The reached level is already remarkable
The government of Costa Rica undertook considerable efforts to improve the infrastructure of the country in the last years.
The energy and water supply
is guaranteed anytime. Electricity is won from water, that exists in large quantities. The tension is of 110 volts. The telecommunication of Costa Rica is the most modern of Central America. The Call Center of the American computer manufacturer Acer, who handles from Costa Rica its telephonic customer service with the USA since 1995, can proof the quality of the Costa Rican network. In San José and surroundings exists already a digitized network. Also, the access to the internet is far widespread.
Despite its low size
Costa Rica shows a remarkable scenic variety. A system of mountain chains forms the backbone of the country. The northwest mountain chain (Cordillera de Guanacaste) consists of several extinct volcanos, that reach a height up to 2.000 meters (m). In the middle mountain chain (Cordillera Central), there are seven active volcanos, smaller than the Irazú (3.432 m) and the Turrialba (3.328 m). In the southeast mountain chain (Cordillera de Talamanca) is located the Chirripó, the highest mountain of Costa Rica with a height of 3.819 m.
Economy and traffic
Although the economy of Costa Rica is in a structure change, the agriculture still has a very high status. The agrarian sector contributed, in 1995, with only 18% of the gross domestic product (GDP), however it obtained from 1990 until 1995 the 63 percent of the export income in this period. The traditional export products Bananas and Coffee still are among the important foreign exchange earners of the country. The tourism has developed its condition to one of the most important foreing-exchange generators for the Costa Rican economy. The construction of first-class textil and high-tech industries (Intel) advance constantly. With approximately 20 000 km of streets, including 700 km of the Pan-American Highway, Costa Rica is in traffic, technically well opened.
The currency unit
is the Colón equivalent to 100 Centimos (cents), second currency is the U.S. dollar.