Costa Rica General Information

• Area: 51,100 sq km (19,729 sq mi)
• Comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia
• Local Time Difference: GMT minus 6 hours.
• Population: 4,016,173 (July 2005 est.)
• Ethnic groups:
• White (including racially mixed) 94%
• Black 3%
• Amerindian 1%
• Chinese 1%
• other 1%
• Religions:
  • Roman Catholic 76.3%
  • Evangelical 13.7%
  • other Protestant 0.7%
  • Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%
  • other 4.8%
  • none 3.2%
• Languages Spoken: Spanish is the official language, although English is widely spoken in the business community and at most tourist destinations. The use of French and German is increasing.
• Capital: San Jose, estimated population: 893,000