Portal:Costa Rica

Republic of Costa Rica
*República de Costa Rica* (Spanish)
Republic of Costa Rica República de Costa Rica (Spanish)
	Flag Coat of arms
	Anthem: "Himno Nacional de Costa Rica" (Spanish); "National Anthem of Costa Rica"
ISO 3166 code	CR

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The Costa Rica Portal

Introduction

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. It borders 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 nearly 51,180 km² (19,760 sq mi). An estimated 352,381 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 presidential republic. It has a long-standing and stable constitutional 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.

Answer

True, but in practice this is not enforced.^[2]

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Skyline of San José in 2023

San José (Spanish: [saŋ xoˈse]; meaning "Saint Joseph") is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of San José Province. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Central Valley, within San José Canton. San José is Costa Rica's seat of national government, focal point of political and economic activity, and major transportation hub. San José is simultaneously one of Costa Rica's cantons, with its municipal land area covering 44.62 square kilometers (17.23 square miles) and having within it an estimated population of 352,381 people in 2022. Together with several other cantons of the central valley, including Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago, it forms the country's Greater Metropolitan Area, with an estimated population of over 2 million in 2017. The city is named in honor of Joseph of Nazareth.

Founded in 1736 by order of Cabildo de León, the population of San José rose during the 18th century through the use of colonial planning. It has historically been a city of strategic importance, having been the capital of Costa Rica three times. More than a million people pass through it daily. It is home to the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, the National Theatre of Costa Rica, and La Sabana Metropolitan Park. Juan Santamaría International Airport serves the city. (Full article...)

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... that goalkeeper Daniela Solera had the most touches of any Costa Rican player in their opening match of the 2023 World Cup?
... 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?

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...that the Irazú Volcano in Costa Rica erupted violently in 1963, on the day U.S. President John F. Kennedy arrived in the country?

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Image 1Hospital Calderón Guardia, named after the president who instituted universal health care across the country in 1941 (from Costa Rica)
Image 2The zebra longwing butterfly (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 3Eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 4Typical settlement of the Diquis indigenous people before the arrival of Columbus. (from History of Costa Rica)
Image 5The Ujarrás historical site in the Orosí Valley, Cartago province. The church was built between 1686 and 1693. (from Costa Rica)
Image 6Costa Rican Women in traditional dress (from Culture of Costa Rica)
Image 7The Heliconius doris butterfly (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 8Provinces 1 Alajuela, 2 Cartago, 3 Guanacaste, 4 Heredia, 5 Limón, 6 Puntarenas, 7 San José (from Costa Rica)
Image 9The golden toad, an amphibian once endemic to Costa Rica, is now extinct. (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 10The extent of Costa Rica's western EEZ in the Pacific (from Costa Rica)
Image 11Costa Rica's tropical landscape (from Water resources management in Costa Rica)
Image 12The mangrove hummingbird is endemic to Costa Rica and specializes in feeding from the tea mangrove plant with its uniquely shaped beak. (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 13Hospital CIMA in Escazú (from Costa Rica)
Image 14Red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) (from Costa Rica)
Image 15Costa Rican breakfast with gallo pinto (from Costa Rica)
Image 16Epiphytes near Santa Elena (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 17Costa Rica map of Köppen climate classification (from Costa Rica)
Image 18Yigüirro, Costa Rica's national bird (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 19The University of Costa Rica is the largest university of the country and one of the most recognizable across Central America. (from Costa Rica)
Image 20An 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)
Image 21Chatham beach on Cocos Island. (from Water resources management in Costa Rica)
Image 22Mantled howler monkey, male (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 23Countries (in blue) which have signed Free Trade Agreements with Costa Rica (from Costa Rica)
Image 24Gregorio 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)
Image 25An industrial park in Heredia (from Costa Rica)
Image 26The 1849 national coat of arms was featured in the first postal stamp issued in 1862. (from History of Costa Rica)
Image 27Population pyramid for Costa Rica 2023 (from Costa Rica)
Image 28Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, Cartago), during the 2007 pilgrimage (from Costa Rica)
Image 29A coffee plantation in the Orosí Valley (from Costa Rica)
Image 30Costa Rican kids. (from Culture of Costa Rica)
Image 31Costa Rica supporters at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil (from Costa Rica)
Image 32José María Castro Madriz formally declared Costa Rica as independent from the Federal Republic of Central America in 1848. (from History of Costa Rica)
Image 33Arenal Volcano National Park is one of the country's tourist attractions. (from Costa Rica)
Image 34Development of life expectancy in Costa Rica (from Costa Rica)
Image 35Waterfall in the Tenorio Volcano National Park (from Costa Rica)
Image 36The scarlet macaw is native to Costa Rica. (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 37The Rio Celeste (sky blue river) at Tenorio Volcano National Park in Costa Rica. (from Water resources management in Costa Rica)
Image 38The 1849 national coat of arms was featured in the first postal stamp issued in 1862. (from Costa Rica)
Image 39Real GDP per capita development in Costa Rica (from Costa Rica)
Image 40Costa Rican school children (from Costa Rica)
Image 41Las Carretas (oxcarts) are a national symbol. (from Costa Rica)
Image 42Stone 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)
Image 43Barack Obama and Laura Chinchilla with Costa Rican children in San José (from Costa Rica)
Image 44Gallo Pinto (from Culture of Costa Rica)
Image 45A red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)

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Costa Rica news

26 November 2024 –

Five people are killed and another is in critical condition when a Cessna 206 Stationair aircraft crashes into the Pico Blanco mountain near San José, Costa Rica. (DW) (The Tico Times)

29 July 2024 – 2024 Venezuelan presidential election