cost of living Monetary cost of maintaining a particular standard of living, usually measured by calculating the average cost of a number of goods and services. Measurement of the cost of a minimum standard of
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Costa Rica ► Cote d'Ivoire I 471
living is essential in determining relief payments, social-insurance ben¬ efits, and minimum wages. The cost of living is customarily measured by a price index such as the consumer price index. Measurements of change in the cost of living are important in wage negotiations. Cost-of-living measure¬ ments are also used to compare the cost of maintaining similar living standards in different areas. See also social insurance.
Costa Rica officially Republic of Costa Rica Country, Central America. Area: 19,730 sq mi (51,100 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 4,221,000. Capitaclass="underline" San Jose. Most of the people are of Spanish ancestry
Laguna ^teArenal
/^•TilarSfi
s, Quesada
-vr-
NicoyfN—m
NICOYA^r Mir f ar . <^° n Alajuela^Heredia
Poas BRAULIO CARRILLO Volcano NATIONAL PARK
8,872 ft.
PENINSULA Pun , ar enas*
Siquirres
n . • San Jose Desampa rado s
CHIRRIPO NATIONAL PARK
Nicoya _/ Chirripd Grande'jk I
12,530 ft A
PACIFIC OCEAN
C0RC0VAD0 NATIONAL PARK
OSA
PENINSULA
Point Burica
D 2002 Encyclopaedia Britannica, I
or are mestizos. Language: Spanish (offi¬ cial). Religion: Christianity (predomi¬ nantly Roman Catholic [official]; also Protestant, other Christians). Currency: colon. Costa Rica’s Pacific coast rises abruptly into central highlands and a volcanic mountain chain that forms the backbone of the country and descends gradually to the Caribbean coastal plain. The climate ranges from temperate to tropical, and the wide variety of plants and animals include species found in both North America and South America. The developing market economy is largely based on coffee and banana exports. Sugar is another significant cash crop, and beef is also important. Costa Rica is a multiparty republic with one legislative house; the head of state and government is the president. Christopher Columbus landed in what is now Costa Rica in 1502, in an area inhabited by a number of small independent Indian tribes. These peoples were not easily dominated by European adventurers who followed, and it took almost 60 years for the Spaniards to establish a permanent settlement there. Ignored by the Spanish crown because of its lack of mineral wealth, the colony grew slowly. Coffee exports and the construction of a rail line improved its economy in the 19th century. It joined the short-lived Mexi¬ can Empire in 1821, was a member of the United Provinces of Central America (1823-38), and adopted a constitution in 1871. In 1890 Costa Ricans held what is considered the first free and honest election in Cen¬ tral America, beginning a tradition of democracy for which Costa Rica is renowned. In 1987 President Oscar Arias Sanchez was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for his Central American peace plan. In the early 21st century many Costa Ricans looked to increasingly free trade with the United States as a solution to the country’s economic woes.
Costa-Gavras \ 1 kos-t9- , gav-r9s\ / Constantine orig. Konstanti- nos Gavras (b. Feb. 12, 1933, Loutra-Iraias, Greece) Greek-French film director. He left Greece to study in Paris, where he became an assis¬ tant to filmmakers such as Rene Clair. He directed his first film, The Sleep¬ ing Car Murders, in 1966. His drama of political assassination, Z (1968, Academy Award), brought him international fame. He later directed politi¬ cal thrillers such as The Confession (1970), State of Siege (1972), Miss¬
ing (1982, Academy Award), and Mad City (1997). He became president of the Cinematheque Frangaise in 1982.
cost-benefit analysis In governmental planning and budgeting, the attempt to measure the social benefits of a proposed project in monetary terms and compare them with its costs. The procedure was first proposed in 1844 by Arsene-Jules-Etienne-Juvenal Dupuit (1804-66). It was not seriously applied until the 1936 U.S. Flood Control Act, which required that the benefits of flood-control projects exceed their costs. A cost-benefit ratio is determined by dividing the projected benefits of a program by the projected costs. A wide range of variables, including nonquantitative ones such as quality of life, are often considered because the value of the ben¬ efits may be indirect or projected far into the future.
Costello, Lou See Abbott and Costello Cotabato River See Mindanao River Cotan, Juan Sanchez See Juan Sanchez Cotan
Cote d'Azur \,k6t-da-'zfiir\ Region bordering the Mediterranean Sea, southeastern France. Encompassing the French Riviera between Menton and Cannes, it is a major tourist centre noted for its scenery. See also Nice; Monaco.
Cote d'Ivoire \,kot-de-'vwar\ or Ivory Coast officially Republic of Cote d'Ivoire Country, western Africa. Area: 123,863 sq mi (320,803 sq km). Population (2005 est.): 17,298,000. Capitaclass="underline" Yamoussou-
bara, Dan. Religions: Islam, Christianity,
traditional beliefs. Currency: CFA franc. Cote d’Ivoire can be divided into four major regions: a narrow coastal region, an equatorial rainforest in the west, a cultivated forest zone in the east, and a savanna region in the north. Agriculture employs about half of the workforce. The country is a major producer of cocoa and coffee; other exports include bananas, cotton, rub¬ ber, timber, and diamonds. It is a republic with one legislative house; its chief of state and government is the president, assisted by the prime min¬ ister. European powers came to the area to trade in ivory and slaves beginning in the 15th century, and local kingdoms gave way to French influence in the 19th century. The French colony of Cote d’Ivoire was founded in 1893, and full French occupation took place in 1908-18. In 1946 it became a territory in the French Union; in 1947 the northern part of the country separated and became part of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso). Cote d’Ivoire peacefully achieved autonomy in 1958 and indepen¬ dence in 1960, when Felix Houphouet-Boigny was elected president. The
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
472 I Cotonou ► Coubertin
country’s first multiparty presidential elections were held in 1990. Politi¬ cal turmoil has persisted since Houphouet-Boigny died in 1993, and fac¬ tional warfare broke out in 2002.
Cotonou V.ko-to-'nuX Port city (pop., 1998: 649,580), de facto capital of Benin. Situated along the Gulf of Guinea, it is the starting point of the Benin-Niger Railway and the site of deepwater port facilities, completed in 1965, that serve both Benin and Togo. Cotonou is the economic hub of Benin and its largest urban centre. Its industries include brewing, tex¬ tile production, and palm-oil processing. It is home to the National Uni¬ versity of Benin (1970).
Cotopaxi \,ko-to-'pak-se\ Volcanic peak in the Andes Mountains, cen¬ tral Ecuador. Rising to 19,347 ft (5,897 m), it is the world’s highest con¬ tinuously active volcano. Its almost perfectly symmetrical cone is often hidden by clouds that are lit at night by the crater’s fires. Its base stands on open mountain grassland, and its upper part is covered with perma¬ nent snow. With a long record of violent eruption, it has seldom remained quiet for more than 15 years.