ation: 3,111,403 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 79 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 3.2 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Costa Rican(s); adjective--Costa Rican

_#_Ethnic divisions: white (including mestizo) 96%, black 2%, Indian
1%, Chinese 1%

_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 95%

_#_Language: Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon

_#_Literacy: 93% (male 93%, female 93%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 868,300; industry and commerce 35.1%, government and
services 33%, agriculture 27%, other 4.9% (1985 est.)

_#_Organized labor: 15.1% of labor force

_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Republic of Costa Rica

_#_Type: democratic republic

_#_Capital: San Jose

_#_Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias,
singular--provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon,
Puntarenas, San Jose

_#_Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

_#_Constitution: 9 November 1949

_#_Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

_#_Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea
Legislativa)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--President Rafael Angel
CALDERON Fournier (since 8 May 1990); First Vice President German
SERRANO Pinto (since 8 May 1990); Second Vice President Arnoldo LOPEZ
Echandi (since 8 May 1990)

_#_Political parties and leaders:
National Liberation Party (PLN), Rolando ARAYA Monge;
Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC), Rafael Angel CALDERON Fournier;
Marxist Popular Vanguard Party (PVP), Humberto VARGAS Carbonell;
New Republic Movement (MNR), Sergio Erick ARDON Ramirez;
Progressive Party (PP), Isaac Felipe AZOFEIFA Bolanos;
People's Party of Costa Rica (PPC), Lenin ChACON Vargas;
Radical Democratic Party (PRD), Juan Jose ECHEVERRIA Brealey

_#_Suffrage: universal and comp