The 2004 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
3.2% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$1.836 billion (2003)
Debt - external:
$5.366 billion (2003 est.)
Currency:
Costa Rican colon (CRC)
Currency code:
CRC
Exchange rates:
Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 398.663 (2003), 359.817 (2002),
328.871 (2001), 308.187 (2000), 285.685 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Costa Rica
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.132 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
528,047 (2002)
Telephone system:
general assessment: good domestic telephone service in terms of
breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service
domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave,
fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is
available
international: country code - 506; connected to Central American
Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); two submarine cables (1999)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002)
Radios:
980,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)
Televisions:
525,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.cr
Internet hosts:
10,826 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (of which only one is legal) (2000)
Internet users:
800,000 (2002)
Transportation Costa Rica
Railways: total: 950 km narrow gauge: 950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2003)
Highways: total: 35,892 km paved: 7,896 km unpaved: 27,996 km (2000)
Waterways:
730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2004)
Pipelines:
refined products 242 km (2004)
Ports and harbors:
Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas
Merchant marine: total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,716 GRT/ DWT by type: passenger 1 registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports: 149 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 30 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 119 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 95 (2004 est.)
Military Costa Rica
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (2004 est.)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15–49: 1,101,887 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 736,007 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 41,709 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$64 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.4% (2003)
Transnational Issues Costa Rica
Disputes - international: legal dispute over navigational rights of Rio San Juan on the border with Nicaragua remains unsolved
Illicit drugs:
transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America;
illicit production of cannabis on small, scattered plots; domestic
cocaine consumption is rising, particularly crack cocaine
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@Cote d'Ivoire
Introduction Cote d'Ivoire
Background:
Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of
cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Cote
d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states,
but did not protect it from political turmoil. On 25 December 1999,
a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history -
overthrew the government led by President Henri Konan BEDIE. Junta
leader Robert GUEI held elections in late 2000, but excluded
prominent opposition leader Alassane OUATTARA, blatantly rigged the
polling results, and declared himself winner. Popular protest forced
GUEI to step aside and brought runner-up Laurent GBAGBO into power.
Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched
a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces claimed the
northern half of the country and in January 2003 were granted
ministerial positions in a unity government under the auspices of
the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President GBAGBO and rebel forces
resumed implementation of the peace accord in December 2003 after a
three-month stalemate, but issues that sparked the civil war, such
as land reform and grounds for nationality remain unresolved. The
central government has yet to exert control over the northern
regions and tensions remain high between GBAGBO and rebel leaders.
Several thousand French and West African troops remain in Cote
d'Ivoire to maintain peace and facilitate the disarmament,
demobilization, and rehabilitation process.
Geography Cote d'Ivoire
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana
and Liberia
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 5 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 322,460 sq km
water: 4,460 sq km
land: 318,000 sq km