Costa Rica Government Profile 2012

Costa Rica is a democratic republic. It is governed under the constitution of 1871, as amended in 1949. The president, who is elected to a single four-year term. The president, two vice presidents and a cabinet form the council of government. The one-house Legislative Assembly is composed of 57 deputies elected for four years. The supreme court and other tribunals constitute the judicial branch. Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces.

Costa Rica has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years. When it was reached by Columbus in 1502, there were only a few scattered Indian tribes. In the mid-16th century, Costa Rica was placed under the captaincy-general of Guatemala. Cartago, the first major Spanish settlement, was founded in 1564. Early colonists, few in number, settled mainly in the central plateau. Coffee cultivation, introduced in about 1800, brought growing numbers of colonists.

With the other Central American countries, Costa Rica declared its independence from Spain in 1821 and helped form the United Provinces of Central America in 1823. The new union was beset by conflict and civil war. In 1838 Costa Rica withdrew from it. In 1848 the country became the Republic of Costa Rica, with Juan Rafael Mora as its first president. In 1856 Costa Rica was threatened by an invasion of Nicaraguan forces under William Walker, a Tennessee adventurer. Walker was defeated by Mora, who became the country's national hero. A period of dictatorship began in 1870. During this time the first railroads were built and banana plantations were established. In 1889 free elections were reinstituted.

Military leaders seized the government in 1917, but were forced from power in 1919. Revolution was again attempted in 1932 and 1948; the second time, the army was abolished. José Figueres Ferrer, head of a provisional government (1948–49) and president (1953–58 and 1970–74), long dominated Costa Rica. Under his leadership, numerous social welfare programs were adopted and banking and other institutions were nationalized. The country experienced rampant inflation in the early 1980's. In 1987 Costa Rica's president, Oscar Arias, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for a plan he had devised to resolve civil wars in neighboring countries. In 1994 José María Figueres Olsen, son of José Figueres Ferrer, was elected president.