57 seats). Members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms. Last election was held on February 3, 2002. |
| Judicial Branch: |
Supreme Court (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly). |
| Army: |
Abolished in 1949 |
| Independence: |
15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Constitution: |
7 November 1949 |
| Geography: |
Rugged highlands are found throughout most of the country, ranging from approximately 1,000 to 2,000 meters (3,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level). The Guanacaste Mountain Range, Central Mountain Range, and Talamanca Mountain Range are the main mountain ranges extending the entire length of the country. There are several active volcanoes (Arenal Volcano, Irazu Volcano, Rincon de la Vieja Volcano and Turrialba Volcano) and the country’s highest mountain (Chirripo Hill) with a height of 3,819 m/12,530 ft. The country has a relatively long coastline in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. |
| Climate: |
Tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands |
| Land Use: |
Arable land, 4.41%; permanent crops, 5.88%; other, 89.71% (2001). |
Human Feature:
| Density: |
78.4 inhabitants per square kilometer (203.5 inhabitants per sq. mile) |
| Urban/Rural: |
59% urban, 39% rural |
| Sex Distribution: |
49.86% male, 50.14% female |
| Age Structure: |
0-14 years (29.5%); 15-64 years (65%); 65 years and over (5.5%) |
Standard of Living Indicators:
| Life expectancy: |
77.7 years |
| Literacy rate: |
96% |
| Educational Institutions: |
6147 primary and secondary schools and 50 universities |
| Education expenditures: |
5% of GDP (2002). |
| Youth literacy: |
98.3% |
| Population served with piped water: |
99% |
| Public health services coverage: |
90.4% of population |
| Health expenditures: |
27.8% of government budget |
| Access to telephone service: |
92% of population |
Economic Indicators:
| GDP in millions of US$: |
16,841 (2000) |
| Per Capita GDP in millions of US$: |
4,130 (2000) |
| Exports (FOB) in millions of US$: |
5,224 (2000) |
| Imports (CIF) in millions of US$: |
6,997 (2000) |
| Inflation Rate: |
10.0 % |
| Devaluation Rate: |
9.9% |
| Main Exports: |
Electronic components, textiles, bananas, coffee, medical devices, pineapples, foliage and ornamentals, fish and seafood, processed foods. |
| Main Industries: |
microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products. |
National Symbols:
 Flag: |
The present flag was constituted in September 1848 when Costa Rica achieved the status of Republic. The flag is formed by five horizontal stripes: the first and the fifth are blue, the second and the fourth are white, and in the middle a red stripe double the width of each of the other four stripes. |
 Emblem: |
It was constituted in 1848. Three volcanoes and a vast valley stretching between two oceans form it, and in each of the oceans there is a merchant ship. In the horizon, there is a rising sun between the blue sky and the blue ocean. Two wreaths of myrtle leaves joined by a ribbon bearing the inscription "República de Costa Rica" enclose the national seal. Seven stars forming an arch represent the seven provinces of the republic. The crown is formed by a blue ribbon with the inscription "América Central". |
Government:
Costa Rica is a democratic republic with a strong system of constitutional checks and balances. Executive responsibilities are vested in a president, who is the country's center of power. There also are two vice presidents and a 15-member cabinet. The president and 57 Legislative Assembly deputies are elected for 4-year terms. In April 2003, the Costa Rican Constitutional Court annulled a constitutional reform enacted by the Legislative Assembly in 1969 barring presidents from running for reelection. The law reverted back to the 1949 Constitution, which states that ex-presidents may run for reelection after they have been out of office for two presidential terms, or eight years. Deputies may run for reelection after sitting out one term, or four years.
The electoral process is supervised by an independent Supreme Electoral Tribunal--a commission of three principal magistrates and six alternates selected by the Supreme Court of Justice. Judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Court of Justice, composed of 22 magistrates selected for renewable 8-year terms by the Legislative Assembly, and subsidiary courts. A Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, established in 1989, reviews the constitutionality of legislation and executive decrees and all habeas corpus warrants.
The offices of the Comptroller General of the Republic, the Solicitor General, and the Ombudsman exercise oversight of the government. The Comptroller General's office has a statutory responsibility to scrutinize all but the smallest public sector contracts and strictly enforces procedural requirements.
There are provincial boundaries for administrative purposes, but no elected provincial officials. Costa Rica held its first mayoral elections in December 2002, whereby mayors were elected by popular vote through general elections. Prior to 2002, the office of mayor did not exist and the president of the municipal council was responsible for the administration of each municipality. The most significant change has been to transfer the governing authority from a position filled via an indirect popular vote to one filled by a direct popular vote. Municipal council presidents are elected through internal elections conducted by council members each year, but mayors are elected directly by the populace through general elections. All council members are elected in a general election process. Autonomous state agencies enjoy considerable operational independence; they include the telecommunications and electrical power monopoly, the state petroleum refinery, the nationalized commercial banks, the state insurance monopoly, and the social security agency. Costa Rica has no military and maintains only domestic police and security forces for internal security. A professional Coast Guard was established in 2000.
For more information on Costa Rica see the following links:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2019.htm
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1093.html
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