ResourcesOverview
The Pacific coastline of both Costa Rica and Panama is strongly affected by extremes of water temperature associated with warm El Niño (~33°C) events and more frequent cool upwelling episodes (~15°C). These restrict offshore reef development in many areas, while terrestrial runoff greatly restricts reef development on mainland coasts. In general, reef development is sporadic and mostly at point locations around offshore islands. Most reefs in this region consist of shallow (less than 10 meters) sub-tidal Pocillopora banks bound together with calcareous algae, while Porites lobata is also a major reef builder in Costa Rica. Species diversity is low, but 23 species of hermatypic corals have been recorded on the Pacific side of Panama, and 18 in Costa Rica. Despite their simple community structure and low diversity, coral cover on these small reefs can be very high, reaching over 90 percent on healthy reefs. Cores through these reefs have shown carbonate accretions up to 10-12 meters thick, suggesting vertical accretion rates similar to many reefs in the Indo-Pacific. The Pacific reefs were severely impacted by the 1982-83 El Niño event, which drove mass bleaching and mortality in all areas. In Costa Rica recovery has generally been good and, despite repeated bleaching in 1992 and 1997-98, coral cover remains high in most areas. By contrast, recovery on many reefs in Panama has not been great.
The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica is dominated by wide areas of alluvial sediments and there are considerable riverine inputs. These conditions greatly inhibit the development of coral reefs, although there are fringing communities at Limón (northwest of Isla Uvita) and Punta Cahuita towards the south. Less developed coral communities are also found from Puerto Viejo to Punta Mona.
The Caribbean coastlines lie well south of the main westward flow of the Caribbean Current. This current sets up two counter-clockwise eddies, the first producing eastward currents flowing from southern Costa Rica and around the Golfo de los Mosquitos, and the second sweeping east along the San Blas islands. This area also lies to the south of the main Caribbean hurricane belt and there has only been one record of a hurricane along the Panama coast in the last 120 years.
Geography
Area: 51,032 sq. km. (19,652 sq. mi.); about twice the size of the state of Vermont.
Cities: Capital--San Jose (metropolitan area pop. 1.2 million). Other major cities--Puntarenas (300,000), Alajuela (250,000), Limon (150,000), Cartago (150,000).
Terrain: A rugged, central range separates the eastern and western coastal plains.
Climate: Mild in the central highlands, tropical and subtropical in coastal areas.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Costa Rican(s).
Population (2001 est.): 3.94 million.
Annual growth rate (2001 est.): 2.3%.
Ethnic groups: European and some mestizo 94%, African origin 3%, Chinese 1%, indigenous 1%, other 1%.
Religion: Roman Catholic approx. 70%, Evangelical Protestant approx. 18%, none 8%, others 4%.
Languages: Spanish, with Jamaican dialect of English spoken around Puerto Limon.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Attendance--99% grades 1-6, 71% grades 7-9. Literacy--95%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--10/1,000. Life expectancy--men 74.8 yrs., women 80.2 yrs.
Work force (2000, 1.39 million): Services--58%; agriculture--20%; industry--22%.
Economy
GDP (2001): $15.2 billion.
GDP PPP (2000): $32 billion.
Inflation (2001): 11%.
Real growth rate (2001): 0.7%.
Per capita income (2001): $3,850.
Unemployment (2001 est.): 6.1%.
Currency: Costa Rica Colon (CRC).
Natural resources: Hydroelectric power, forest products, fisheries products.
Agriculture (13% of GDP): Products--bananas, coffee, beef, sugar cane, rice, dairy products, vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants.
Industry (22% of GDP): Types--electronic components, food processing, textiles and apparel, construction materials, cement, fertilizer.
Commerce and tourism (40% of GDP): Hotels, restaurants, tourist services, banks, and insurance.
Trade (2000): Exports--$6.1 billion: electronic components, bananas, coffee, textiles and apparel, fruits, jewelry, flowers and ornamental plants, small appliances, shrimp. Major markets--U.S. 54%, Europe 21%, Central America 9%. Imports--$5.9 billion: electronic components, machinery, vehicles, consumer goods, chemicals, petroleum products, foods, and fertilizer. Major suppliers--U.S. 56%, Europe 10%, Mexico 5% Central America 5%, Japan 5%,
Profile
Unlike many of their Central American neighbors, present-day Costa Ricans are largely of European rather than mestizo descent; Spain was the primary country of origin. However, an estimated 10% to 15% of the population is Nicaraguan, of fairly recent arrival and primarily of mestizo origin. Descendants of 19th-century Jamaican immigrant workers constitute an English-speaking minority and--at 3% of the population--number about 96,000. Few of the native Indians survived European contact; the indigenous population today numbers about 29,000 or less than 1% of the population.
History
In 1502, on his fourth and last voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus made the first European landfall in the area. Settlement of Costa Rica began in 1522. For nearly three centuries, Spain administered the region as part of the Captaincy General of Guatemala under a military governor. The Spanish optimistically called the country "Rich Coast." Finding little gold or other valuable minerals in Costa Rica, however, the Spanish turned to agriculture.
The small landowners' relative poverty, the lack of a large indigenous labor force, the population's ethnic and linguistic homogeneity, and Costa Rica's isolation from the Spanish colonial centers in Mexico and the Andes all contributed to the development of an autonomous and individualistic agrarian society. An egalitarian tradition also arose. This tradition survived the widened class distinctions brought on by the 19th-century introduction of banana and coffee cultivation and consequent accumulations of local wealth.
Costa Rica joined other Central American provinces in 1821 in a joint declaration of independence from Spain. Although the newly independent provinces formed a Federation, border disputes broke out among them, adding to the region's turbulent history and conditions. Costa Rica's northern Guanacaste Province was annexed from Nicaragua in one such regional dispute. In 1838, long after the Central American Federation ceased to function in practice, Costa Rica formally withdrew and proclaimed itself sovereign.
An era of peaceful democracy in Costa Rica began in 1899 with elections considered the first truly free and honest ones in the country's history. This began a trend continued until today with only two lapses: in 1917-19, Federico Tinoco ruled as a dictator, and, in 1948, Jose Figueres led an armed uprising in the wake of a disputed presidential election.
With more than 2,000 dead, the 44-day civil war resulting from this uprising was the bloodiest event in 20th-century Costa Rican history, but the victorious junta drafted a constitution guaranteeing free elections with universal suffrage and the abolition of the military. Figueres became a national hero, winning the first election under the new constitution in 1953. Since then, Costa Rica has held 12 presidential elections, the latest in 1998.
Information provided by CIA Worldfactbook, US Department of State, Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). ReefBase: Oliver, J. and M. Noordeloos. Editors. 2002, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center,
