Ohio State Electronics would like to introduce our new division, "AmericasLink"!
The following information links will help our US and Costa Rican(Tico) customers residing or visiting Costa Rica.
Banking Hostels Jaco' Jaco' Restraurant Jaco Lodging Maps News Radio-CR Rental Cars Scarletts Stores Travel Weather
EFFECTIVE March 20th 2008 The Costa Rican Phone System will be an 8 Digit Number.
Land Line Phones will have a 2 added to the front of the current number, and Cell Phone (Numbers starting with 3, 8 or 9) will have an 8 added to the front. We have attempted to corrected the number change in all listings in this site.
Costa Rica Moves To An Eight Digit Telephone Number
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) will begin at 12:01am March 20 use an eight digit telephone number system, both for fixed line and cellular telephones.
Beginning on March all fixed lines phones - residential and commercial - will begin with a "2" and all cellular telephones will begin with an "8".
The new numbering system will allow the state institution to expand the current and the future system being called Sistema Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (SNT).
On March 20, All fixed line numbers beginning with "2", "4", "5", "6" and "7" will all begin with "2". For example, the telephone number "231 3205" becomes "2231 3205".
All cellular numbers beginning with "3" or "8" will all begin with "8". For example, the telephone number "399 9642" becomes "8399 9642".
The 900 number system like 911 will not be changed.
Physical. Costa Rica is located in Central America, south of Mexico. It covers an area slightly smaller than West Virginia. It has a tropical climate that is tropical and subtropical. The Costa Rican terrain features coastal plains separated by rugged mountains. With the exception of hydropower, Costa Rica has few natural resources.
People. More than 3.9 million people live in Costa Rica. The official language is Spanish, while English is occasionally spoken. Whites (including Mestizos) comprise 94% of the population with Amerindian (1%) Chinese (1%) and black (3%) minorities. The country is mainly Roman Catholic (76%) and Protestant (Evangelical 12.7%).
Government. Using the politics of consensus and with no military establishment (except for a brief period in 1948), Costa Rica's political stability has been much admired. Costa Rica's years of free and democratic elections are a remarkable achievement of political stability and civil rights. President Oscar Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 and remains a respected world leader. However, a low voter turnout of 65% in presidential elections signaled dissatisfaction with the nation's traditional parties. In 2004, evidence of high level corruption resulted in the failure of two former presidents on charges of graft. President Oscar Arias won very narrowly in 2006.
Costa Rica's concrete action to preserve its natural resources has protected 13% of its land with plans for 25% of the land to be preserved as national parkland. Using a debt for nature swap, Costa Rica has been able to enlarge and protect La Amistad, a 1.7 million-acre reserve of tropical rain forest.
Economy. Costa Ricans enjoy the highest standard of living in Central America. The presence of few large landowners and the predominance of small- and medium-range agricultural operations as well as the government's commitment to the social welfare of the majority have contributed to more generalized economic and social benefits. Tight controls exist on banking, insurance, oil refining and public utilities. Even within the privatization of the state-owned cement and fertilizer industries, employees, trade unions and cooperatives are protected. But Costa Rica's indigenous populations in part because of their remote location have inadequate schools, health care and access to potable water. Fully 20% of the population lives in poverty.
Areas of Concern. Enabling indigenous people to benefit from the economy is a concern. Refugees from other war-torn countries are a concern. The economy has been under stress since 1994. Environmental concerns include deforestation, soil erosion, coastal marine pollution, solid waste management and air pollution. There is concern that the tropical rain forests are being destroyed before their usefulness can be discovered.
Airport: Both car and eight person minibuses are available for hire at the airport for transport to hotels. Fare to downtown San Jose is approximately US$17.00. In addition, most big hotels have a minibus service to and from the airport.
Taxis: Within San Jose: can be hailed or ordered by telephone; have white number plates. When taking taxis within the city limits, make sure the electronic meter is used. When travelling outside the city limits, checking fixed rate fares in advanced is highly recommended. Tipping is unnecessary. All taxis are red except those serving Juan Santamaria international airport, which are orange.
Car Rental: Many car rental agencies have offices both at the airport, downtown and at some major tourist destinations. A valid national drivers license is usually good for the duration of a tourist visa.
Buses: Costa Rica has an extensive, relatively efficient and cheap bus system serving the metropolitan area and most of the country.
Air: SANSA and Nature Air are the domestic carriers with regular flights from San Jose to prime tourist destination. There are buses from the two aiports in San Jose to the center. A number of smaller airlines provide domestic charter flights as well. There are over 200 small airfields throughout the country.
UNUSUAL/STRICT LAWS: Always carry your driving license. There are tough drunk driving laws, with the penalty of having your driving license impounded for a minimum of three years.
Air travellers from Colombia now need visas and are subject to strict searches for drugs. Failure to carry identification papers/passport may mean imprisonment as police carry out spot checks for illegal immigrants.
Street corner foreign exchange transactions are technically illegal, and often risky.
SECURITY: There are pickpockets in downtown San Jose. Beware of mugging in the national parks at night and of theft at beaches and ports.
Important information
Before you leave for Costa Rica, take a minute to:
Make copies of your passport and flight documents, credit card number(s) and/or traveler’s checks numbers and take them with you separately. Once in Costa Rica, it is recommended to make a copy of your incoming visa also.
Take note of the phone numbers in Costa Rica of the major credit card companies, which may come in handy in case you lose your credit card: Mastercard/VISA 22570155, AMEX 001 800 5282121 or Diner’s Club 22572351 (Mon.-Fri.) or 22577878 (weekend)
Take note of the Tourist Institutes emergency phone number: 800 0123456 for assistance 24 hours a day.
EMERGENCY - 911
FIRE/BOMBEROS - 118
POLICE/POLICIA - 117
TIME/HORA - 112
INFO - 113
Tourist Info - 192
International Operator - 124
Emergencias - 911
Servicias Medico 24 - 2380-4125
Policia - 117
Policia de Transito - 2643-1654
Guardia Rural - 2643-3011 or 127
Cruz Roja - 2643-3090 or 128
Farmacia De Jaco - 2643-3205
Clinica de Jaco - 2643-3667
Labratorio Clinico Jaco - 2643-2118
Abuse & Corruption Reports - 800-258-7474
Cable Tica - (+506) 2643-2351
CCSS - (+506) 2643-3552
Correo - (+506) 2643-2175
Poison Center -
Transit Accidents - 800-872-6748
INS - 800-800-8000
Fiscalia de Jaco - (+506) 2643-3686
Fuerza Publica - (+506) 2643-1631
ICE - (+506) 2643-3166
Municipalidad - (+506) 2643-3038
Oficina de la Mujer - (+506) 2643-3500
OIJ - (+506) 2643-1731
PANI - (+506) 2523-0800
Immigration - (+506) 2220-0355
ICT - (+506) 2299-5800
Take note of the phone numbers in Costa Rica of the major credit card companies, which may come in handy in case you lose your credit card:
Mastercard/VISA 2257-0155,
AMEX 001 800 5282121
Diner’s Club 2257-2351 (Mon.-Fri.) or 2257-7878 (weekend)
Take note of the Tourist Institutes emergency phone number: 800 0123456 for assistance 24 hours a day.
ATT 0800-011-4114
MCI 0800-012-2222
Sprint - 0800-013-0123
Visa International 0800-011-0030
American Express 0800-011-0184
Airports
Juan Santamaria - (+506) 2443-2622
Tobias Bolanos Airport - (+506) 2232-2820
Daniel Oduber International - (+506) 2668-1010
Ferries
Puntarenas - Naranjo - (+506) 2661-1069
Puntarenas - Paquera - (+506) 2641-0515
San Jose C.R. Airport Information San Jose C.R. Current Flight Schedules and Status
Costa Rica
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