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Customs Information
Costa Rica
- Used household goods and personal effects are subject to import taxes and duties, except for customers who are diplomats, members of government or international organizations and Costa Rican citizens who have lived a minimum of 24 months abroad (the latter one still pays taxes, but no duties)
- All shipments inspected
| Transportation |
Costa Rica |
| Railways: |
total: 278 km
narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge (2004) |
| Highways: |
total: 35,303 km
paved: 4,236 km
unpaved: 31,067 km (2002) |
| Waterways: |
730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2004) |
| Pipelines: |
refined products 242 km (2004) |
| Ports and Harbors: |
Caldera, Puerto Limon |
| Merchant Marine: |
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,716 GRT/ DWT
by type: passenger/cargo 2 (2005) |
| Airports: |
149 (2004 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.) |
| Geography |
Costa Rica |
| Location: |
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama |
| Geographic Coordinates: |
10 00 N, 84 00 W |
| Map References: |
Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total: 51,100 sq km
land: 50,660 sq km
water: 440 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco |
| Area Comparative: |
slightly smaller than West Virginia |
| Land Boundaries: |
total: 639 km
border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km |
| Coastline: |
1,290 km |
| Maritime Claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm |
| Climate: |
tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands |
| Terrain: |
coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes |
| Elevation Extremes: |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m |
| Natural Resources: |
hydropower |
| Land Use: |
arable land: 4.41%
permanent crops: 5.88%
other: 89.71% (2001) |
| Irrigated Land: |
1,260 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural Hazards: |
occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes |
| Environment - current issues: |
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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling |
| Geography - Note: |
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 |
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