4 
'i 
THE BANANA INDUSTRY IS IMPORTANT TO COSTA RICA'S WELFARE 
While bananas are grown on the lowlands on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, in recent years plantings have made 
important increases on the Pacific side. 
enough potatoes grown to meet the domestic demand but additional amounts 
of sugar, corn and rice must be imported. 
A large variety of both tropical and temperate zone fruits are grown, but, 
with the exception of bananas, none extensively. Some cattle are pastured 
on the Pacific plains and milk cows for dairying purposes are raised in the 
upper levels of the cordillera around the Las Nubes (The Clouds) district. 
An executive decree encourages the development of agriculture in the 
Republic by admitting the importation of seeds, vegetables, and plants free 
of customs, wharfage, and consular duties. The National Society of Agricul¬ 
ture is devoted to the improvement of the cattle industry, the establishment of 
pedigree registers, and the holding of agricultural and stock fairs. The 
Society also interests itself in securing seed of the best grades for the use 
of farmers and promotes the importation and use of agricultural machinery 
and fertilizers. * 
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY 
Coffee, bananas and cocoa form approximately ninety-five percent of Costa 
Rica’s total export trade. The United Kingdom takes about fifty percent and 
the United States forty percent of the total. During recent years, however, 
22 
the United States has been purchasing an increasing quantity of Costa Rican 
exports. Imports into the country, chiefly in the form of textiles, foodstuffs, 
fuels, machinery and manufactured articles, are supplied by the United States, 
Germany and Great Britain, in that order, the United States furnishing about 
fifty percent of all imports. 'The total foreign trade of the country is normally 
around $20,000,000 United States currency, fifty-five percent of which con¬ 
sist of exports, the remaining forty-five percent of imports, from which it may 
be seen that Costa Rica normally has a favorable trade balance. 
Industrial activity in Costa Rica is devoted to the manufacturing of articles 
for local consumption, construction and mining. Mining operations have been 
concentrated on the gold and silver deposits on the Pacific slopes, especially 
at the Monte del Aguacate and Montes de Oro mines and the Abangarez 
gold fields. Gold is the only mineral importantly mined ($436,510 in 1934), 
but deposits of silver, manganese, mercury and sulphur exist. During the 
latter half of 1937 the discovery of rich and extensive manganese deposits in 
the Province of Guanacaste was reported and preparations for their exploita¬ 
tion are already under way. The mining industry is being encouraged and 
stimulated by the Government, which permits free importation of mining 
machinery, tools and other equipment required for mineral exploitation. 
Indications of petroleum have been found near Talamanca and Tilaran in 
the southern part of the country. 
There are approximately sixty-five hundred industrial establishments in 
Costa Rica. Included among these are furniture factories and woodworking 
shops, which use such Costa Rican fine woods as mahogany, cedar and rose¬ 
wood, almost exclusively. Other industrial lines are the manufacture of cigars 
and cigarettes, candles, cheese, lumber, starch, and brooms. Nearly all of 
these establishments are small, are located in or near the cities, and supply 
the local inhabitants. 
TRANSPORTATION 
There are sixteen rivers of considerable size in the Republic, several of 
which are navigable by small craft for some miles inland. The most impor¬ 
tant of these is the San Juan River and its tributaries, which are utilized for 
the transportation of natural products, small steamers and other vessels plying 
regularly between coastal points and interior settlements. This river, which 
flows along part of the northern boundary of Costa Rica, connects with Lake 
Nicaragua, situated in the Republic of Nicaragua. 
Costa Rica has in actual operation about 450 miles of railways, including 
branches and sidings, all of 3' 6" gauge. The Costa Rica Railway is leased 
to the Northern, so that the system, having its focal point at Puerto Limon, 
is under a single management. The roads are well constructed with steel 
and iron bridges, suitable stations and sidetracks, and are maintained in 
23 
