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Language: Spanish
Currency: Costa Rican colon (CRC)
Calling Code: +506
Costa Rica, officially called the Republic of
Costa Rica, is a sovereign nation, organized as a unitary
presidential republic composed of 7 provinces. Located in Central
America, it has a territory with a total area of 51 100 km². It
borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east,
Panama to the southeast and the Pacific Ocean to the west. As for
the maritime limits, it borders Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia and
Ecuador (through Isla del Coco). It has 4 807 850 inhabitants
according to the latest demographic projection of INEC Its capital,
political and economic center is San José, and its official language
is Spanish.
It is one of the strongest democracies on the
planet, winning worldwide recognition for abolishing the army on
December 1, 1948, an abolition that was perpetuated in the 1949
Political Constitution. Its human development index of 2017 is
considered high, since which is the 66th in the world and the 5th in
Latin America, while adjusted for inequality advances to the fourth
regional position, with a Gini coefficient of 48.2.In addition, in
the classification of the Global Competitiveness Index of 2017, it
is the 47th in the world and the 4th in the Americas.17 Costa Rica
is emerging as one of the richest, most progressive, developed and
stable countries in the Americas, standing out in the environmental
indexes, press freedom, personal freedom , Security, equality,
democracy, distribution of wealth, social progress, health and
education.
In 2007, the Costa Rican government announced
plans to become the first carbon-neutral world country for the year,
when it will celebrate its bicentennial as an independent nation,
according to the Legatum Institute, the country stands out as the
fourth most prosperous nation in the continent, occupying 29th place
globally. It is also considered the happiest, greenest, greenest and
most sustainable state on the planet, according to the 2016 Happy
Planet Index, published by the British think tank New Economics
Foundation, which has cataloged the country consecutively for 7
years.
Braulio Carrillo National Park is one of the most interesting and unique areas of protected rainforest in Central America.
Cabo Blanco Natural Reserve is a nature reserve located on the Southern tip of Nicoya Peninsula in Puntarenas province of Costa Rica.
Cahuita National Park is situated in town of Cahuita in Limon Province of Costa Rica. It is a fairly small, but beautiful park.
Corcovado National Park is situated on Osa peninsula in the Southern Costa Rica. It covers an extensive area of 425 sq km.
Manuel Antonio National Park is smallest park of Costa Rica located just south of town of Quepos in Puntarenas Province.
Pristine and beautiful Manzanillo Beach is situated South of Puerto Limon in Limon province in Costa Rica.
Pacuare River has Class 4 rapids that are favorite destination for whitewater rafting, whitewater kayaking and river boarding.
Peace Waterfall or La Paz Waterfall is situated 31 kilometers North of Alajuela along 126 Hwy in Alajuela Province of Costa Rica.
Parque Nacional Poas Volcano is famous for protecting biosphere of the active stratovolcano Poas situated in the Costa Rica.
Remains of the San Lucas Prison in San Lucas Island is said to be the most haunted site in the Costa Rica.
Abandoned Sanatorio Carlos Duran situated is Costa Rica is said to be haunted by those who died here.
Tortuguero National Park is a nature reserve located near town of Tortuguero in Limón Province in the North East Costa Rica.
Majestic Turriaba Volcano derives its name of the volcano rises comes from the Latin Turris Alba which means 'white flower'.
Turtle National Park also known as Las Baulas National Marine Park is located in the Limon province on the Western, Pacific coast.
In the pre-Columbian period, most of Costa Rica was
inhabited by Huetars and Bribris.
Costa Rica was discovered in
1502 by Christopher Columbus during his fourth voyage to the Americas.
Spanish colonization began around 1530.
The settlement by the
Spaniards and the economic development of this colony was very slow,
partly due to difficulties with the country's climatic conditions, as
well as due to raids by English and Dutch pirates (supported by the
authorities of England and Holland), who attacked the Spaniards from the
end of the 16th century until the middle of XIX century. The British
also organized raids into Costa Rica by the Miskito Indians (from the
east coast of present-day Nicaragua). In addition, the colonialists had
no incentive due to the low gold content in the lands of the conquered
Indians.
In the 1560s and 1570s, the Huetars and Bribri tribes
were not yet completely conquered by the Spaniards. The territory of the
western Huetars extended to the Pacific coast, their ruler was Garabito
(Guarabito), and the ruler of the eastern ones was El Guarco.
In
the 16th century, Spanish settlers settled in the Central Plateau of
Costa Rica, where before that, as well as throughout the country, the
Indian population was small.
The poverty of the country in
minerals and climatic conditions led to the fact that mainly poor
immigrants from Spain settled in Costa Rica, which led to the creation
of not large plantations (as in other colonies of Spain in America), but
small or medium-sized farms.
These small farms grew wheat, corn,
sugarcane, tobacco, beans, cocoa and some other crops. In 1808, the
first seedlings of coffee trees were brought to Costa Rica from Cuba,
and soon this culture became widespread.
Negro slaves were hardly
imported to Costa Rica (due to the poverty of small farms), but a
certain number of blacks and mulattos settled in the country, mainly on
the Atlantic coast - from runaway slaves and pirates. The bulk of the
Negro population appeared on the Caribbean coast in connection with the
construction of the interoceanic railway in 1868-1870.
In 1563,
the Spanish founded the city of Cartago, which was the capital of the
colony until 1821, before independence. At the beginning of the 19th
century, liberation wars began in the Spanish colonies, which
practically did not touch the peaceful life of Costa Rica.
In
1814, the province of Guanacaste, which had previously belonged to
Nicaragua, voluntarily joined Costa Rica. On July 25, 1825, the
accession was confirmed in a local referendum. This day has become one
of the national holidays. The holiday is called the "Accession of the
Nicoya Party", since the decision to join Costa Rica belonged to a large
party that broke away from Nicaragua.
September 15, 1821 -
Independence Day of Costa Rica. On this day, in the General Government
of Guatemala, an act of independence from Spain was signed and sent to
all the nearest colonies. The horse messenger rode to Costa Rica for two
months, it was then that the country learned about its independence,
which it did not aspire to politically. Soon it united with the rest of
the countries of Central America: Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El
Salvador into a federation and was attached to the Mexican Empire, after
the collapse of which the federation existed until 1838. In 1824, it was
decided to move the capital to San Jose, but this city began to develop
actively starting in 1950.
In 1844, the first constitution was
adopted. In 1856, the American adventurer William Walker, who seized
power in Nicaragua and declared himself president, decided to attack
Costa Rica. His way was blocked by a hastily assembled military
detachment of volunteers. The Costa Ricans expelled Walker from their
territory and pursued him to the Nicaraguan city of Rivas, where the
famous battle took place, in which the national hero Juan Santamaria
distinguished himself.
Between 1859 and 1870, several presidents
were replaced. In 1871, President Tomas Gutierrez adopted a new
constitution that abolished the death penalty and encouraged foreign
investment. The American company "United Fruit" began to expand into
Costa Rica, buying up land. This company organized a large export
production in Costa Rica - in addition to coffee, also bananas, cocoa,
pineapples and other crops. The company also built a railroad network in
Costa Rica.
In the 1930s, left-wing movements gained strength. On
the other hand, supporters of the pro-Hitler orientation created the
Nazi Party of Costa Rica. In 1941, Costa Rica, like most Latin American
countries, declared war on the Axis countries, but participated in the
hostilities only by sending a few of its pilots to the front - as part
of the troops of France and the United States.
In 1948-1949, there was a civil war in Costa Rica. It
made such a deep impression on the country that a law was passed to
abolish the regular military forces. Since 1948, there has been no army
in Costa Rica, only police. In 1955, the former president and his
supporters organized a military invasion of Costa Rica. He was supported
by Batista, the dictator of Cuba, and other dictators in the region.
José Figueres Ferrer, President of Costa Rica, appealed to the OAS, and
the invasion ended there.
In the 1970s, due to falling coffee
prices and rising oil prices, there was economic instability in the
country, while the country continued to be the most stable in the
Central American region. In 1979, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Carazo
Odio initially supported the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. Soon the first
left-wing guerrilla groups appeared in Costa Rica itself, apparently
inspired by the success of the Sandinistas. The opposite ultra-right
trend consolidated in the Costa Rican Freedom Movement, which formed
assault troops to fight communism and Sandinismo.
In 1990,
Calderón, whose father had been president before, was elected president
of the country.
On March 19, 2009, President of Costa Rica
(previously considered one of the faithful "aircraft carriers" of the
United States in the region) Oscar Aries announced that his country was
resuming ties with disgraced Cuba, interrupted almost 50 years ago.
Oscar Aries is a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
On February 7, 2010,
she was elected, and on May 8, Laura Chinchilla, the first woman
president in the history of the country, officially took office.
Since May 8, 2014, the president has been Luis Guillermo Solis, a
representative of the Civic Activism Party (Spanish: Partido Acción
Ciudadana), which for the first time in the history of the country
replaced the two traditionally ruling parties: the Party of Social
Christian Unity (Partido Unidad Social Cristiana) and National
Liberation Party (Partido Liberación nacional).
On May 8, 2018,
Carlos Alvarado Quesada became president.
On May 8, 2022, Rodrigo
Chavez Robles assumed the presidency.
Costa Rica is one of the smallest countries in Central
America. It is located in the narrow part of the isthmus connecting two
continents. In the southwest, the country is washed by the waters of the
Pacific Ocean, in the northeast - by the Caribbean Sea. The coastline
stretches for 1290 km. The two rivers Pacuare and Reventason are
excellent for rafting and are located east of the capital San José.
Costa Rica's northern neighbor is Nicaragua, and its southern
neighbor is Panama. The total territory of the country is 51.1 thousand
km², including Isla del Coco, plus 589 thousand km² of territorial
waters.
Costa Rica is a reserve country (there are 74 reserves in
total), where a riot of wild flora and fauna is surrounded by mountains
and the ocean. The main attractions of the country are national parks,
mountain and underwater caves, as well as waterfalls, picturesque
mountain and river valleys, volcanoes. Protected natural areas occupy
about 27% of the country's area.
Mountain ranges stretch from
north to south across the country, between them is the Central Plateau -
fertile soils here, and it is here that a significant part of the
population of Costa Rica lives. The mountains surrounding the plateau
are mostly of volcanic origin, there are also active volcanoes. The most
famous Costa Rican volcano is the active, young Arenal volcano. This is
a high mountain of regular conical shape. At night, Arenal is
illuminated, and during the eruption illuminates the surroundings. The
highest volcano is Irazu (3432 m). And the highest point - Chirripo
(3820 m), is located in the south of the country. Lake Arenal is the
largest of the country's lakes and is of artificial origin.
550
km off the coast of Costa Rica in the Pacific Ocean is the uninhabited
island of Cocos (Isla del Coco, English Cocos), with an area of 24
km². This is the world's largest officially uninhabited island, and
Jacques-Yves Cousteau called the island "the most beautiful in the
world." This is a wild, untouched by civilization place, covered with
jungle forests. This island is also a center of diving, thousands of
tourists from all over the world come here every year to plunge into the
crystal clear waters of the ocean. In addition to Cocos, in Costa Rica
there are other uninhabited islands - Negritos and Los Pájaros.
The climate of Costa Rica is subequatorial. The rugged
terrain creates a wide variety of climatic conditions.
On the
Caribbean coast and on the eastern slopes of the mountains, abundant
precipitation (sometimes up to 3000 mm per year) is brought by the
northeast trade winds. Most of the year there is hot, rainy weather. In
the lowlands, the average temperature in January is +23 °C, in July -
+25 °C. On the Pacific coast and on the western slopes of the mountains,
the climate is less humid. There is a dry winter season for four months
of the year.
Nature
Forests cover almost 2/3 of the area of
Costa Rica. In tropical forests, trees of valuable species grow - red,
ebony, balsa.
This country offers some of the best diversity of
wildlife on Earth. Costa Rica, which is the size of the Voronezh region,
is home to 500,000 diverse species - about 4% of all plants, insects and
animals on Earth.
National parks
La Amistad International Park
(Spanish for "friendship") with an area of 250,000 hectares was
established in 1979 and is located in the southeast of the country, on
the border with Panama. This reserve dates back to the 50s, its founders
are the Wesberg couple from Sweden, they moved to Costa Rica to study
the rainforest and protect it from deforestation. It has been under the
protection of UNESCO since 1983.
Political structure
The head
of state is the president, elected by popular vote for a 4-year term.
The 2022 election was won by the candidate of the Social Democratic
Progressive Party, Rodrigo Chávez Robles.
The National Assembly
has 57 members who are elected for four years. Main political parties
(according to the results of elections in 2014):
National Liberation
Party - centre-left, 18 deputies
Civic Action Party - centre-left, 13
deputies
Wide front - left, 9 deputies
Party of Social Christian
Unity - center-right, 8 deputies
Libertarian Movement Party -
centre-right, 4 deputies
Administrative-territorial division
Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces:
Alajuela
Cartago
Guanacaste
Heredia
Lemon
Puntarenas
San Jose
The
provinces are divided into cantons. There are 81 cantons, they are
governed by mayors. The mayor of each canton is elected every 4 years by
its inhabitants.
Population
The official language is Spanish.
Many citizens, as well as black residents of the Caribbean coast, speak
English.
Demography
Population: 5.1 million (July 2020 est.)
Annual growth: 1.08%
Birth rate: 14.8 per 1000;
Mortality: 4.9 per 1000;
Immigration: 0.8 per 1000;
Infant
mortality: 7.5 per 1000 births;
Life expectancy: 79.2 years on
average (76.5 years for men and 82 years for women) (2020).
Percentage of people living with HIV: 0.4% (2018 est.).
Urban
population: 80.8% (in 2020).
Literacy - 97.9% (according to 2018
data)
Ethno-racial composition (2011)
65.8% white
13.65%
mestizo
6.72% - mulattoes
2.4% - Indians
1.03% - blacks
0.21% Asian
9.03% - "immigrants"
0.88% - others
Life
expectancy
Costa Rica has the highest life expectancy in Latin
America as of 2018 (80.1 years).
Life expectancy is 80.1 years.
Men - 77.5 years.
Women - 82.7 years.
Religion
The
predominant religion is Catholicism. According to the University of
Costa Rica, about 44.9% of the population are practicing Catholics.
13.8% of the population are evangelical Christians,
11.3% -
non-believers and agnostics,
4.3% - other religions
Jehovah's
Witnesses - 1.48% (as of 2011)
Mormons - 1%.
also a small Jewish
community.
Evangelical Christians are represented by the
Protestant Episcopal Church, Assemblies of God, Church of God,
Methodists, and Baptists.
According to the Constitution of 1949,
Catholicism was declared the official religion, the Church is not
separated from the state and is partly financed from the state budget.
In public schools in Costa Rica, the only republic of North America, the
teaching of religious subjects was introduced. The constitution
guarantees freedom of religion, while clerics cannot be elected to the
legislative assembly. There is a Protestant theological seminary in San
Jose, where students from various countries of North and South America
study. Some candidates for the presidency of Costa Rica in 2009 spoke in
favor of the idea of separating the Catholic Church from the state.
Costa Rica actively participates in the activities of
the UN and the OAS. Costa Rica has the right to vote in the
Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the Institute for Peace and in
many other international organizations related to human rights and
democracy.
The main goal of Costa Rica's international policy is
to stimulate the continuous development of human rights as a way to
maintain stability and growth. Costa Rica is also a member of the
International Criminal Court and an observer in the Non-Aligned
Movement. Since 1949, Costa Rica has been a permanently neutral state.
The economy of Costa Rica is based on tourism,
agriculture and the production and export of electronics
(microprocessors and medical devices). Foreign investors are attracted
by political stability, the qualifications of the workforce, and tax
incentives.
GDP per capita in 2016 - $ 11,835 (58th in the
world).
Industry (25% of GDP, 22% of employees) - production of
microprocessors, food industry, medical equipment, textiles and
clothing, building materials, fertilizers.
Agriculture (6% of
GDP, 14% of employees) - bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental
plants, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef, poultry, dairy
products; logging.
Service sector - 69% of GDP, 64% of employees.
Fuel prices are regulated by the state, the price is the same at all
filling stations. Costa Rica does not have a single minimum wage for all
sectors of the economy. It is set separately for each sector of the
country's economy. Costa Rica has the highest minimum wage in Latin
America. Effective January 1, 2021, the minimum wage ranged from
₡317915.58 ($519.51) per month for unskilled workers to ₡682607.23
($1115.45) per month for university graduates.
In 2016, President
Luis Guillermo Solis, at the opening of a new hydroelectric power
station, announced that Costa Rica had completely switched to renewable
energy sources.
Corruption
As of 2021, Costa Rica, according
to the Corruption Perceptions Index, has one of the lowest levels of
corruption among Latin American countries and is ranked 42nd in the
world, just behind Cape Verde and one position above the Republic of
Cyprus.
International trade
Exports in 2017 - $10.81 billion -
electronics, medical devices, bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons,
ornamental plants, sugar; seafood.
The main buyers are the USA
40.9%; Belgium 6.3%; Panama 5.6%; Netherlands 5.6%, Nicaragua 5.1%,
Guatemala 5%.
Imports in 2017 - $15.15 billion - raw materials,
consumer goods, industrial equipment, oil products.
The main
suppliers are the USA 38.1%; China 13.1%; Mexico 7.3%.
Armed
forces
The Constitution adopted on November 7, 1949 forbade the
creation and maintenance of a permanent professional army in peacetime;
instead, a “civil guard” (Guardia Civil) was created to protect the
country.
Social sphere
In 2009, Costa Rica ranked first in the
International Happiness Index.
Costa Ricans often refer to themselves as "tico"
(tico) - masculine - and "tica" (tica) - feminine. The word tico comes
from the local suffix "tico" or "tica" (e.g. "momentico" instead of
"momentito"). The phrase “Pura Vida” (“Perfect Life”) is the main slogan
of Costa Rica. The younger generation says "mae" - short for "maje" (mae
means guy, dude) - to each other, although such an address can be
perceived as an insult to the older generation; maje is a synonym for
tonto, which means fool, fool.
Costa Rica is proud of its
history. Mesoamerican and South American cultures met on the territory
of the modern country. The peninsula of Nicoya, located to the
northwest, was the southernmost area of influence of the Aztec culture
at the time the Spanish conquerors arrived (16th century); on the other
hand, the original culture of Gran Nicoya existed here in the
pre-Columbian period. The influence of the Chibcha culture was
widespread in the central and southern regions of the country. However,
the locals have only had a small impact on modern Costa Rican culture,
as they died from disease and internecine warfare.
Meanwhile, the
Atlantic coast was settled by African workers in the 17th and 18th
centuries. Many African Costa Ricans are descended from Jamaican workers
who in the 19th century built a network of railroads between the
settlements of the Central Plateau and the port of Limon on the
Caribbean coast. Italian and Chinese immigrants were also involved in
the construction of the railways.
Mass media
The most common
media are newspapers and radio. La Nacion, La Republica, and La Prensa
Libre are San José's largest Spanish-language dailies. The Tico Times
and Costa Rica Today are English-language newspapers primarily aimed at
tourists.
The state television and radio company - SINART
(Sistema Nacional de Radio y Televisión - "National System of Radio and
Television") - includes the Canal 13 TV channel and the Radio Nacional
radio channel.
Literature
One of the most famous writers of
Costa Rica, the author of the first national novels, Joaquín Garcia
Monge (1881-1958), for many years led the publication of the periodical
Repertorio Americano (1919-1958), which was famous throughout Latin
America. A noticeable trace in the literature of the 20th century. also
left the poet Roberto Brenes Mesen (1874-1947), prose writers Carmen
Lira (1888-1949), Carlos Luis Fallas (1909-1966), Fabian Dobles, Yolanda
Oreamuno (1916-1956), Joaquin Gutiérrez (1918-2000), Quince Duncan,
Alberto Cañas, Carmen Naranjo and poet Alfonso Chase. Currently, the
country is represented at international literary forums by the poet
Oswaldo Sauma.
Architecture and fine arts
In San Jose, Cartago
and Orosi, some buildings built in the Spanish colonial style have been
preserved. Of contemporary artists, the most famous painter, sculptor
and writer Max Jimenez (1908-1947), sculptor Francisco Zúñiga (b. 1913),
engraver Francisco Amigetti (b. 1908) and painter Rafael Fernandez. Gold
items of the pre-Hispanic Indians, as well as a collection of paintings,
are presented at the Museum of the Central Bank of Costa Rica (San
Jose), jade items - at the Jade Museum.
Theaters and libraries
Opera performances and symphony concerts are held in the building of the
National Theater in San Jose with stairs and balconies made of Carrara
marble, built at the request of the Costa Rican "coffee barons" (very
offended that one of the invited opera stars refused to come to the
country, for performances in an open area) by the best European
architects, and not inferior at the time of construction to the best
similar buildings in Europe. In addition to it, there are many small
theaters in the capital.
The National Library in San José,
founded in 1888, holds more than 175,000 volumes, and the library of the
University of Costa Rica, founded in 1946, has approx. 100 thousand
volumes. There are also significant collections in the national
archives.
The cuisine of Costa Rica consists primarily of rice,
fruits, fish, beans, meat and vegetables. Local culinary specialists, as
a rule, rarely use spices in their dishes, however, ketchup or chili
sauces are usually served with any dish.
Costa Rican coffee is
considered one of the best in the world, which is why it is consumed
here in huge quantities. It is served on the table in small jugs and
poured into tiny cups. Also throughout Costa Rica, herbal tea is
popular, which is brewed according to old recipes.
The most
popular dish in the country is casados (pinto) - a mixture of black
beans and rice with vegetables, which is served with meat dishes.
January 1 (New Year)
February 14 (Valentine's Day)
March 8 (International Women's Day)
April 11 (Day of Juan Santamaria,
hero of the 1856 war of Costa Rica against American mercenaries)
May
1 (Workers' Solidarity Day)
May 24 (Gricorinho Day)
third Sunday
in June ("Father's Day" or "Man's Day", "Dia del Padre")
July 25
August 2 (Day of Our Lady or "Angelic Virgin", accompanied by a mass
procession and procession to the Basilica Church in Cartago)
August
15 (Assumption of the Virgin and at the same time "Mother's Day")
September 15 (Independence Day of Central America from Spanish rule)
October 12 (Cristóbal Colón Day (the real spelling of the name
Christopher Columbus) and America's Discovery Day. This holiday is also
called "Culture Day" since it is believed that on this day there was a
meeting of European and Native American (Indian) cultures)
October 31
(Halloween carnival holiday, All Saints' Eve)
December 15 ("Festival
of Light", the evening carnival in San Jose - "Festival de la Luz".
Celebrated on the Saturday closest to December 15)
December 25
(Catholic Christmas).
The music of Costa Rica has not achieved notable
international popularity; the most famous genres of music in Costa Rica
are: the aboriginal dance direction calypso, which is separated from the
more famous Trinidadian calypso, which sounds in nightclubs in different
cities, such as San José; American and British rock 'n' roll, pop music
is common and popular among young people (especially urban youth), while
soca, salsa, merengue, cumbia and techno attract a more mature audience.
The most common instruments are guitar, accordion, mandolin and marimba
(wooden xylophone).
Education
The literacy rate in Costa Rica
is 96% (according to the World Book of Facts for February 2007), one of
the highest in Latin America. The share of spending on education in the
state budget is higher than in any other Latin American country. Costa
Rica introduced compulsory primary education. Most of the secondary
schools provide general education, but there are also a number of
technical and pedagogical specialization schools.
The leading
institution of higher education is the University of Costa Rica, founded
in 1843 and reorganized in 1940. Of the other public higher education
institutions worthy of mention are the Technological Institute in
Cartago, founded in 1971, the National University of Heredia (1973) and
the Open University of San José, which has a correspondence department.
Also in Costa Rica is the University of Peace, opened in 1980.