components, medical equipment

Exports - partners:
US 14.2%, Guatemala 3%, Nicaragua 2.7% (2003)

Imports:
$7.057 billion (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum

Imports - partners:
US 23.2%, Mexico 4.7%, Venezuela 3.2% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$1.836 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$5.366 billion (2003 est.)

Currency:
Costa Rican colon (CRC)

Currency code:
CRC

Exchange rates:
Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 398.663 (2003), 359.817 (2002),
328.871 (2001), 308.187 (2000), 285.685 (1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Costa Rica

Telephones - main lines in use:
1.132 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
528,047 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: good domestic telephone service in terms of
breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service
domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave,
fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is
available
international: country code - 506; connected to Central American
Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); two submarine cables (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002)

Radios:
980,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)

Televisions:
525,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.cr

Internet hosts:
10,826 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (of which only one is legal) (2000)

Internet users:
800,000 (2002)

Transportation Costa Rica

Railways:
total: 950 km
narrow gauge: 950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2003)

Highways:
total: 35,892 km
paved: 7,896 km
unpaved: 27,996 km (2000)

Waterways:
730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2004)

Pipelines:
refined products 242 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas

Merchant marine:
total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,716 GRT/ DWT
by type: passenger 1
registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports:
149 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 30
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 119
914 to 1,523 m: 24
under 914 m: 95 (2004 est.)

Mi