I want to know how you know the population

How many people are there in the world

Wow, you don't expect me to go out and count all those people do you. Actually, I asked a computer expert named Paul R. and he found the information on the InterNet. There's a database called the CIA World Factbook and it has all kinds of information about all the countries in the world. I have attached a detailed description of Costa Rica. It's from the 1993 CIA World Fact book CD-ROM but I updated the population from the 1994 CIA World Fact book that's on the InterNet.

Now about Jessie's question, it's impossible to tell exactly how many people there are, however, most countries do what is called a census every few years. The following information came from the Compon's Encyclopedia

HISTORY OF THE CENSUS As far back as Babylonian times a census of agriculture was taken. Ancient China counted its people to determine the revenues and the military strength of the different provinces. Rome regularly took a census of people and of property. This was used to establish the political status of citizens and to assess their military and tax obligations to the state. In the Middle Ages attempts to take a census were rare. The most famous was the census of England taken by order of William the Conqueror and recorded in 1086 in the Domesday Book. An early New World census took place in Canada in 1666. Jean Talon, the intendant of New France, ordered an official census of the colony to measure the increase in population since the founding of Quebec in 1608. The enumeration, which recorded a total of 3,215 persons, included the name, age, sex, marital status, and occupation of every person.

In Canada, the British North America Act of 1867 empowered the federal government to take a national census in order to apportion seats in the House of Commons. Three years later a Census Act was passed. Under the provisions of this act the first census after Confederation was taken in 1871. Amendments in 1897 provided for decennial censuses. Taking a census has come to be a standard function of governments. It is estimated that two thirds of the world's people have been officially counted. Some emerging nations, however, have only recently taken their first census. The United Nations has aided them by setting up training institutes and suggesting standard methods so that data obtained can be validly compared to that of other nations. Another international effort to make census statistics comparable was that of the Latin American nations, which adopted United States methods in the 1950 census of the Americas.

In July 1994, the CIA World Factbook estimated the world poplation to be

5,643,289,771

That's 5 billion, six hundred and forty-three million, two hundred and eighty-nine thousand, seven hundred and seventy-one. Now which one of us the the "one"

Costa Rica

Geography

Total area:

51,100 km2

Land area:

50,660 km2; includes Isla del Coco

Comparative area:

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

639 km; Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km

Coastline:

1,290 km

Maritime claims:

Continental shelf:

200 nm

Exclusive economic zone:

200 nm

Territorial sea:

12 nm

Disputes:

none

Climate:

tropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November)

Terrain:

coastal plains separated by rugged mountains

Natural resources:

hydropower potential

Land use:

arable land 6%; permanent crops 7%; meadows and pastures 45%; forest and

woodland 34%; other 8%; includes irrigated 1%

Environment:

subject to occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent

flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season; active volcanoes;

deforestation; soil erosion

Costa Rica

People

Population:

3,187,085 (July 1992), growth rate 2.4% (1992)

3,342,154 (July 1994), growth rate 2.31% (1994)

Birth rate:

27 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate:

4 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Net migration rate:

1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)

Infant mortality rate:

12 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth:

75 years male, 79 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate:

3.2 children born/woman (1992)

Nationality:

noun - Costa Rican(s); adjective - Costa Rican

Ethnic divisions:

white (including mestizo) 96%, black 2%, Indian 1%, Chinese 1%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 95%

Languages:

Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon

Literacy:

93% (male 93%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Labor force:

868,300; industry and commerce 35.1%, government and services 33%,

agriculture 27%, other 4.9% (1985 est.)

Organized labor:

15.1% of labor force

Costa Rica

Government

Long-form name:

Republic of Costa Rica

Type:

democratic republic

Capital:

San Jose

Administrative divisions:

7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago,

Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose

Independence:

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Constitution:

9 November 1949

Legal system:

based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in

the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday:

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Executive branch:

president, two vice presidents, Cabinet

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government:

President Rafael Angel CALDERON Fournier (since 8 May 1990); First Vice

President German SERRANO Pinto (since 8 May 1990); Second Vice President

Arnoldo LOPEZ Echandi (since 8 May 1990)

Political parties and leaders:

National Liberation Party (PLN), Carlos Manuel CASTILLO Morales; Social

Christian Unity Party (PUSC), Rafael Angel CALDERON Fournier; Marxist

Popular Vanguard Party (PVP), Humberto VARGAS Carbonell; New Republic

Movement (MNR), Sergio Erick ARDON Ramirez; Progressive Party (PP), Isaac

Felipe AZOFEIFA Bolanos; People's Party of Costa Rica (PPC), Lenin CHACON

Vargas; Radical Democratic Party (PRD), Juan Jose ECHEVERRIA Brealey

Suffrage:

universal and compulsory at age 18

Elections:

Legislative Assembly:

last held 4 February 1990 (next to be held February 1994); results - percent

of vote by party NA; seats - (57 total) PUSC 29, PLN 25, PVP/PPC 1, regional

parties 2

President:

last held 4 February 1990 (next to be held February 1994); results - Rafael

Angel CALDERON Fournier 51%, Carlos Manuel CASTILLO 47%

Communists:

7,500 members and sympathizers

Other political or pressure groups:

Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers (CCTD; Liberation Party

affiliate), Confederated Union of Workers (CUT; Communist Party affiliate),

Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers (CATD; Communist Party

affiliate), Chamber of Coffee Growers, National Association for Economic

Development (ANFE), Free Costa Rica Movement (MCRL; rightwing militants),

National Association of Educators (ANDE)

Costa Rica

Government

Member of:

AG (observer), BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES,

LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation:

Ambassador Gonzalo FACIO Segreda; Chancery at Suite 211, 1825 Connecticut

Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-2945 through 2947;

there are Costa Rican Consulates General at Albuquerque, Houston, Los

Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, and San

Juan (Puerto Rico), and a Consulate in Buffalo

US:

Ambassador Luis GUINOT, Jr.; Embassy at Pavas Road, San Jose (mailing

address is APO AA 34020); telephone [506] 20-39-39 FAX (506) 20-2305

Flag:

five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and

blue, with the coat of arms in a white disk on the hoist side of the red

band

Costa Rica

Economy

Overview:

In 1991 the economy grew at an estimated 2.5%, down somewhat from the 3.6%

gain of 1990 and below the strong 5.5% gain of 1989. Increases in

agricultural production (on the strength of good coffee and banana crops)

and in construction have been offset by lower rates of growth for industry.

In 1991 consumer prices rose by 27%, about the same as in 1990. The trade

deficit of $270 million was substantially below the 1990 deficit of $677

million. Unemployment is officially reported at 4.6%, but much

underemployment remains. External debt, on a per capita basis, is among the

world's highest.

GDP:

exchange rate conversion - $5.9 billion, per capita $1,900; real growth rate

2.5% (1991 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

27% (1991 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.6% (1991)

Budget:

revenues $831 million; expenditures $1.08 billion, including capital

expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)

Exports:

$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)

commodities:

coffee, bananas, textiles, sugar

partners:

US 75%, Germany, Guatemala, Netherlands, UK, Japan

Imports:

$1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)

commodities:

petroleum, machinery, consumer durables, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs

partners:

US 40%, Japan, Guatemala, Germany

External debt:

$4.5 billion (1990)

Industrial production:

growth rate 2.3% (1990 est.); accounts for 23% of GDP

Electricity:

927,000 kW capacity; 3,408 million kWh produced, 1,095 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries:

food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer,

plastic products

Agriculture:

accounts for 20-25% of GDP and 70% of exports; cash commodities - coffee,

beef, bananas, sugar; other food crops include corn, rice, beans, potatoes;

normally self-sufficient in food except for grain; depletion of forest

resources resulting in lower timber output

Illicit drugs:

illicit production of cannabis on small scattered plots; transshipment

country for cocaine from South America

Economic aid:

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US)

countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $935 million;

Communist countries (1971-89), $27 million

Currency:

Costa Rican colon (plural - colones); 1 Costa Rican colon (C) = 100 centimos

Exchange rates:

Costa Rican colones (C) per US$1 - 136.35 (January 1992), 122.43 (1991),

91.58 (1990), 81.504 (1989), 75.805 (1988), 62.776 (1987)

Costa Rica

Economy

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Costa Rica

Communications

Railroads:

950 km total, all 1.067-meter gauge; 260 km electrified

Highways:

15,400 km total; 7,030 km paved, 7,010 km gravel, 1,360 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways:

about 730 km, seasonally navigable

Pipelines:

petroleum products 176 km

Ports:

Puerto Limon, Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puntarenas

Merchant marine:

1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,878 GRT/4,506 DWT

Civil air:

11 major transport aircraft

Airports:

164 total, 149 usable; 28 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways

over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications:

very good domestic telephone service; 292,000 telephones; connection into

Central American Microwave System; broadcast stations - 71 AM, no FM, 18 TV,

13 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Costa Rica

Defense Forces

Branches:

Civil Guard, Rural Assistance Guard; note - Constitution prohibits armed

forces

Manpower availability:

males 15-49, 829,576; 559,575 fit for military service; 31,828 reach

military age (18) annually

Defense expenditures:

exchange rate conversion - $22 million, 0.5% of GDP (1989)