The Republic of Costa Rica, has a population of approximately 4,000,000 inhabitants, where Spanish is the main language and Catholic, the official religion, although there is freedom of cult. It is a democratic nation, where every four years, Costa Ricans (or Ticos - as often called) elect a new President - there is no re-election - by popular direct election.

   The currency is the Colón, and the exchange rate, in regards to the US dollar, has small daily variations; in mid 2002, the exchange rate varied at approximately 360 colones per US dollar.

   Costa Rica is divided in 07 provinces, where the capital city is San José. Each province is divided into cantones (cantons) and these into distritos (districts). There are a total of 81 cantons and 422 districts in the country.

   In regards to climate, the country has an inter tropical weather, very pleasant throughout the year, considered to be spring-like all year round, with some variations between areas. There are only two seasons, dry season from December to April and green (or what is called "rainy") season that runs from May to November.

* Important Note: Some of these items are stated as averages, there might be slight variations. Annual rainfall is represented in millimeters.

   Literacy rate is very high, 93%. School system is divided in: Elementary School - 6 levels and High School - 5 levels. Education is free and mandatory until third level of High School. Ticos life expectancy at birth is of 75,2 years (77,6 years in females and 72,9 in males) and the "Social Security System" covers most of the population that offers access to low cost Health Services and assistance.