Costa Rica country profile

26 November 2014 Last updated at 16:00 For decades Costa Rica has stood out for its stability and has benefited from the most developed welfare system in the region.

It has no standing army, and its citizens enjoy one of the highest life expectancy levels in the Western hemisphere, and better living standards than most of Central America.

Traditionally dependent on coffee, banana and beef exports, Costa Rica has diversified its economy. The opening of a large computer chip plant in the late 1990s was a fillip to the economy, but its fortunes have been subject to the fluctuating world demand for microchips.

Continue reading the main story Politics: Left-wing candidate Luis Guillermo Solis won the April 2014 presidential election Economy: One of Central America’s most affluent countries; Costa Ricans voters narrowly approved a free trade deal with the US in 2007

Profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Tourism is Costa Rica’s main source of foreign exchange. Its tropical forests are home to a profusion of flora and fauna, including 1,000 species of orchid and 850 species of birds, such as macaws and toucans.

The Caribbean coast with its swamps and sandy beaches is also a big draw. But Costa Rica is trying to shake off its reputation as a destination for sex tourists.

Costa Rica has been used as a transit point for South American cocaine and there have been allegations that drug-tainted money has found its way into the coffers of the two main political parties.

Once dubbed the “Switzerland of Central America”, the country’s self-image was badly shaken in 2004 when allegations of high-level corruption led to two former presidents being imprisoned on graft charges.

A turtle lays its eggs as part of an annual mass nesting phenomenon along the coast of Costa Rica, a country recognised for its care of the environment

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Costa Rica country profile

Grenada country profile

26 November 2014 Last updated at 16:53 Grenada made world headlines in 1983 when a split in the governing left-wing party led to the overthrow and execution of the country’s charismatic leader, Maurice Bishop, and provided the pretext for a US invasion of the islands.

Set against the background of Grenada’s hitherto peaceful post-independence history, the event highlighted the country’s contradictory character.

From one angle, Grenada has an “exotic” flavour which appeals especially to Westerners. Known as the “Spice Island”, it is the world’s second-largest producer of nutmeg and is a significant producer of mace, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.

St George’s is a popular tourist destination

It also boasts beautiful scenery, with picturesque and fertile valleys, rainforests, fast-flowing streams, hot springs, mountain lakes, a tropical climate and excellent beaches.

Growth in investment and tourism and a construction boom helped reduce unemployment in the 1990s, but the country was dealt a serious blow in 2004 when Hurricane Ivan swept through killing dozens of people, damaging 90% of the island’s buildings and devastating the nutmeg crop.

Tourism has generated its own problems, in the form of threats to the rainforest and beach erosion caused by resort projects.

Hurricane Ivan brought devastation to Grenada in 2004, damaging most of its buildings

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Grenada country profile

Argentina country profile

27 September 2014 Last updated at 15:35 Argentina stretches 4,000 km from its sub-tropical north to the sub-antarctic south.

Its terrain includes part of the Andes mountain range, swamps, the plains of the Pampas and a long coastline. Its people have had to struggle with military dictatorship, a lost war over the Falkland Islands, and severe economic difficulties.

Argentina is rich in resources, has a well-educated workforce and is one of South America’s largest economies. But it has also fallen prey to a boom and bust cycle.

A deep recession foreshadowed economic collapse in 2001. This left more than half the population living in poverty and triggered unrest. The country struggled with record debt defaults and currency devaluation.

Continue reading the main story Politics: President Cristina Fernandez is the widow of former president Nestor Kirchner Economy: On the mend since collapse of 2001, but in July 2014 Argentina again defaulted on its international debtInternational: Argentina claims sovereignty over the Falklands, a UK overseas territory

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

By 2003 a recovery was under way, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to a vital new loan. Since then, Argentina has restructured its massive debt, offering creditors new bonds for the defaulted ones, and has repaid its debt to the IMF. But with poverty rife and unemployment high, many Argentines still await the benefits of the economic upturn.

Argentina remains locked in a territorial dispute with Britain over the Falklands Islands, which are governed as a British overseas territory, but have been claimed by Buenos Aires since the 1830s.

The issue led to war in 1982, when the islands fell to an invasion launched by Argentina’s military junta, but were re-conquered by Britain in a conflict that caused hundreds of deaths on both sides.

The defeat led to the fall of the military dictatorship, but the junta’s legacy is still an open wound. Tens of thousands of people were killed in the seven-year “dirty war”. The bodies of many abductees – known as the “disappeared” – have never been found, although forensic work continues to recover them.

Amnesties which protected former junta members from prosecution were repealed in 2003 and the pardons granted to military leaders overturned.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of Argentina’s most important tourist attractions

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Argentina country profile

Guatemala country profile

14 October 2014 Last updated at 11:46 A country of striking features and a strong indigenous culture, Guatemala’s natural beauty and powerful identity stand in stark contrast to its bloody past and troubled present.

Mountainous, heavily forested and dotted with Mayan ruins, lakes, volcanoes, orchids and exotic birds, Guatemala is one of the most beautiful countries in Central America.

Its indigenous population, the Maya, make up about half of the population. Mayan languages are spoken alongside Spanish, the official tongue. Many Guatemalans are of mixed Amerindian-Hispanic origin.

Guatemala’s beauty and strength of identity have not been accompanied by cohesion and prosperity.

Tourists visit the Tikal ruins, remnants of a great Maya civilisation which collapsed in around 900 AD

In 1996 it emerged from a 36-year-long civil war which pitted leftist, mostly Mayan insurgents against the army, which – backed by the US – waged a vicious campaign to eliminate the guerrillas.

More than 200,000 people – most of them civilians – were killed or disappeared.

Despite an official finding that 93% of all atrocities carried out during the war had been committed by the security forces, moves to bring those responsible to account started only after a long delay.

Social inequality is a major feature of Guatemala. Poverty is particularly widespread in the countryside and among indigenous communities.

Illiteracy, infant mortality and malnutrition are among the highest in the region, life expectancy is among the lowest and, in common with many of its neighbours, the country is plagued by organised crime and violent street gangs. It is a major corridor for smuggling drugs from South America to the United States.

Despite talks and international mediation, a long-running territorial dispute with neighbouring Belize remains unresolved. Guatemala lays claim to thousands of square kilometres of land.

Young Guatemalans play Chajchaay, an ancient Maya ball game. Several other aspects of Maya culture are being kept alive

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Guatemala country profile

Chile country profile

26 November 2014 Last updated at 16:43 Chile is one of South America’s most stable and prosperous nations. It has been relatively free of the coups and arbitrary governments that have blighted the continent.

The exception was the 17-year rule of General Augusto Pinochet, whose 1973 coup was one of the bloodiest in 20th-century Latin America and whose dictatorship left more than 3,000 people dead and missing.

Chile has steadily come to terms with the legacy of General Pinochet’s rule.

The former military ruler was questioned over the Chilean role in the killing of dissidents by various South American governments in the 1970s and 1980s, and he denied allegations until his death in December 2006.

Mapuche natives have been in conflict with the state over land and rights

The authoritarian Pinochet-era constitution has been revised and the judicial system overhauled.

The country had Latin America’s fastest-growing economy in the 1990s and has weathered recent regional economic instability.

Continue reading the main story Politics: Michelle Bachelet gained a second, non-consecutive term as president in the 2013 elections Economy: Chile has one of Latin America’s strongest economies; high world prices for its copper have swollen state coffersInternational: Chile is a key regional player, but it has long-running territorial disputes with Peru and Bolivia, the latter over access to the Pacific Ocean

Profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

But it faces the challenges of having to diversify its copper-dependent economy – it is the largest world producer – and of addressing uneven wealth distribution.

Chile’s unusual, ribbon-like shape – 4,300 km long and on average 175 km wide – has given it a hugely varied climate.

This ranges from the world’s driest desert – the Atacama – in the north, through a Mediterranean climate in the centre, to a snow-prone Alpine climate in the south, with glaciers, fjords and lakes.

Chile is a multi-ethnic society, including people of European and Indian ancestry.

Chile has a variety of geographical features, from deserts to a long coastline, to volcanoes

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Chile country profile

Guyana celebrates Independence - country committed to regional unity

Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar says his country must continue to take the lead in promoting regional unity and work within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to strengthen the bonds of integration.

In his message to mark Guyana’s 48th anniversary of independence on Monday, Ramotar said the country is marking the milestone of its political history in a world that has grown more complex, more interconnected, but, unfortunately, one which still remains very unequal between the developing South and the developed North.“International relations today are still dominated and determined by a handful of rich countries.  Many of the institutions established, particularly the international financial institutions mostly geared to serve the interest of the most rich and powerful countries.”He said developing countries have to manage the affairs of their states in a great disadvantageous situation and this is reflected in the growing inequality in relation to access to resources and the huge income gap between the rich and poor countries of the world.Ramotar said that the richest 85 persons in the world are worth more than the poorest 3.5 billion persons and that almost a half of the world’s wealth is owned by just one per cent of the population.“The struggle, therefore, for socio-economic justice and a more equitable world, continues.  One of the major issues is the need to democratise international relations. It is patently evident that the vast majority of countries in the world and by extension the peoples of those countries do not have enough influence on international politics and economics.”Ramotar said the situation demands that Guyana continues to build greater solidarity among the developing world while it works in alliance with those developed countries interested in genuine partnership.

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Guyana celebrates Independence - country committed to regional unity

Cuba country profile

4 July 2013 Last updated at 05:54 ET Cuba’s Communist government has survived more than 40 years of US sanctions intended to topple veteran leader Fidel Castro. It also defied predictions that it would not survive the collapse of its one-time supporter, the Soviet Union.

Since the fall of the US-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, Cuba has been a one-party state led by Mr Castro and – since February 2008 – by his chosen successor and younger brother, Raul.

Fidel Castro exercised control over virtually all aspects of Cuban life through the Communist Party and its affiliated mass organisations, the government bureaucracy and the state security apparatus.

A storm gathers over Cuba, which like other Caribbean countries, frequently experiences violent hurricanes

Exploiting the Cold War, Fidel Castro was for decades able to rely on strong Soviet backing, including annual subsidies worth $4-5 billion, and succeed in building reputable health and education systems. But, at least partly because of the US trade sanctions, he failed to diversify the economy.

The disappearance of Soviet aid following the collapse of the USSR forced the government to introduce tight rationing of energy, food and consumer goods. The economy soldiered on with the help of Canadian, European and Latin American investments, especially in tourism.

Controls were relaxed in the 1990s, with companies allowed to import and export without seeking permission and a number of free trade zones opening up.

Continue reading the main story Politics: Communist leader Fidel Castro led the one-party state for nearly 50 years; his brother Raul took over as leader in 2008 Economy: US economic embargo has been in force since 1961; since collapse of USSR and loss of Soviet aid, there have been several tentative moves towards economic liberalisationInternational: US, EU have pressed for democratic change and criticise the state of human rights; oil-rich Venezuela is an important ally

Profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Some of these economic reforms were later rolled back, with Fidel Castro denouncing what he called the “new rich”.

However, after Fidel Castro was succeeded as president by his brother Raul, the pace of economic reform picked up once more.

Rights

Cuba has forged closer ties with China and with oil-producing Venezuela. The latter supplies cheap fuel, while the former is helping Cuba to develop its own oil industry.

But the money sent home by Cubans living abroad – many of them in the US city of Miami – is still crucial to the economy. Hardships have led to an increase in prostitution, corruption, black marketeering and desperate efforts to escape in search of a better life.

Cuba has fallen foul of international agencies, including the UN’s top human rights forum, over rights abuses. The UN’s envoy has urged Havana to release imprisoned dissidents and to allow freedom of expression.

The US leases the Guantanamo Naval Base on the eastern tip of the island under a 1903 treaty, and continues to send Cuba payment for it. Cuba under the Castros disputes the lease, saying that it was concluded under duress, and has refused to cash any of the cheques since the early days of the revolution.

Relations with the US showed signs of a thaw following the election of President Barack Obama, who in April 2009 said he wanted a new beginning with Cuba.

Russia has also taken steps to revitalise ties with its Soviet-era ally, and in July 2009 signed an agreement to explore Cuba’s offshore oil deposits, although these have turned out to be disappointing.

Decades of punishing sanctions by the US has meant that Cuba is a living museum of ancient cars

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Cuba country profile

Costa Rica country profile

29 August 2012 Last updated at 11:43 ET For decades Costa Rica has stood out for its stability and has benefited from the most developed welfare system in the region.

It has no standing army, and its citizens enjoy one of the highest life expectancy levels in the Western hemisphere and better living standards than most of Central America.

Traditionally dependent on coffee, banana and beef exports, Costa Rica has diversified its economy. The opening of a large computer chip plant in the late 1990s was a fillip to the economy, but its fortunes have been subject to the fluctuating world demand for microchips.

Continue reading the main story

Politics: Costa Rica’s first female president, Laura Chinchilla, succeeded elder statesman and nobel laureate Oscar Arias on 8 May 2010

Economy: One of Central America’s most affluent countries; Costa Ricans voters narrowly approved a free trade deal with the US in 2007

Profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Tourism is Costa Rica’s main source of foreign exchange. Its tropical forests are home to a profusion of flora and fauna, including 1,000 species of orchid and 850 species of birds, such as macaws and toucans.

The Caribbean coast with its swamps and sandy beaches is also a big draw. But Costa Rica is trying to shake off its reputation as a destination for sex tourists.

Costa Rica has been used as a transit point for South American cocaine and there have been allegations that drug-tainted money has found its way into the coffers of the two main political parties.

Once dubbed the “Switzerland of Central America”, the country’s self-image was badly shaken in 2004 when allegations of high-level corruption led to two former presidents being imprisoned on graft charges.

A turtle lays its eggs as part of an annual mass nesting phenomenon along the coast of Costa Rica, a country recognised for its care of the environment

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Costa Rica country profile

Chile country profile

2 April 2013 Last updated at 06:06 ET Chile is one of South America’s most stable and prosperous nations. It has been relatively free of the coups and arbitrary governments that have blighted the continent.

The exception was the 17-year rule of General Augusto Pinochet, whose 1973 coup was one of the bloodiest in 20th-century Latin America and whose dictatorship left more than 3,000 people dead and missing.

Chile has steadily come to terms with the legacy of General Pinochet’s rule.

The former military ruler was questioned over the Chilean role in the killing of dissidents by various South American governments in the 1970s and 1980s, and he denied allegations until his death in December 2006.

Mapuche natives have been in conflict with the state over land and rights

The authoritarian Pinochet-era constitution has been revised and the judicial system overhauled.

The country had Latin America’s fastest-growing economy in the 1990s and has weathered recent regional economic instability.

Continue reading the main story Politics: The 2010 election of conservative President Pinera ended two decades of centre-left governmentEconomy: Chile has one of Latin America’s strongest economies; high world prices for its copper have swollen state coffersInternational: Chile is a key regional player, but it has long-running territorial disputes with Peru and Bolivia, the latter over access to the Pacific Ocean

Profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

But it faces the challenges of having to diversify its copper-dependent economy – it is the largest world producer – and of addressing uneven wealth distribution.

Chile’s unusual, ribbon-like shape – 4,300 km long and on average 175 km wide – has given it a hugely varied climate.

This ranges from the world’s driest desert – the Atacama – in the north, through a Mediterranean climate in the centre, to a snow-prone Alpine climate in the south, with glaciers, fjords and lakes.

Chile is a multi-ethnic society, including people of European and Indian ancestry.

Chile has a variety of geographical features, from deserts to a long coastline, to volcanoes

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Chile country profile

Venezuela country profile - Overview

25 April 2013 Last updated at 08:55 ET Venezuela has some of the world’s largest proven oil deposits as well as huge quantities of coal, iron ore, bauxite and gold.

Yet most Venezuelans live in poverty, many of them in shanty towns, some of which sprawl over the hillsides around the capital, Caracas.

Venezuela’s economic fortunes are tied to world oil prices. A 1970s boom largely benefited the middle classes, but a subsequent price collapse condemned many of this class to poverty while eroding the living standards of the already impoverished.

National hero Simon Bolivar led several Latin American countries to independence from Spain

Unemployment is high and, according to official figures, around 60% of households are poor.

In 1998 Venezuelans broke the stranglehold of the discredited party system to elect the populist left-winger Hugo Chavez, a former army officer who proclaimed a “Bolivarian revolution”, named after South America’s independence hero. Mr Chavez died in 2013, but was succeeded by his vice-president, Nicolas Maduro, who pledged to continue his policies.

A country of striking natural beauty, which ranges from the snow-capped Andean peaks in the west, through the Amazonian jungles in the south, to the beaches of the north, Venezuela is among the most highly urbanised countries in Latin America.

Radical reform, political unrest and deep divisions characterised the President Chavez’s term in office. His supporters – known as “chavistas” – and his detractors both staged street protests.

Continue reading the main story Politics: President Hugo Chavez died in March 2013. He led a self-styled socialist revolution but polarised domestic opinionEconomy: Venezuela is a major oil producer; export revenues fund huge social programmesInternational: President Chavez was a strident critic of Washington; the US portrayed him as a security threat. Critics said he used fuel sales under preferential terms to extend political influence in the region

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring

Supporters said his economic reforms – including the nationalisation of much of the economy, especially the oil sector – and his expansion of social programmes helped the poor benefit from the country’s oil export revenues.

Critics said his actions damaged economic performance and encouraged inflation, running at 27.2% in 2010. In January 2010, the government had devalued the bolivar in an attempt to boost oil revenues and simulate domestic production.

Venezuela under Mr Chavez sought to strengthen its regional influence through diplomatic and economic overtures towards other South American and Caribbean nations.

This has been seen, in part, as an effort to counter Washington’s influence in the region, and has been a contributory factor in strained relations with US allies such as Colombia.

Mr Chavez also aligned himself with Russia and Iran, and frequently expressed support for anti-Western leaders in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The world’s tallest waterfall: Angel Falls in Canaima National Park, southern Venezuela

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Venezuela country profile - Overview