Governement – Data about Costa Rica

• Country name (conventional full name): Republic of Costa Rica.
• Local short name: Costa Rica
• Type of Government: Presidential democratic republic.
• President: Laura Chinchilla Miranda
• Capital: San Josè (about 300.000 inhabitats in 2000)
• Administration system: 7 provinces; Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas, San José
• Independence: 15th September 1821 (from Spain)
• National Holiday: Indipendence Day, 15th September
• Constitution: 7th November 1949
• Legal system: it is based on the Spanish civil rights system, judicial control of law acts  by Supreme Court, it has accepted the jurisdiction of the International Justice Court.
• Suffrage: 18 years old, universal and compulsory.
• Inhabitants: 4,253,877 (2009)
• Population:
  0-14 years: 26.7% (males 581,916 / females 555,216)
  15-64 years: 67.1% (males 1,443,606 / females 1,411,168)
  65 years and more: 6.2% (males 120,969 / females 141,002) (data 2009)
• Official language: Spanish
• Literacy: 95% population
• Education: compulsory until 18 years old
• Currency: colón costaricano (CRC) (1 € = about 745 CRC)
• Economy: tourism, agricolture, exports of technologies and eletronics.
• Industry: microprocessors, transformation of food products, medical equipment, textile and clothing, building materials, fertilizing products, plastic products.
• Airports: 151
• Tourist information: passport and return ticket are demanded. Visa is not necessary for less than 90 days of stay for some nationalities.