rnment granted Keith large tracts of land and a lease on the train route, which he used to produce bananas and export them to the United States. As a result, bananas came to rival coffee as the principal Costa Rican export, while foreign-owned corporations (including the United Fruit Company) began to hold a major role in the national economy. 20th century Historically, Costa Rica has generally enjoyed greater peace and more consistent political stability compared with many of its fellow Latin American nations. Since the late nineteenth century, however, Costa Rica has experienced two significant periods of violence. In 1917–19, Federico Tinoco Granados ruled as a dictator until he was overthrown and forced into exile. Again in 1948, José Figueres Ferrer led an armed uprising in the wake of a disputed presidential election. With more than 2,000 dead, the resulting 44-day Costa Rican Civil War was the bloodiest event in Costa Rica during the twentieth-century. Afterwards, the new, victorious government junta, led by the opposition, abolished the military and oversaw the drafting of a new constitution by a democratically elected assembly. Having enacted these reforms, the regime finally relinquished its power on November 8, 1949, to the new democratic government. After the coup d'état, Figueres became a national hero, winning the country's first democratic election under the new constitution in 1953. Since then, Costa Rica has held 13 presidential elections, the latest being in 2010. All of them have been widely regarded by the international community as peaceful, transparent, and relatively smooth transitions. Geography Main article: Geography of Costa Rica See also: List of volcanoes in Costa Rica, Islands of Costa Rica, and Category:Waterfalls of Costa Rica Chatham beach at Isla del Coco. Costa Rica is located on the Central American isthmus, 10° North of the equator and 84° West of the Prime Meridian. It borders the Caribbean Sea (to the east) and the North Pacific Ocean (to the west), with a total of 1,290 kilometres (800 mi) of coastline, 212 km (132 mi) on the Caribbean coast and 1,016 km (631 mi) on the Pacific. Costa Rica also borders Nicaragua to the north (309 km or 192 mi of border) and Panama to the south-southeast (639 km or 397 mi of border). In total, Costa Rica comprises 51,100 square kilometres (19,700 sq mi) plus 589 square kilometres (227 sq mi) of territorial waters. The highest point in the country is Cerro Chirripó, at 3,819 metres (12,530 ft), and is the fifth highest peak in Central America. The highest volcano in the country is the Irazú Volcano (3,431 m or 11,257 ft). The largest lake in Costa Rica is Lake Arenal. Costa Rica also comprises several islands. Cocos Island (24 square kilometres / 9.3 square miles) stands out because of its distance from continental landmass, 300 mi (480 km) from Puntarenas, but Calero Island is the largest island of the country (151.6 square kilometres / 58.5 square miles). Costa Rica protects 23% of its national territory within the Protected Areas system. It also possesses the greatest density of species in the world.[18] Climate Because Costa Rica is located between eight to ten degrees north of the Equator, the climate is tropical year round. However, the country has many microclimates depending on elevation, rainfall, topography, and by the geography of each particular region.[citation needed] Costa Rica's seasons are defined by how much it rains during a particular period and not to the four seasons in the Northern Hemisphere. The year can be split into two periods, the dry season known to the residents as summer, and the rainy season, known locally as winter. The "summer" or dry season goes from December to April, and "winter" or rainy season goes from May to November, which almost coincides with the Atlantic hurricane season, and during this time it rains constantly in some regions.[citation needed] The location that receives the most rain is the Caribbean slopes of the Central Cordillera mountains, with an annual rainfall of over 5,000 mm (196.85 in). Humidity is also higher on the Caribbean side than on the Pacific side. The mean annual temperature on the coastal lowlands is around 80 °F (27 °C), 69 °F (21 °C) in the main populated areas of the Central Cordilera, and below 50 °F (10 °C) on the summits of the highest mountains.[citation needed] Government Main article: Politics of Costa Rica See also: Military of Costa Rica Óscar Arias, Nobel Peace Prize winner and President of Costa Rica (1986–1990, 2006–2010). Costa Rica is a democratic republic with a strong constitution. The country has had at least 59 years of uninterrupted democracy, making it one of the most stable countries in the region, and the only Latin American country included in the list of the world’s 22 older democracies since at least 1950.[5] Costa Rica has been able to avoid the widespread violence that has plagued most of Latin America. Costa Rica is a republic with three powers: executive responsibilities are vested in a president, legislative power is vested on the Legislative Assembly, and Judicial power is vested on the Supreme Court. There are two vice presidents as well as a cabinet designated by the president. The president, vice presidents, and 57 Legislative Assembly delegates are elected for four-year terms. A constitutional amendment approved in 1969 limited presidents and delegates to one term, although delegates were allowed to run again for an Assembly seat after sitting out a term. The Supreme Electoral Body, the Office of the Comptroller General, the Office of the Procurator General of the Republic and the Office of the Ombudsman also enjoy a lot of independence. The Supreme Court is divided into four chambers, one dealing with Constitutional Law, one dealing with Criminal Law and two dealing with Civil Law, Merchant Law and the like. In April 2003, the constitutional amendment ban on presidential re-election was reversed, allowing Óscar Arias (Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 1987) to run for president for a second term. In 2006, Óscar Arias was elected in a tight and highly contested election, running on a platform of promoting free trade. He took office on May 8, 2006. He will be succeeded by Laura Chinchilla who won the February 7, 2010 election. She is also from the National Liberation Party and is the first woman to be elected president of the country. In 2009, the state monopoly on insurance and telecommunications were opened to private-sector competition. Certain other state agencies enjoy considerable operational independence and autonomy; they include the electrical power, the nationalized commercial banks (which are open to competition from private banks), and the social security agency, all of which have played an important role in the development of the Costa Rican high-indexed quality of life. Costa Rica has no military by constitution. Provinces, cantons, and districts Provinces of Costa Rica. Main articles: Provinces of Costa Rica, Cantons of Costa Rica, and Districts of Costa Rica Costa Rica is composed of seven provinces, which in turn are divided into 81 cantons ("cantón" in Spanish, plural "cantones"), each of which is directed by a mayor. Mayors are chosen democratically every four years by each canton's people. There are no provincial legislatures. The cantons are further divided into districts (distritos). The provinces are: Alajuela Cartago Guanacaste Heredia Limón Puntarenas San José Economy Intel microprocessor facility in Costa Rica is responsible for 20% of Costa Rican exports and 4.9% of the country's GDP. A coffee plantation in the Orosi Valley. Main articles: Economy of Costa Rica and Tourism in Costa Rica According to the World Bank, Costa Rica's GDP per capita is US$11,240 PPP (as of 2008); however, this developing country still faces the fourth highest inflation rate in Latin America, lack of maintenance and new investment in infrastructure, a poverty rate estimated to be 16% to 24%,[19][20] a 5.6% unemployment rate (2008 est.),[19], and a trade deficit of 5.2%. For the fiscal year 2007, the country showed a government surplus. Economic growth in 2008 diminished to a 3% increase in the face of a global recession (down from 7% and 9% growth in the prior 2 years).[19][21] Costa Rica's inflation rate was an estimated 9.3% in 2007 and increased to 13.9% in 2008, Latin America's 4th highest inflation rate for both years.[19] On October 16, 2006, a new currency exchange system was introduced, allowing the value of the CRC colón to float between two bands as done previously by Chile. The idea is that by doing so the Central Bank will be able to better tackle inflation and discourage the use of U.S. dollars. But, as of August 2009, the value of the colón against the dollar has decreased to 86% of its late-2006 value (see commonly available forex trading charts). The unit of currency is the colón, which trades around 575[22] to the U.S. dollar; currently about 710 to the euro. The central government offers tax exemptions for those who are willing to invest in the country. Several global high tech corporations have already started developing in the area exporting goods including chip manufacturer Intel, pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, and consumer products company Procter & Gamble. In 2006 Intel's microprocessor facility alone was responsible for 20% of Costa Rican exports and 4.9% of the country's GDP.[23][24] Trade with South East Asia and Russia boomed during 2004 and 2005, and the country obtained full Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) membership in 2007 after becoming an observer in 2004. In recent times pharmaceuticals, financial outsourcing, software development, and ecotourism have become the prime industries in Costa Rica's economy. High levels of education among its residents make the country an attractive investing location. Since 1999, tourism earns more foreign exchange than the combined exports of the country's three main cash crops: bananas, pineapples and coffee.[25] Coffee production has played a key role in Costa Rica's history and economy and by 2006 was the third cash crop export.[25] The largest coffee growing areas are in the provinces of San José, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, and Cartago. Costa Rica is famous for its gourmet coffee beans, with Costa Rican Tarrazú among the finest Arabica coffee beans in the world used for making espresso coffee, together with Jamaican Blue Mountain, Guatemalan Antigua and Ethiopian Sidamo.[26][27][28][29] There are also numerous gambling casinos in Costa Rica, and a national lottery. Some internet online gambling companies are also based there, causing a dispute with the USA at the World Trade Organization. In a settlement, as compensation for refusing online gambling companies based in Costa Rica to have access to U.S. customers, the United States offered Costa Rica greater access to other service markets, including research and development, storage, technical testing and analysis. Costa Rica's location provides access to American markets as it has the same time zone as the central part of the United States and direct ocean access to Europe and Asia. A countrywide referendum has approved a free trade agreement with the United States. In the referendum on October 7, 2007, the voters of Costa Rica narrowly backed the free trade agreement, with 51.6% of "Yes" votes.[30] Poás Volcano Crater is one of the country's main tourist attractions. With a $2.2 billion per year tourism industry, Costa Rica stands as the most visited nation in the Central American region, with 2.0 million foreign visitors in 2008,[31] which translates into a relatively high expenditure per tourist of $1,100 per trip, and a rate of foreign tourists per capita of 0.46, one of the highest in the Caribbean Basin. Most of the tourists come from the U.S. and Canada (46%), and Europe (16%).[32] In 2005, tourism contributed 8.1% of the country's GNP and represented 13.3% of direct and indirect employment.[33] Tourism now earns more foreign exchange than bananas and coffee combined.[25][34] Ecotourism with the many tourists visiting the extensive national parks and protected areas around the country. Costa Rica was a pioneer in this type of tourism, and the country is recognized as one of the few with real ecotourism.[35] In the 2009 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, Costa Rica ranked 42nd in the world and first among Latin American countries.[36] Just considering the sub-index natural resources, Costa Rica ranks 6th worldwide in terms of the natural resources pillar, but 89th in terms of its cultural resources. Foreign affairs Costa Rica is an active member of the United Nations and the Organization of American States. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the United Nations University of Peace are based in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is also a member of many other international organizations related to human rights and democracy. A main foreign policy objective of Costa Rica is to foster human rights and sustainable development as a way to secure stability and growth.[citation needed] Costa Rica is a member of the International Criminal Court, without a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the United States military (as covered under Article 98). Costa Rica also has a long-term disagreement with Nicaragua over the San Juan River which denotes the border between the two countries; the disagreement originates from the fact that the river, being Nicaraguan soil, is the only way of access to several communities in Costa Rica which need to be served by armed Costa Rican police forces. On June 1, 2007, Costa Rica broke diplomatic ties with the Republic of China in Taiwan, switching recognition to the People's Republic of China.[37][citation needed] Costa Rica just finished a term on the United Nations Security Council, having been elected for a non-renewable two-year term in the 2007 election. Its term expired on 31 December 2009; this was Costa Rica's third time on the Security Council. Flora and fauna An anhinga drying its feathers. Heliconius doris Linnaeus butterfly of Costa Rica See also: Wildlife of Costa Rica and List of birds of Costa Rica Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of plants and animals. While the country has only about 0.25% of the world's landmass, it contains 5% of the world's biodiversity.[38][39] Around 25% of the country's land area is in protected national parks and protected areas,[40][41] the largest percentage of protected areas in the world.[42][43] One national park that is internationally renowned among ecologists for its biodiversity (including big cats and tapirs) and where visitors can expect to see an abundance of wildlife is the Corcovado National Park.[44][45] Corcovado is the one park in Costa Rica where all four Costa Rican monkey species can be found.[46] These include the White-headed Capuchin, the Mantled Howler and the endangered Geoffroy's Spider Monkey.[46][47] They also include the Central American Squirrel Monkey, which is found only on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and a small part of Panama, and was considered endangered until 2008 when its status was upgraded to vulnerable.[48] Costa Rican colibrí Tortuguero National Park—the name Tortuguero can be translated as "Full of Turtles"—is home to spider, howler, and white-throated Capuchin monkeys; the three-toed sloth; and two-toed sloth 320 species of birds; and a variety of reptiles. The park is recognized for the annual nesting of the endangered green turtle and is the most important nesting site for the species. Giant leatherback, hawksbill, and loggerhead turtles also nest there. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is home to about 2,000 plant species,[49] including numerous orchids. Over 400 types of birds and over 100 species of mammals can be found there.[49] As a whole, around 800 species of birds have been identified in Costa Rica. The Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad is allowed to collect royalties on any biological discoveries of medical importance. Costa Rica and parts of Panama are home to the vulnerable Central American Squirrel Monkey. Deforestation, illegal pet-trading, and hunting are the main reasons for its threatened status. Costa Rica is a center of biological diversity for reptiles and amphibians, including the world's fastest running lizard, the spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura similis).[50] Demographics Main article: Demographics of Costa Rica As of 2010, Costa Rica has an estimated population of 4,640,000[51]. Whites and mestizos make up 94% of the population , while 3% are Black/Afro-Caribbean, 1% Amerindian, 1% Chinese, and 1% other.[52] The white population is primarily of Spaniard ancestry[53] with significant numbers of Costa Ricans of Italian, German, English, Dutch, French, Irish, Portuguese, Lebanese and Polish families, as well a sizable Jewish community. Just under 6% of the population is of black African descent. The majority of the Afro-Costa Ricans are Creole English-speaking descendants of nineteenth century black Jamaican immigrant workers, as well as slaves who were brought during the Atlantic slave trade. The indigenous or native American population numbers around 1.5%, or over 60,000 individuals. Most of them live in secluded reservations. They are distributed in 8 ethnic groups: Quitirrisí (In the Central Valley), Matambú or Chorotega (Guanacaste), Maleku (Northern Alajuela), Bribri (Southern Atlantic), Cabécar (Cordillera de Talamanca), Guaymí (Southern Costa Rica, along the Panamá border), Boruca (Southern Costa Rica) and Térraba (Southern Costa Rica). There is also an expatriate community of people from the United States, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Britain, and other countries. Costa Rica hosts many refugees, mainly from Colombia and Nicaragua. As a result of that and illegal immigration, an estimated 10-15% (400,000–600,000) of the Costa Rican population is made up of Nicaraguans.[54][55] There are also, some Nicaraguans that migrate for seasonal work opportunities and then return to their country. Costa Rica took in many refugees from a range of other Latin American countries fleeing civil wars and dictatorships during the 1970s and 80s—notably from Chile and Argentina, as well as El Salvador who fled from guerrillas and government death squads.[56] According to the World Bank, about 441,000 immigrants live legally in the country, the majority of them Nicaraguans and 127,060 Costa Ricans are living abroad, mostly in the US.[57] Religion Main article: Religion in Costa Rica Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (Church of Our Lady of the Angels), during 2007 pilgrimage. Christianity is the predominant religion, and Roman Catholicism is the official state religion according to its 1949 Constitution, which at the same time guarantees freedom of religion. According to the most recent nationwide survey of religion, conducted in 2007 by the University of Costa Rica, 70.5% of Costa Ricans are Roman Catholics, 44.9% of the population are practicing Catholics, 13.8% are Evangelical Protestants many of them Pentecostal, 11.3% report that they do not have a religion, and 4.3% belonged to another. Because of the recent small but continuous immigration from Asia and the Middle East, other religions have grown, the most popular being Buddhism (because of a growing Chinese community of 40,000), and smaller numbers of Jewish, Muslim, Bahá’í, and Hindu adherents. There is a Jewish synagogue, the Sinagoga Shaarei Zion,[58] in San José, near La Sabana Metropolitan Park. Several homes in the neighborhood east of the park are festooned with the Star of David and other recognizable Jewish symbols.[59] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sain