Costa Rica Passport

The Republic of Costa Rica (La Rep ú blica de Costa Rica).

【 Area 】 51100 square kilometers.

【 Population 】 5.0442 million (2023). White and Indo European mixed race people account for 95%, black people account for 3%, Native American residents account for about 0.5%, and other ethnic groups account for 1.5%.

Spanish is the official language.

95% of residents believe in Catholicism.

Currency: Krona (1 US dollar is equivalent to 523 Krona).

San Jos é, the capital, covers an area of 4966 square kilometers and has a population of 1.6011 million. The average temperature in the hottest month (July) is 21-27 ° C, and the average temperature in the coldest month (January) is 9-26 ° C.

[Head of State] President Rodrigo Chaves Robles, inaugurated on May 8, 2022, for a term of 4 years.

[Important Festival] September 15th (Costa Rican Independence Day, 1821).

【 Overview 】 Located in the southern part of Central America. It borders the Caribbean Sea to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, Nicaragua to the north, and Panama to the southeast. The coastline is 1200 kilometers long.

Originally inhabited by Native Americans. It was colonized by Spain in 1564. On September 15, 1821, independence was declared. Joined the Confederation of Central America in 1823 and withdrew in 1838. The Republic was established on August 30, 1848.

In April 2022, Democratic Progressive Party candidate Chavez was elected as the 49th President of Colombia and inaugurated on May 8th.

The current Constitution came into effect on November 7, 1949. The Constitution stipulates that the state implements a republican system of separation of legislative, judicial, and executive powers. The General Audit Office and the Supreme Electoral Court are independent institutions. The President, as the head of state and government, may run for office again in alternate terms; The President and Vice President are directly elected for a term of 4 years; When the presidency is vacant, the first vice president, second vice president, and speaker will take over in sequence.

The parliament, also known as the Legislative Assembly, is the highest legislative body in the country, consisting of 57 members. Members of parliament are directly elected by voters for a term of 4 years and cannot be re elected. The current Legislative Assembly was formed in May 2022, with the ruling Democratic Social Progressive Party holding 10 seats, the National Liberation Party holding 19 seats, the Christian Social Unity Party holding 9 seats, the New Republic Party holding 7 seats, the Progressive Liberal Party holding 6 seats, and the Broad Front Party holding 6 seats. The current chairman is Rodrigo Arias S á nchez of the National Liberation Party, who will be re elected in May 2024 for a one-year term.

The current government was established in May 2022. The main members are: First Vice President Stephan Brunner Neibig, Second Vice President Mary Munive Angerm ü ller (female), Presidential Secretary Laura Fern á ndez Delgado (female), Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Arnoldo Andr é Tinoco, Minister of Finance Nogui Acosta Ja é n, Minister of Foreign Trade Manuel Tovar Rivera, Minister of Internal Affairs, Police and Public Safety Mario Samora Cordero. Zamora Cordero, Minister of Economy, Industry and Trade Francisco Gamboa Soto Gamboa Soto, Minister of Planning and Economic Policy concurrently held by the Presidential Office, Minister of Public Health concurrently held by the Second Vice President, Minister of Technology and Telecommunications Paula Bogantes Zamora (female), Minister of Public Education Anna Katherine Muller Marin (female), Minister of Housing Angela Mata Montero (female), Minister of Environment and Energy Franz Tattenbach Capra, Minister of Public Works and Transport Mauricio Batalla Ot á rola, Minister of Labor and Social Security Minister Andres Romero Rodriguez Romero Rodr í guez, Minister of Culture and Youth Jorge Rodr í guez Vives, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock V í ctor Carvajal Porras, Minister of Fisheries Nelson Pe ñ a Navarro, Minister of Justice and Peace Gerald Campos Valverde, Minister of Tourism William Rodr í guez L ó pez, Minister of Human Development and Social Integration Yorleni Le ó n Marchena, Minister of Communications and Liaison Arnold de Vald é Arnold Zamora Miranda, Sports Minister Royner Mora Ru í z, Minister of Women's Rights Cindy Quesada Hern á ndez (female).

The country is divided into 7 provinces, with 81 counties and cities and 421 districts. The names of the provinces are as follows: Guanacaste, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, San Jose, Limon, and Puntarenas.

The Supreme Court is the highest judicial institution composed of 22 judges with a term of 8 years. If there is no opposition from two-thirds of the members of the parliament at the end of the term, he/she can be automatically re elected. There are four courts, with the first, second, and third courts each consisting of five judges, and the fourth court (Constitutional Court) consisting of seven judges. Local courts are divided into three levels: provincial, county, and district courts. Orlando Aguirre G ó mez, the President of the Supreme Court, was elected in September 2022.

Main political parties:

(1) Partido Progreso Social Democr á tico: The ruling party. Established in May 2018. The party will come to power for the first time in 2022. Party Chairman Luz Alpizar Loaiza.

(2) Partido de Liberaci ó n Nacional: the largest political party in Colombia and an opposition party. Established in April 1952. Has been in power 9 times. Party Chairman Ricardo Sancho Chavarr í a.

(3) The Christian Social Unity Party (Partido Unidad Social Cristiana) was formed in December 1983 by the Democratic Renaissance Party, National Republican Party, Christian Democratic Party, and People's Alliance Party. Party Chairman Juan Carlos Hidalgo Bogantes.

(4) The Broad Front Party (Frente Amplio) was established in 2004. A left-wing political party that split from the original Communist Party. Party Chairperson Patricia Mora Castellanos (female).

[Important Person] Rodrigo Chavez Robles: President. Born on June 10, 1961 in Costa Rica. Graduated from the University of Costa Rica and obtained a Ph.D. in Economics from Ohio State University in the United States. I joined the World Bank in 1993 and have been working for over 20 years. From December 2019 to May 2020, I returned to my hometown to serve as the Finance Minister. Elected as the presidential candidate of the Democratic Social Progressive Party in May 2022, with a term until May 2026.

The level of economic development in Colombia ranks among the top in Central America. Foreign trade, tourism, and service industries play an important role in the national economy. The Colombian government actively implements fiscal and tax reforms, opens up telecommunications, insurance and other departments to the outside world, develops high-tech industries, develops and utilizes renewable and clean energy, strives to expand exports, and attracts foreign direct investment. In 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) will be 86.51 billion US dollars, with a per capita GDP of 16300 US dollars and a GDP growth rate of 5%.

[Foreign Trade] Colombia implements an open trade policy and has signed free trade agreements with China, the United States, Mexico, Chile, Peru, five Central American countries, the Dominican Republic, Singapore, the European Union, and has trade relations with more than 50 countries (regions) around the world. Foreign trade plays an important role in the national economy. The main exports include electronic chips, integrated circuits, textiles, bananas, pineapples, coffee, medical equipment, processed foods, machinery, and electronic components. The main export destinations are the United States, China, the European Union, and neighboring countries in Central America; The main sources of imported raw materials, consumer goods, fuel, lubricants, and capital goods are the United States, the European Union, Venezuela, and Mexico. In 2023, Colombia's exports reached 19.211 billion US dollars and imports reached 26.396 billion US dollars.

In 2023, there will be a total of 2.3465 million labor force and 2.1216 million employed population in Colombia, with a national poverty rate of 21.8%; The extreme poverty rate is 6.3%. The average life expectancy is 80.9 years, the birth rate is 10.5 ‰, the mortality rate is 5.55 ‰, and the infant mortality rate is 9.58 ‰.

[Education] Emphasize education. Implementing compulsory education in primary and secondary schools, there are 6884 primary schools in the country, with 20.4% of the population receiving higher education, and the education level ranks among the top in Latin American countries. In 2015, education expenditure accounted for 7.7% of the gross domestic product. The adult literacy rate is 95.6%. The main higher education institutions are the University of Costa Rica and the National University.

[Foreign relations] Costa Rica pursues a peaceful and neutral foreign policy, supports the principles of self-determination and non-interference in the internal affairs of all peoples, attaches importance to the development of traditional friendly relations with Latin American countries, actively promotes the process of regional economic integration, and supports the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Americas. He was elected as a non permanent member of the UN Security Council for three times (1974~1975, 1997~1998 and 2008~2009), and was a member of the UN Human Rights Council for 2011~2016 and 2023~2025. From January 2014 to January 2015, served as the rotating chair of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.