Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point : Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m
Natural resources: hydropower potential
Land use: arable land: 6% permanent crops : 5% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 31% other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season; active volcanoes
Environment - current issues: deforestation, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching; soil erosion
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Marine Life Conservation
@Costa Rica:People
Population: 3,534,174 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 34% (male 617,256; female 587,566) 15-64 years: 61% (male 1,090,414; female 1,065,273) 65 years and over : 5% (male 80,304; female 93,361) (July 1997 est.)