Costa Rica

For decades Costa Rica has stood out for its relative 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 higher living standards than their war-torn neighbors.

Although traditionally dependent on coffee, banana and beef exports, Costa Rica has made progress in diversification, and has managed significantly to increase exports.

The opening of a large computer chip plant in the late 1990s boosted the national economy, but the fortunes of the industry have been subject to the fluctuating worldwide demand for microchips.

Tourism is Costa Rica's main source of foreign exchange earnings. Visitors are attracted by the tropical forests with abundant flora and fauna, including 1,000 species of orchid and 850 species of birds such as macaws and toucans.

The Caribbean coast with swamps and sandy beaches is also a big draw. However, the country is trying to shake off its reputation as a destination for sex tourists.

While relatively free of crime, Costa Rica has been used increasingly as a transit country for South American cocaine, and there have been allegations of drug-tainted money financing the two principal 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 the imprisonment of two former presidents on graft charges.

-BBC News