Name: Republic of Costa Rica
Location: Central America, bordering Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
Capital: San José Area: 51,100 km sq (about the size of the U.S. state of West Virginia)
Population: 4.4 million (2007 estimation)
Infant mortality rate: 10.8 per 1,000 live births
Life expectancy: 76.56 years male, 81.56 years female
Total fertility rate: 2.24 children per woman (2006 estimate)
Ethnic divisions: white (including mestizo) 94%, Black 3%, Indian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%.
Religions: Roman Catholic (official state religion) 76.3%. Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's witnesses 1.3%, Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8% and none 3.2%.
Language: Spanish (official), English spoken in some parts of the country.
Climate: Tropical and subtropical. Two seasons; dry season (late November to April), rainy season (May to early November). Cooler climates in highlands could be find.
Literacy Rate: 96% (2003 estimate)
Highest Point: Cerro Chirripó 3.810 m
Administrative division: Seven provinces Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas, San Jose
Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system, judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court.
Direct election: multi-party democratic republic where the four largest political parties are National Liberation Party (PLN), Citizen Action Party (PAC), Libertarian Movement (ML) and Christian Unity Party (PUSC). Elections held every four years.
Education: Free and compulsory through the end of the 9th year.
Principal industries: Tourism, microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, plastic products, coffee, bananas.
Requirements to enter Costa Rica
Passport: to enter Costa Rica visitors should have a passport that cannot expire before six months when entering the country or during the stay.
Visas: some countries require a visa to enter the country, please verify at Costa Rican Consulates if it is needed, and the requirements to request the visa. For your reference, please check the Web page of Costa Rica's General Direction of Migration www.migracion.go.cr.
Yellow Fever: Vaccination against Yellow Fever is obligatory for participants coming from countries under risk (list below). They need to carry an International Certificate of Vaccination against Yellow Fever that is valid 10 days after the vaccine application.
If the person don't have this certificate he/she cannot board the plane to Costa Rica. For more information you can check the official document published at the address: www.historico.gaceta.go.cr
SUB SAHARIAN AFRICA: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabón, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leona y Sudan.
SOUTH AMÉRICA: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
CARIBBEAN: French Guyana.
