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Republic of Costa RicaRepública de Costa Rica
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Noble patria, tu hermosa bandera  Template:Es icon "Noble homeland, your beautiful flag"
Capitaland largest city	San José
Official languages	Spanish
Recognised regional languages	Mekatelyu
Ethnic groups	94% Primarily of European descent (White, Mestizo and Castizo) 3% Black 1% Chinese 1% Amerindian 1% Other
Demonym(s)	Costa Rican
Government	Const. Democracy (President. Republic)
• President	Oscar Arias (PLN)
• Vice President	Laura Chinchilla
Independence
• from Spain (via Guatemala)	September 15 1821
• from the UPCA	1838
Area
• Total	51,100 km (19,700 sq mi) (128th)
• Water (%)	0.7
Population
• July 2007 estimate	4,133,884 (119th)
• Density	85/km (220.1/sq mi) (107th)
GDP (PPP)	2006 estimate
• Total	$56.777 billion (84th)
• Per capita	$12,000 (62nd)
Gini (2001)	49.9 high inequality
HDI (2007)	0.846 Error: Invalid HDI value (48th)
Currency	Costa Rican colón (CRC)
Time zone	UTC-6
Calling code	506
ISO 3166 code	CR
Internet TLD	.cr

Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica (Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica, Template:IPAes), is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, 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 Costa Rica to be the first country to become carbon neutral by 2021.

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 3,820 metres (12,532 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, 300 mi (480 km) 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.

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Provinces, cantons, and districts

Costa Rica is composed of seven provinces, which in turn are divided into 81 cantons ("cantón" in Spanish, plural "cantones"), each of which is directed by a mayor. Mayors are chosen democratically every four years by each canton's people. There are no provincial legislatures. The cantons are further divided into districts (distritos). The provinces are:

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

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 disagreement with Nicaragua, its neighboring country over the San Juan River (Rio San Juan) which denotes the border between these two countries; the disagreement originates from the fact that the river, being Nicaraguan soil, is the only way of access to several communities in Costa Rica which need to be served by armed Costa Rican police forces.

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.

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. Around 25% of the country's land area is in protected national parks and protected areas, the largest percentual of protected areas in the world.

One national park that is 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, and a variety of reptiles, but is recognized for the annual nesting of the endangered green turtle and is the most important nesting site for the species. Giant leatherback, hawksbill, and loggerhead turtles also nest there.

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. As a whole, around eight hundred species of birds have been identified in Costa Rica. The Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBIO) is allowed to collect royalties on any biological discoveries of medical importance.

Costa Rica and parts of Panama are home to the highly endangered Red Backed Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri oerstedii) (Saimiri Wildlife). Deforestation, illegal pet-trading and hunting are the main reasons for its nearly extinct status.

Demographics

Costa Rica has a population of 4,133,884 of which 94% are White/Castizos/Mestizos, 3% are black, 1% amerindian, 1% chinese and 1% other. The exact amount, however, is not 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.

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% of the Costa Rican population is made up of Nicaraguans, most of whom migrate for seasonal work opportunities and then return to their country. 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  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 phoneme that is not 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. People 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 (e.g., "momentico" instead of "momentito"). The phrase "Pura Vida!" (approximately translatable to "This is living!", literal meaning "Pure Life!" as in "Distilled 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: American and British rock and roll, pop, reggae, and reggaeton are popular and common among the youth (especially urban youth) while dance-oriented genres like soca, salsa, bachata, merengue , cumbia and Costa Rican swing The guitar is a popular instrument especially as an accompaniment to Folk dances.

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.

Famous Costa Ricans

• Francisco Amighetti Painter.
• Óscar Arias Sánchez, Nobel Peace Prize winner (1987) and President of the Republic (1986–1990, 2006-current).
• Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, politician and social reformer. President of the Republic (1940–1944).
• Jose Maria Castro Madriz President, supreme court justice, university founder, newspaper founder.
• Franklin Chang-Díaz, Astronaut.
• José Figueres Ferrer, National caudillo and President of the Republic (1948–1949, 1953–1958, and 1970–1974).
• Joaquín Gutiérrez a famed writer.
• Clodomiro Picado Twight, Toxicologist.
• Claudia Poll Olympic gold medalist.
• Silvia Poll Olympic silver medalist.
• Juan Santamaría The official National Hero.

International Rankings

Worldwide ranking among countries evaluated. See notes (3) and (4) also

Ranking among the 20 Latin American countries.

Ranking among 108 developing countries with available data only.

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

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.

References

1. El Espíritu del 48. "Abolición del Ejército". Retrieved 2008-03-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) (Spanish)
2. UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008. "Table 1: Human development index" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy / Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University. "Switzerland Tops 2008 Environmental Scorecard at World Economic Forum". Retrieved 2008-03-09. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
4. ^ Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy / Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University. "Environmental Performance Index 2008, Metrics for Costa Rica". Retrieved 2008-03-09. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
5. "Costa Rica Aims to Be a Carbon-Neutral Nation". Retrieved 2008-02-18.
6. "Costa Rica Aims to Become First "Carbon Neutral" Country". Retrieved 2008-02-18.
7. "País quiere ser primera nación con balance neutro de carbono" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2008-02-18.
8. "Blacks of Costa Rica". World Culture Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2007-11-23. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
9. estudiofi
10. Costa Rica switches allegiance to China from Taiwan - Boston.com
11. Leo Hickman (2007-05-26). "Shades of green". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-06-08. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
12. Honey, Martha (1999), Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? (in Inglés), Island Press; 1 edition , Washington, D.C., p. 128-181, ISBN 1-55963-582-7{{citation}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) Chapter 5. Costa Rica: On the Beaten Path
13. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. "Issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries and recommendations on any further process" Table 1
14. Earth Trends (2003). "Biodiversity and Protected Areas - Costa Rica" (PDF). World Resources Institute. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
15. "Costa Rica National Parks and Reserves". World Headquarters. 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
16. Leonardo Coutinho and Otávio Cabral (2008-05-21). "O desafio da economia verde" (in Portuguese). Revista Veja. Retrieved 2008-06-08. Published on website "Planeta Sustentável"
17. Corcovado National Park, location in Costa Rica
18. Discover the diversity of Corcovado National Park in Southern Costa Rica - Go Visit Costa Rica
19. ^ Experience the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. - Go Visit Costa Rica
20. Costa Rica: Ethnic groups
21. White Settlement in Costa Rica
22. www.state.gov Background Note: Costa Rica - People
23. Biesanz, Karen Zubris; Biesanz, Mavis Hiltunen; Biesanz, Richard. The Ticos: Culture and Social Change in Costa Rica. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 118. ISBN 1-55587-737-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
24. [http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/central-america/costa-rica/san-jose?v=print San José Travel Guide: Overview - Lonely Planet WorldGuide Robbie Smith (a Dutch national) is on his way to costa Rica to "help out" be warned he may appear to be nice and innocent but that is what he wants you to think. Be warned do not trust Robbie Smith ]
25. The Jewish Community in Costa Rica
26. San José Costa Rica LDS (Mormon) Temple
27. The Phonemes of Costa Rican Spanish O. L. Chavarria-Aguilar Language, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 1951), pp. 248-253
28. UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008. "Table 3: Human poverty index: developing countries" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) page 240
29. UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008. "Table 3: Human poverty index: developing countries" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) page 238-240
30. Reporters Without Borders. "Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007". Retrieved 2008-03-13.
31. The Economist Intelligence Unit. "The World in 2007, Democracy Index 2006" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-13.
32. The Economist Intelligence Unit et al. (Vision of Humanity website). "Global Peace Index Rankings". Retrieved 2008-05-28.
33. The Economist Intelligence Unit. "Pocket World in Figures 2008" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-13.
34. World Economic Forum (2008). "The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2008" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
35. UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008. "Table 1: Human development index" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
36. The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal. "Index of Economic Freedom 2008". Retrieved 2008-03-14.
37. Transparency International. "Global Corruption Report 2007". Retrieved 2008-03-11.
38. World Economic Forum. "The Global Competitiveness Report 2007-2008". Retrieved 2008-03-09.
39. UNPD Human Development Report 2007/2008. "Inequality in income or expenditure". Retrieved 2008-08-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links

• Template:Dmoz
• Catholic Church in Costa Rica Template:Es icon
• Assembly of God Church in Curridabat-Costa Rica (Spanish)
• News & Events in Costa Rica
• Costa Rica City Search population, elevation, road maps, satellite photographs and more.
• Costa Rica information Portal
• Costa Rica Frequently Asked Questions
• Important Phone Numbers for Costa Rica

Government and administration

• Casa Presidencial Template:Es icon Official presidential site.
• Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, National Biodiversity Institute.
• Las Constituciones De Costa Rica De 1821-1949 Template:Es icon Costa Rican Constitution
• Costa Rica Tourist Board Template:En icon Costa Rica Official Web Site
• Costa Rica National Chamber of Tourism

National anthem lyrics

• Himno Nacional de Costa Rica Template:Es icon National Anthem Lyrics

Travel & tourism

• Template:Wikitravel

Geographic locale

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