litary 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 hig