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; water pollution (rivers); fisheries protection; solid waste management
Environment - international agreements: 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
@Costa Rica:People
Population: 3,710,558 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 32% (male 609,051; female 581,302) 15-64 years: 63% (male 1,177,262; female 1,150,673) 65 years and over: 5% (male 89,541; female 102,729) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.69% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 20.69 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)