Portal:Costa Rica
Introduction
Republic of Costa Rica República de Costa Rica (Spanish) | |
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Anthem: "Himno Nacional de Costa Rica" (Spanish) "National Anthem of Costa Rica" | |
ISO 3166 code | CR |
Costa Rica (UK: /ˌkɒstə ˈriːkə/, US: /ˌkoʊstə-/ ; Spanish: [ˈkosta ˈrika]; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in the Central American region of North America. Costa Rica is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as maritime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around five million0 in a land area of 51,060 km2 (19,710 sq mi). An estimated 333,980 people live in the capital and largest city, San José, with around two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area.
The sovereign state is a unitary presidential constitutional republic. It has a long-standing and stable democracy and a highly educated workforce. The country spends roughly 6.9% of its budget (2016) on education, compared to a global average of 4.4%. Its economy, once heavily dependent on agriculture, has diversified to include sectors such as finance, corporate services for foreign companies, pharmaceuticals, and ecotourism. Many foreign manufacturing and services companies operate in Costa Rica's Free Trade Zones (FTZ) where they benefit from investment and tax incentives.
Costa Rica was inhabited by indigenous peoples before coming under Spanish rule in the 16th century. It remained a peripheral colony of the empire until independence as part of the First Mexican Empire, followed by membership in the Federal Republic of Central America, from which it formally declared independence in 1847. Following the brief Costa Rican Civil War in 1948, it permanently abolished its army in 1949, becoming one of only a few sovereign nations without a standing army. (Full article...)
The Costa Rica Quiz
True or false: voting is mandatory in Costa Rica.
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Did you know (auto-generated)
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- ... that to animate conquistadors in Jungle Cruise, frogs were recorded in a Costa Rican forest?
- ... that while Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Barrios was exiled from Nicaragua and living in Costa Rica in the 1980s, his sister Claudia was there as Nicaragua’s ambassador?
- ... that in August 2021 Sheika Scott became the youngest player to score in the Costa Rican Women's Premier Division, at just 14 years old?
- ... that footballer Alexandra Pinell scored the Costa Rica U20 team's only goal at the FIFA tournament hosted by their country?
- ... that goalkeeper Daniela Solera had the most touches of any Costa Rican player in their opening match of the 2023 World Cup?
- ... that Marita Camacho Quirós, who was First Lady of Costa Rica (1962–1966), is the oldest former first lady in the world and a supercentenarian?
More Did you know -
...that the Irazú Volcano in Costa Rica erupted violently in 1963, on the day U.S. President John F. Kennedy arrived in the country?
Related portals
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scarlet macaw is native to Costa Rica. (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)The
- Costa Rican Women in traditional dress (from
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EEZ in the Pacific (from Costa Rica)The extent of Costa Rica's western
- Development of life expectancy in Costa Rica (from
- Real GDP per capita development in Costa Rica (from
- Provinces 1
- Eyelash viper (
- Countries (in blue) which have signed Free Trade Agreements with Costa Rica (from
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2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil (from Costa Rica)Costa Rica supporters at the
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national coat of arms was featured in the first postal stamp issued in 1862. (from Costa Rica)The 1849
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- The mangrove hummingbird is endemic to Costa Rica and specializes in feeding from the tea mangrove plant with its uniquely shaped beak. (from
- Costa Rica's tropical landscape (from
- The golden toad, an amphibian once endemic to Costa Rica, is now extinct. (from
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gallo pinto (from Costa Rica)Costa Rican breakfast with
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Las Carretas (oxcarts) are a national symbol. (from Costa Rica)
- Chatham beach on
- Waterfall in the
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University of Costa Rica is the largest university of the country and one of the most recognizable across Central America (from Costa Rica)The
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Rio Celeste (sky blue river) at Tenorio Volcano National Park in Costa Rica. (from Water resources management in Costa Rica)The
- Typical settlement of the
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José María Castro Madriz formally declared Costa Rica as independent from the Federal Republic of Central America in 1848. (from History of Costa Rica)
- Gallo Pinto (from
- Costa Rican school children (from
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Gregorio José Ramírez was the most notable political chief of the province of Costa Rica, leading republican forces victorious in the Battle of Ochomogo. (from History of Costa Rica)
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Ujarrás historical site in the Orosí Valley, Cartago province. The church was built between 1686 and 1693. (from Costa Rica)The
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national coat of arms was featured in the first postal stamp issued in 1862. (from History of Costa Rica)The 1849
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Stone spheres created by the Diquis culture at the National Museum of Costa Rica. The sphere is the icon of the country's cultural identity. (from Costa Rica)
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Yigüirro, Costa Rica's national bird (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
- Costa Rica map of Köppen climate classification (from
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Mantled howler monkey, male (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
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José Figueres Ferrer's symbolic act of the army's abolition on December 1st, 1948 at Cuartel Bellavista, today the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica. (from History of Costa Rica)
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army abolition by president José Figueres Ferrer on December 1, 1948, at Cuartel Bellavista (former army headquarters), site which now hosts the National Museum (from Costa Rica)Symbolic act of Costa Rica's
- Costa Rican kids. (from
- Population pyramid for Costa Rica 2023 (from
- Hospital Calderón Guardia, named after the
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Heliconius doris butterfly (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)The
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Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, Cartago), during the 2007 pilgrimage (from Costa Rica)Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (
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Epiphytes near Santa Elena (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
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Intel microprocessor facility in Costa Rica that was, at one time, responsible for 20% of Costa Rican exports and 5% of the country's GDP. (from Costa Rica)An
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Hospital CIMA in Escazú (from Costa Rica)
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Agalychnis callidryas) (from Costa Rica)Red-eyed tree frog (
- A red-eyed tree frog (
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zebra longwing butterfly (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)The
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References
- ^ "Biodiversity in Costa Rica". Archived from the original on 2011-11-18. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
- ^ "Compulsory Voting". Internateal IDEA. Retrieved 9 Dec 2023.
- ^ State-sponsored Homophobia A world survey of laws prohibiting same sex activity between consenting adults[dead link] Archived 17 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Trejos, Alonso (1991). Geografía Ilustrada Costa Rica (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica: Trejos Editores. p. 128. ISBN 9977-54-029-2.