Compare United Kingdom (2003) - Costa Rica (2003)

Compare United Kingdom (2003) z Costa Rica (2003)

	United Kingdom (2003)	Costa Rica (2003)

Administrative divisions	England - 47 boroughs, 36 counties, 29 London boroughs, 12 cities and boroughs, 10 districts, 12 cities*, 3 royal boroughs**; Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Barnsley, Bath and North East Somerset*, Bedfordshire, Bexley, Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Bradford, Brent, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol***, Bromley, Buckinghamshire, Bury, Calderdale, Cambridgeshire, Camden*, Cheshire, Cornwall, Coventry, Croydon, Cumbria, Darlington, Derby***, Derbyshire, Devon, Doncaster, Dorset, Dudley, Durham, Ealing, East Riding of Yorkshire**, East Sussex, Enfield*, Essex, Gateshead, Gloucestershire, Greenwich, Hackney, Halton, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hampshire, Haringey, Harrow, Hartlepool, Havering*, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Isle of Wight, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea***, Kent, City of Kingston upon Hull***, Kingston upon Thames**, Kirklees, Knowsley, Lambeth, Lancashire, Leeds, Leicester**, Leicestershire, Lewisham*, Lincolnshire, Liverpool*, City of London*, Luton, Manchester, Medway, Merton, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newham, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, North East Lincolnshire**, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset*, North Tyneside, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Nottingham***, Nottinghamshire, Oldham, Oxfordshire, Peterborough**, Plymouth*, Poole, Portsmouth*, Reading, Redbridge, Redcar and Cleveland, Richmond upon Thames, Rochdale, Rotherham, Rutland, Salford, Shropshire, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield**, Slough, Solihull, Somerset, Southampton***, Southend-on-Sea, South Gloucestershire, South Tyneside, Southwark, Staffordshire, St. Helens, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent***, Suffolk, Sunderland**, Surrey, Sutton, Swindon, Tameside, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Tower Hamlets, Trafford, Wakefield*, Walsall, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth*, Warrington, Warwickshire, West Berkshire**, Westminster, West Sussex, Wigan, Wiltshire, Windsor and Maidenhead***, Wirral, Wokingham*, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire, York****; Northern Ireland - 24 districts, 2 cities, 6 counties; Antrim, County Antrim, Ards, Armagh, County Armagh*, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, County Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, County Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, County Londonderry*, Derry, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane, County Tyrone*; Scotland - 32 council areas; Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, The Scottish Borders, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), West Lothian; Wales - 11 county boroughs, 9 counties, 2 cities and counties*; Isle of Anglesey, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff*, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea*, Torfaen, The Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham	7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose
Age structure	0-14 years: 18.3% (male 5,621,590; female 5,350,319) 15-64 years: 66.1% (male 20,067,529; female 19,626,123) 65 years and over: 15.6% (male 3,987,457; female 5,441,630) (2003 est.)	0-14 years: 30.1% (male 600,812; female 573,375) 15-64 years: 64.4% (male 1,269,667; female 1,241,097) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 98,156; female 112,985) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish	coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber
Airports	470 (2002)	151 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 334 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 151 914 to 1,523 m: 83 under 914 m: 59 (2002)	total: 30 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 8 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 136 2438 to 3047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 112 (2002)	total: 121 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 93 (2002)
Area	total: 244,820 sq km land: 241,590 sq km water: 3,230 sq km note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands	total: 51,100 sq km land: 50,660 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Oregon	slightly smaller than West Virginia
Background	Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the European Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999.	Costa Rica is a Central American success story: since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred its democratic development. Although still a largely agricultural country, it has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism sectors. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.
Birth rate	10.99 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	19.4 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $565 billion expenditures: $540 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY 01)	revenues: $1.91 billion expenditures: $2.35 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital	London	San Jose
Climate	temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast	tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
Coastline	12,429 km	1,290 km
Constitution	unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice	7 November 1949
Country name	conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland conventional short form: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK	conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica conventional short form: Costa Rica local long form: Republica de Costa Rica local short form: Costa Rica
Currency	British pound (GBP)	Costa Rican colon (CRC)
Death rate	10.21 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	4.31 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$4.8 billion (2002 est.)
Dependent areas	Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador William S. FARISH embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A1AE mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040 telephone: [44] (0) 7499-9000 FAX: [44] (0) 7629-9124 consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh	chief of mission: Ambassador John J. DANILOVICH embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose mailing address: APO AA 34020 telephone: [506] 220-3939 FAX: [506] 220-2305
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador David G. MANNING chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Miami, and Seattle	chief of mission: Ambassador Jaime DAREMBLUM Rosenstein chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Durham (North Carolina), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Francisco, St. Paul, and Tampa consulate(s): Austin
Disputes - international	Gibraltar residents vote overwhelmingly in referendum against "total shared sovereignty" arrangement worked out between Spain and UK to change 300-year rule over colony; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory) and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; Argentina claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark and Iceland; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM	legal dispute over navigational rights of Rio San Juan on border with Nicaragua
Economic aid - donor	ODA, $4.5 billion (2000)	-
Economy - overview	The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. GDP growth slipped in 2001-03 as the global downturn, the high value of the pound, and the bursting of the "new economy" bubble hurt manufacturing and exports. Still, the economy is one of the strongest in Europe; inflation, interest rates, and unemployment remain low. The relatively good economic performance has complicated the BLAIR government's efforts to make a case for Britain to join the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Critics point out, however, that the economy is doing well outside of EMU, and they point to public opinion polls that continue to show a majority of Britons opposed to the single currency. Meantime, the government has been speeding up the improvement of education, transport, and health services, at a cost in higher taxes. The war in March-April 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq, together with the subsequent problems of restoring the economy and the polity, involve a heavy commitment of British military forces.	Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has been put into place. At the same time, distribution of income remains severely unequal. Foreign investors remain attracted by the country's political stability and high education levels, and tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. However, traditional export sectors have not kept pace. Low coffee prices and an overabundance of bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The government continues to grapple with its large deficit and massive internal debt, with the need to modernize the state-owned electricity and telecommunications sector, and with the problem of bringing down inflation.
Electricity - consumption	346.1 billion kWh (2001)	6.109 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	264 million kWh (2001)	379 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	10.66 billion kWh (2001)	128 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	360.9 billion kWh (2001)	6.839 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 73.8% hydro: 0.9% nuclear: 23.7% other: 1.6% (2001)	fossil fuel: 1.5% hydro: 81.9% nuclear: 0% other: 16.6% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: The Fens -4 m highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m
Environment - current issues	continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move towards a domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government aims to reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015; between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, household recycling increased from 8.8% to 10.3%	deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution
Environment - international agreements	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups	English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%	white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%
Exchange rates	British pounds per US dollar - 0.67 (2002), 0.69 (2001), 0.66 (2000), 0.62 (1999), 0.6 (1998)	Costa Rican colones per US dollar - 359.82 (2002), 328.87 (2001), 308.19 (2000), 285.69 (1999), 257.23 (1998)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948) head of government: Prime Minister Anthony (Tony) BLAIR (since 2 May 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister	chief of state: President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May 2002); First Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since NA May 2002); Second Vice President Luis FISHMAN (since NA May 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Abel PACHECO (since 8 May 2002); First Vice President Lineth SABORIO (since NA May 2002); Second Vice President Luis FISHMAN (since NA May 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 3 February 2002; run-off election held 7 April 2002 (next to be held NA February 2006) election results: Abel PACHECO elected president; percent of vote - Abel PACHECO (PUSC) 58%; Rolando ARAYA (PLN) 42%
Exports	2.205 million bbl/day (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco	coffee, bananas, sugar; pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment
Exports - partners	US 15.5%, Germany 11.2%, France 9.4%, Ireland 8%, Netherlands 7.1%, Belgium 5.2%, Italy 4.4%, Spain 4.3% (2002)	US 31.5%, Netherlands 8.9%, UK 4.5% (2002)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, as well as British overseas territories	five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk on the hoist side of the red band; above the coat of arms a light blue ribbon contains the words, AMERICA CENTRAL, and just below it near the top of the coat of arms is a white ribbon with the words, REPUBLICA COSTA RICA
GDP	purchasing power parity - $1.528 trillion (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $32 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1.4% industry: 24.9% services: 73.7% (2000)	agriculture: 9% industry: 30% services: 61% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $25,500 (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	1.8% (2002 est.)	2.8% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	54 00 N, 2 00 W	10 00 N, 84 00 W
Geography - note	lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters	four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65
Heliports	11 (2002)	-
Highways	total: 371,913 km paved: 371,913 km (including 3,358 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1999)	total: 35,892 km paved: 7,896 km unpaved: 27,996 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 27.7% (1995)	lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 34.6% (2001)
Illicit drugs	gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; major consumer of synthetic drugs, producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering center	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
Imports	1.418 million bbl/day (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs	raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum
Imports - partners	Germany 12.9%, US 11.9%, France 7.8%, Netherlands 6.3%, Belgium 5%, Italy 4.4% (2002)	US 36.7%, Japan 4.4%, Mexico 4.2% (2002)
Independence	England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927	15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate	-3.4% (2002 est.)	2.9% (2002 est.)
Industries	machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods	microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Infant mortality rate	total: 5.28 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)	total: 10.56 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.49 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.1% (2002 est.)	9.1% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC	BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	more than 400 (2000)	3 (of which only one is legal) (2000)
Irrigated land	1,080 sq km (1998 est.)	1,260 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary	Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly)
Labor force	29.7 million (2001)	1.9 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 1%, industry 25%, services 74% (1999)	agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services 58% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 360 km border countries: Ireland 360 km	total: 639 km border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
Land use	arable land: 26.41% permanent crops: 0.18% other: 73.41% (1998 est.)	arable land: 4.41% permanent crops: 5.48% other: 90.11% (1998 est.)
Languages	English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)	Spanish (official), English
Legal system	common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; has judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations	based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	bicameral Parliament comprised of House of Lords (consists of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier) elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in 1999, as provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain there; pending further reforms, elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary peerage arise); House of Commons - last held 7 June 2001 (next to be held by NA May 2006) election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Labor 42.1%, Conservative and Unionist 32.7%, Liberal Democrats 18.8%, other 6.4%; seats by party - Labor 412, Conservative and Unionist 166, Liberal Democrat 52, other 29; note - seating as of 15 February 2002: Labor 410, Conservative 164, Liberal Democrats 53, other 32 note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Parliament (because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and has been rescinded three times the latest occurring in October 2002; since October 2002 the Northern Ireland Parliament has been suspended); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly	unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 3 February 2002 (next to be held 3 February 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PUSC 19, PLN 17, PAC 14, PML 6, PRC 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 78.16 years male: 75.74 years female: 80.7 years (2003 est.)	total population: 76.43 years male: 73.87 years female: 79.11 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 99% (2000 est.) male: NA% female: NA%	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: 95.9% female: 96.1% (2003 est.)
Location	Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France	Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
Map references	Europe	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM	continental shelf: 200 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	total: 295 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,752,179 GRT/6,963,112 DWT ships by type: bulk 14, cargo 43, chemical tanker 19, combination ore/oil 1, container 95, liquefied gas 4, livestock carrier 1, passenger 18, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 50, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 37, short-sea passenger 8, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Bermuda 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 21, Germany 6, Greece 3, Hong Kong 4, Italy 1, Monaco 4, Netherlands 1, Norway 9, Russia 1, South Africa 2, Sweden 11, Taiwan 2, US 5 (2002 est.)	total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,716 GRT/ DWT ships by type: passenger 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches	Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), Royal Air Force	no regular indigenous military forces; Air Section, Ministry of Public Forces (Fuerza Publica)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$31.7 billion (2002)	$69 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.32% (2002)	1.6% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 14,877,666 (2003 est.)	males age 15-49: 1,080,254 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 12,353,942 (2003 est.)	males age 15-49: 722,043 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 41,453 (2003 est.)
National holiday	Official Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, celebrated on the second Saturday in June (1926)	Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Nationality	noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural) adjective: British	noun: Costa Rican(s) adjective: Costa Rican
Natural hazards	winter windstorms; floods	occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes
Natural resources	coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica, arable land	hydropower
Net migration rate	2.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	0.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines	condensate 370 km; gas 21,263 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 6,420 km; oil/gas/water 63 km; refined products 4,474 km; water 650 km (2003)	refined products 421 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders	Conservative and Unionist Party [Michael HOWARD]; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) BLAIR]; Liberal Democrats [Charles KENNEDY]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn Jones]; Scottish National Party or SNP [John SWINNEY]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Mark DURKAN]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [David TRIMBLE]	Agricultural Labor Action or PALA [Carlos Alberto SOLIS Blanco]; Citizen Action Party or PAC [Otton SOLIS]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC [Justo OROZCO]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Jose M. NUNEZ]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Alejandro MADRIGAL]; National Independent Party or PNI [Jorge GONZALEZ Marten]; National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National Liberation Party or PLN [Sonia PICADO]; Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC [Luis Manuel CHACON] note: mainly a two-party system - PUSC and PLN - until the 3 February 2002 election in which the PAC captured a significant percentage, forcing a run-off in April 2002
Political pressure groups and leaders	Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress	Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; Confederated Union of Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party affiliate); Federation of Public Service Workers or FTSP; National Association for Economic Development or ANFE; National Association of Educators or ANDE; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert Brown]
Population	60,094,648 (July 2003 est.)	3,896,092 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	17%	20.6% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate	0.3% (2003 est.)	1.56% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Falmouth, Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Scapa Flow, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Teesport, Tyne	Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puerto Limon, Puerto Quepos, Puntarenas
Radio broadcast stations	AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)	AM 50, FM 43, shortwave 19 (1998)
Railways	total: 16,893 km standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified) broad gauge: 357 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2002)	total: 950 km narrow gauge: 950 km 1.067-m gauge (260 km electrified) (2002)
Religions	Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000, Hindu 500,000, Jewish 350,000	Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system	general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers	general assessment: very good domestic 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: connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); two submarine cables (1999)
Telephones - main lines in use	34.878 million (1997)	450,000 (1998) note: 584,000 installed in 1997, but only about 450,000 were in use in 1998
Telephones - mobile cellular	43.5 million (yearend 1998)	143,000 (2000)
Television broadcast stations	228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995)	6 (plus 11 repeaters) (1997)
Terrain	mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast	coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes
Total fertility rate	1.66 children born/woman (2003 est.)	2.38 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	5.2% (2002 est.)	6.3% (2002 est.)
Waterways	3,200 km	730 km (seasonally navigable)

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