Everything about Costa Rica totally explained
Costa Rica, officially the
Republic of Costa Rica (
Spanish:
Costa Rica or
República de Costa Rica, ), is a
republic in
Central America, bordered by
Nicaragua to the north,
Panama to the east-southeast, the
Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the
Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally
abolish its army. Among
Latin American countries, Costa Rica ranks 4th in terms of the 2007
Human Development Index, and 48th worldwide. Costa Rica is ranked 5th in the world in terms of the 2008
Environmental Performance Index, up from the 15th place in 2006. In 2007 the government of Costa Rica stated that they want to be the first country to become
carbon neutral by 2021.
History
In
Pre-Columbian times the
indigenous people, in what is now known as Costa Rica, were part of the international
Intermediate Area located between the
Mesoamerican and
Andean cultural regions. This has recently been updated to include the influence of the
Isthmo-Colombian area. It was the point where the Mesoamerican and South American native cultures met.
The northwest of the country, the
Nicoya Peninsula, was the southernmost point of
Nahuatl (named after Nitin) cultural influence when the
Spanish conquerors (
conquistadores) came in the
sixteenth century. The central and southern portions of the country had
Chibcha influences. However, the indigenous people have influenced modern Costa Rican
culture to a relatively small degree, as most of these died from diseases such as
smallpox and mistreatment by the Spaniards.
The first European to reach what is now Costa Rica was
Christopher Columbus in 1502. During
Spanish Colonial times, the principal city in
Central America was
Guatemala City. Costa Rica's distance from this hub led to difficulty in establishing trade routes and was one of the reasons that Costa Ricans developed in relative isolation and with little oversight from the
Spanish Monarchy ("
The Crown"). While this isolation allowed the
colony to develop free of intervention by The Crown, it also contributed to its failure to share in the prosperity of the Colonies, making Costa Rica the poorest Spanish Colony in
Central America. Costa Rica was described as "the poorest and most miserable Spanish colony in all Americas" by a Spanish governor in 1719.
Another contributing factor to this poverty was lack of indigenous peoples to use for
forced labor. While many Spaniards in the other colonies had tribal members to work their land, most of the Costa Rican settlers had to work their own land. For all these reasons, Costa Rica was by and large unappreciated and overlooked by the
Crown and left to develop on its own. It is believed that the circumstances during this period led to the formation of many of the idiosyncrasies that Costa Rica has become known for, while at the same time setting the stage for Costa Rica's development as a more egalitarian society than the rest of its neighbors. Costa Rica became a "rural democracy" with no oppressed mestizo or indigenous class. It wasn't long before
Spanish settlers turned to the hills, where they found rich volcanic soil and a
climate that was milder than that of the lowlands.
Costa Rica joined other Central American provinces in 1821 in a joint declaration of independence from Spain. After a brief time in the Mexican Empire of
Agustín de Iturbide Costa Rica became a state in the
Federal Republic of Central America from 1823 to 1839. In 1824 the capital was moved to
San José, but due to an intense rivalry with
Cartago, violence briefly ensued. Although the newly independent provinces formed a Federation, border disputes broke out among them, adding to the region's turbulent history and conditions.
Costa Rica's membership in the newly formed Federal Republic of Central America, now free of Spanish rule, was short lived; in 1838, long after the Central American Federation ceased to function in practice, Costa Rica formally withdrew and proclaimed itself sovereign. The distance from Guatemala City to the Central Valley of Costa Rica, where most of the population lived and still lives, was great. The local population had little allegiance to the government in Guatemala City, in part because of the history of isolation during Colonial times. Costa Rica's disinterest in participating as a
province in a greater Central American government was one of the deciding factors in the break-up of the fledgling federation into independent states, which still exist today. However, all of the Central American nations still celebrate September 15th as their independence day, which pertains to the independence of Central America from
Spain.
Most Afro-Costa Ricans, who constitute about 3% of the country's population, descend from
Jamaican
immigrants who arrived during the 1880s to work in the
construction of
railways connecting the urban populations of the Central Plateau to the port of
Limón on the Caribbean coast.
U.S. convicts and
Chinese immigrants also participated in the construction project, conducted by US businessman
Minor C. Keith. In exchange for completing the railroad, the Costa Rican government granted Keith large tracts of land and a lease on the train route, which he used to produce
bananas and export them to the United States. As a result, bananas came to rival coffee as the principal Costa Rican
export, while foreign-owned
corporations (including the
United Fruit Company) began to hold a major role in the national economy.
Historically, Costa Rica has generally enjoyed greater
peace and more consistent political stability compared with many of its fellow Latin American nations. Since the late nineteenth century, however, Costa Rica has experienced two significant periods of
violence. In 1917-19,
Federico Tinoco Granados ruled as a dictator until he was overthrown and forced into
exile. Again in 1948,
José Figueres Ferrer led an armed uprising in the wake of a disputed presidential election. With more than 2,000 dead, the resulting 44-day
Costa Rica Civil War was the bloodiest event in Costa Rican history during the twentieth-century. Afterwards, the new, victorious government
junta, led by the opposition, abolished the military and oversaw the drafting of a new constitution by a democratically-elected assembly. Having enacted these reforms, the regime finally relinquished its power on
8 November 1949 to the new democratic government. After the
coup d'etat, Figueres became a national hero, winning the country's first democratic election under the new constitution in 1953. Since then, Costa Rica has held 12 presidential elections, the latest being in 2006. All of them have been widely regarded by the international community as peaceful, transparent, and relatively smooth transitions.
Geography
Costa Rica is located on the Central American
isthmus, 10° North of the
equator and 84° West of the
Prime Meridian. It borders both the Caribbean Sea (to the east) and the
North Pacific Ocean (to the west), with a total of 1,290 kilometers (802 mi) of coastline (212 km / 132 mi on the Caribbean coast and 1,016 km / 631 mi on the Pacific). It is about the size of
West Virginia and shares that state's reputation for excellent whitewater kayaking/rafting opportunities.
Two of the country's most renowned rivers in that regard are the
Rio Pacuare and the
Rio Reventazon located near the city of Turrialba about two hours east of San Jose. Other notable whitewater areas are the Sarapiqui Valley area, several Pacific coast rivers near Quepos, and the southern Pacific drainage area around San Isidro de General.
Costa Rica also borders Nicaragua to the north (309 km / 192 mi of border) and Panama to the south-southeast (639 km / 397 mi of border). In total, Costa Rica comprises 51,100 square kilometers (19,730
sq. mi) plus 589.000 square kilometers of
territorial waters.
The highest point in the country is
Cerro Chirripó, at 3,810 metres (12,500 ft), and is the fifth highest peak in Central America. The highest volcano in the country is the
Irazú Volcano (3,431 m / 11,257 ft). The largest lake in Costa Rica is
Lake Arenal.
Costa Rica also comprises several islands.
Cocos Island stands out because of its distance from continental landmass (24 km² / 9.25 sq mi, 500 km or from
Puntarenas coast), but
Calero Island is the largest island of the country (151.6 km² / 58.5 sq mi).
Costa Rica protects 23% of its national territory within the
Protected Areas system. It also possesses the greatest density of species in the world.
Politics
Costa Rica is a democratic
republic with a strong
constitution. Although there are claims that the country has had more than 115 years of uninterrupted democracy, their
presidential election history shows otherwise (see
List of Presidents of Costa Rica). Nonetheless, the country has had at least fifty-nine years of uninterrupted democracy, making it one of the most stable countries in the region. Costa Rica has been able to successfully avoid the widespread
violence that has plagued most of
Central America.
Costa Rica is a republic with three powers: executive responsibilities are vested in a
president, legislative power is vested on the
Legislative Assembly, and Judicial power is vested on the Supreme Court. There also are two
vice presidents as well as a
cabinet designated by the
president. The president, vice presidents, and fifty-seven
Legislative Assembly delegates are elected for four-year terms. A
constitutional amendment approved in 1969 limited presidents and delegates to one term, although delegates were allowed to run again for an Assembly seat after sitting out a term.
The Supreme Electoral Body, the Office of the Comptroller General, the Office of the Procurator General of the Republic and the Office of the Ombudsman also enjoy a lot of independence.
The Supreme Court is divided into 4 chambers, one dealing with Constitutional Law, one dealing with Criminal Law and two dealing with Civil Law, Merchant Law and the like.
In April 2003, the constitutional
constitutional amendment ban on presidential re-election was reversed, allowing
Óscar Arias (
Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 1987) to run for President for a second term. In 2006,
Óscar Arias was re-elected in a tight and highly contested election, running on a platform of promoting
free trade. He took office on
May 8, 2006.
Certain autonomous state agencies enjoy considerable operational independence; they include the
telecommunications and
electrical power monopoly, the nationalized
commercial banks, the state
insurance monopoly, and the
social security agency. Costa Rica has no military by constitution but maintains domestic
police forces for internal
security. These include the Guardia Civil and the Guardia Rural.
Provinces and cantons
Costa Rica is composed of seven provinces, which in turn are divided into 81 cantons ("cantón" in Spanish, plural "cantones"), each directed by a mayor. Mayors are chosen democratically every four years by each canton's people. There are no provincial
legislatures.
- Alajuela
- Cartago
- Guanacaste
- Heredia
- Limón
- Puntarenas
- San José
Economy
According to the
CIA World Factbook, Costa Rica's GDP per capita is
US$13,500 (
2007 estimate); however, this
developing country still faces the fourth highest
inflation rate in Latin America, lack of maintenance and new investment in infrastructure, over 16% of the people were below the
poverty line (
2006 estimate) and a 5.5%
unemployment rate (
2007 estimate). The Costa Rican economy grew nearly 5% in 2006 after experiencing 4 years of slow economic growth.
The central government offers
tax exemptions for those who are willing to invest in the country. Several global high tech corporations have already started developing in the area
exporting goods including chip manufacturer
Intel, pharmaceutical company
GlaxoSmithKline, and consumer products company
Procter & Gamble. In 2006
Intel's microprocessor facility alone was responsible for 20% of Costa Rican exports and 4.9% of the country's
GDP. Trade with
South East Asia and
Russia has boomed during 2004 and 2005, and the country is expected to obtain full
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) membership by 2007 (the country became an observer in 2004).
For the
fiscal year 2005, the country showed a government
deficit of 2.1%,
internal revenue increased an 18%, and exports increased a 12.8%. Revised economic figures released by the
Central Bank indicate that
economic growth stood at 5%, nevertheless the country faced high
inflation (14%) and a
trade deficit of 5.2%. As of 2007, Costa Rica's inflation rate stands at 9.30%, Latin Americas 4th highest inflation rate.
Tourism
With a $1.9-billion-a-year
tourism industry, Costa Rica stands as the most visited nation in the Central American region, with 1.9 million foreign visitors in 2007, which translates into a relatively high expenditure per tourist of $1000 per trip, and a rate of foreign tourists per capita of 0.46, one of the highest in the Caribbean Basin. Most of the tourists come from the U.S. (54%) and the E.U. (14%). In 2005, tourism contributed with 8.1% of the country's GNP and represented 13.3% of direct and indirect employment. Tourism now earns more foreign exchange than bananas and coffee combined.
Ecotourism is extremely popular with the many tourists visiting the extensive
national parks and
protected areas around the country. Costa Rica was a pioneer in this type of tourism and the country is recognized as one of the few with real ecotourism. In terms of 2008
Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, Costa Rica reached the 44th place in the world ranking, being the first among Latin American countries. Just considering the subindex measuring human, cultural, and natural resources, Costa Rica ranks in the 24th place at a worldwide level, and ranks 7th when considering only the natural resources pillar.
The rapid growth of tourism also has the consequence of the country becoming a popular destination for
sex tourism. And despite the government and industry efforts,
child sex trade has been also a problem. A study estimated that "up to 10% of tourists who come to Costa Rica engage in sex tourism", with as many as 10,000 sex workers involved, many of whom are immigrants. Also it was reported that about 80% of the sex tourist are from the
US. This is largely due because
prostitution isn't
illegal
, but many of the activities surrounding it are indeed illegal, such as
pimping.
Foreign affairs
Costa Rica is an active member of the
United Nations and the
Organization of American States. The
Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the
United Nations University of Peace are based in Costa Rica. The Costa Rican State is also a member of many other international organizations related to
human rights and
democracy.
Costa Rica's main
foreign policy objective is to foster human rights and sustainable development as a way to secure stability and growth.
Costa Rica is also a member of the
International Criminal Court, without a
Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the
US-military (as covered under
Article 98).
Costa Rica also has had a lifelong battle with Nicaragua, it's neighboring country over the San Juan River (rio San Juan) which denotes the border between these two countries;although it geographically is within the borders of Nicaragua Costa Ricans like to claim it as their own.
On
June 1,
2007, Costa Rica broke ties with
the Republic of China in
Taiwan, switching to
the People's Republic of China in
mainland China.
(External Link)
Flora and fauna
Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of
plants and
animals. While the country has only about 0.1% of the world's landmass, it contains 5% of the world's
biodiversity. About 23% of Costa Rica is composed of protected
forests and reserves.
One
national park that's internationally-renowned among
ecologists for its
biodiversity (including
big cats and
tapirs) and where visitors can expect to see an abundance of
wildlife is the
Corcovado National Park.
Tortuguero National Park – the name
Tortuguero can be translated as "Full of Turtles" – is home to
spider,
howler and
white-throated Capuchin monkeys, the
three-toed sloth, 320 species of
birds (including eight species of
parrots), a variety of
reptiles, but is mostly recognized for the annual nesting of the endangered
green turtle and is considered the most important nesting site for this species. Giant
leatherback,
hawksbill, and
loggerhead turtles also nest here.
The
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is home to about 2,000
plant species, including numerous
orchids. Over four hundred types of
birds can be found here, and over one hundred species of
mammals. The exact amount, however, isn't known because the Costa Rican census combines mestizos and whites in one category. The white population is primarily of
Spanish ancestry with significant numbers of Costa Ricans of
Italian,
German,
Jewish and
Polish descent. In contrast to its neighboring countries' populations, less mixing of the Spanish settlers and the indigenous populations occurred. Therefore, a vast majority of Costa Ricans are either of Spanish or of mixed mestizo heritage.
Just under 3% of the population is of black
African descent. The majority of the
afro Costa Ricans are
Creole English-speaking descendants of nineteenth century black
Jamaican immigrant workers, as well as slaves who were brought during the
Atlantic slave trade.
The indigenous or Amerindian population numbers around 1%, or over 41,000 individuals. In the
Guanacaste Province a significant portion of the population descends from a bi-racial mix of local Amerindians and Spaniards. There is also an
expatriate community of people of all ages from the
United States,
Canada,
Germany,
Netherlands,
Britain, and other countries.
Costa Rica hosts many
refugees, mainly from
Colombia and
Nicaragua. As a result, an estimated 10% to 15% of the Costa Rican population is made up of
Nicaraguans, most of whom
migrate for seasonal work opportunities and then return to their country. There is also a growing number of
Peruvian refugees. Moreover, Costa Rica took in many refugees from a range of other
Latin American countries fleeing civil wars and dictatorships during the 1970s and 80s - notably from
Chile and
Argentina, as well as those from
El Salvador who fled from
guerrillas and government
death squads.
Religion
Christianity is the predominant religion in Costa Rica, and
Roman Catholicism is the official
state religion as guaranteed by the
Constitution of 1949. Some 92% of Costa Ricans are
Christian (External Link) and like many other parts of
Latin America,
Protestant denominations have been experiencing rapid growth. However, three in four
Costa Ricans still adhere to
Roman Catholicism.
Due to the recent small but continuous immigration of communities from
Asia, the
Middle East, and other places, other
religions have grown, the most popular being
Buddhism (because of an increasing
Chinese community of 40,000), and smaller numbers of
Jewish,
Muslim,
Bahá’í and
Hindu adherents.
There is a
Jewish synagogue, the
B'nei Israel Congregation, in
San José, near the La Sabana Metropolitan Park. Several homes in the neighborhood east of La Sabana Metropolitan Park are festooned with the
Star of David and other recognizable
Jewish symbols.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has seen modest growth in Costa Rica in the last 40 years and has built one of only two
temples in
Central America in the
San Antonio de Belen region of
Heredia.
Language
The only official language is
Spanish. There are two main accents native to Costa Rica, the standard Costa Rican and the Nicoyan. The Nicoyan accent is very similar to the standard Nicaraguan accent due, in part, to its vicinity. A notable Costa Rican pronunciation difference includes a soft initial and double [r] phoneme that isn't trilled as is normal in the Spanish speaking world..
Jamaican immigrants in the 19th Century brought with them a dialect of English that has evolved into the
Mekatelyu creole dialect.
Marriage
Because Roman Catholicism is the official state religion, only that church's marriages are legally recognized by the government. Any persons wishing to wed outside of the Catholic church must hire a lawyer who will perform and then register their civil wedding for them. Legal age for marriage in Costa Rica is 18. The age of consent is 15.
Culture
Costa Ricans often refer to themselves as
tico (masculine) or
tica (feminine). "Tico" comes from the popular local usage of "tico" and "tica" as diminutive suffixes (for example, "momentico" instead of "momentito"). The phrase "Pura Vida" (literally "Pure Life") is a
ubiquitous motto in Costa Rica. Some youth use
mae, a contraction of "maje" (
mae means "guy/dude"), to refer to each other, although this might be perceived as insulting to those of an older generation; maje was a synonym for "tonto" (stupid).
Costa Rica boasts a varied history. Costa Rica was the point where the
Mesoamerican and South American native cultures met. The northwest of the country, the Nicoya peninsula, was the southernmost point of
Nahuatl cultural influence when the Spanish conquerors (
conquistadores) came in the sixteenth century. The center and southern portions of the country had
Chibcha influences.
The Atlantic coast, meanwhile, was populated with African workers during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Most
afro Costa Ricans, however, derive from nineteenth-century
Jamaican workers, brought in to work on the construction of railroads between the urban populations of the Central Plateau and the port of
Limon on the Caribbean coast. Italian and Chinese immigrants also arrived at this time to work on railroad construction.
Music
Costa Rican popular music genres include: an indigenous
calypso scene which is distinct from the more widely-known
Trinidadian calypso sound audience that supports nightclubs in cities like San José. American and British rock and roll, pop and
reggaeton are popular and common among the youth (especially urban youth) while dance-oriented genres like
soca,
salsa,
bachata,
merengue and
cumbia have an appeal as well. Many dances and music of Costa Rica demonstrates an African, pre-Columbian, and Spanish influence. The guitar is a popular instrument especially as an accompaniment to Folk dances.
Cuisine
See Costa Rican cuisine entry.
Education
The literacy rate in Costa Rica is of 96% (CIA World Factbook, February 2007), one of the highest in Latin America. Elementary and high schools are found throughout the country in practically every community. Universal public education is guaranteed in the Constitution. Primary education is obligatory, and both preschool and high school are free. There are both state and private universities.
There are only a few schools in Costa Rica that go beyond the 12th grade. Those schools that finish at 11th grade receive a Costa Rican Bachillerato Diploma accredited by the Costa Rican Ministry of Education.
International Rankings
(2) Ranking among the 20 Latin American countries. » (3) Ranking among 108 developing countries with available data only.
(4) Ranking among 71 developing countries with available data only. Countries in the sample suveyed between 1990-2005. Refers to population below income poverty line as define by the World Bank's $2 per day indicator » (5) Because the Gini coefficient used for the ranking corresponds to different years depending of the country, and the underlying household surveys differ in method and in the type of data collected, the distribution data are not strictly comparable across countries. The ranking therefore is only a proxy for reference purposes.Further Information
Get more info on 'Costa Rica'.
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