Costa Rica (literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica (Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica, is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south-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.
History
In Pre-Columbian times the Indigenous people, in what is now known as Costa Rica, were part of the 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 invaders (conquistadores) came in the sixteenth century. The center 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 the Indians died from disease and mistreatment by the Spaniards.
During Spanish Colonial times, the principal city in Central America was Guatemala City. Costa Rica's distance from this hub 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. Another contributing factor to this poverty was lack of indigenous peoples to use for slave labor. While many Spaniards in the other colonies had slaves to work their land, many 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. Later, when Central America would gain its independence from Spain, Costa Rica's isolation would be a major reason for the breakup of the isthmus into the smaller states that exist today.
Costa Rica's membership in the newly formed United States of Central America, now free of Spanish rule, was short lived. The distance from Guatemala City to the Central Plateau of Costa Rica, where most of the population lived and still lives, was great. The local population had little allegiance to 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 Caribbean Costa Ricans of African descent descend from Jamaican slaves brought in during the nineteenth century to work in the construction of railways connecting the urban populations of the Central Plateau to the port of Limon on the Caribbean coast. The construction of the railways was funded by the United Fruit Company, in exchange for land. This led to a major economic shift in the nation, in which fruit would come to rival the coffee trade as a major Costa Rican export.
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. Nonetheless, the country has had at least fifty-nine years of uninterrupted democracy, which is by far the longest in Latin America. It is one of the most stable countries in Latin America. Costa Rica has avoided the violence that has plagued Central America; it is seen as an example of political stability in the region.
Executive responsibilities are vested in a president, who is the country's center of power. 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.
People
In 2005, Costa Rica had an estimated population of 4.43 million people. The majority of people in Costa Rica are descended from Spanish settlers. 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 to a lesser extent of mixed mestizo heritage. In addition, there are significant numbers of Costa Ricans of Italian, German, Jewish, and Polish descent. Together, European and Mestizos descendants make up a full 94% of the population. Just under 3% of the population is of black African descent who are called Afro-Costa Ricans and are English-speaking descendants of nineteenth century black Jamaican immigrant workers. Another 1% is composed of ethnic Chinese.
As of today, the indigenous population numbers around 1.7%, or around 50,000 individuals. In Guanacaste Province, a significant portion of the population descends from a mix of local Amerindians, Africans and Spaniards. There is also an expatriate community of people of all ages from the United States, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Britain, and other countries. An estimated 10% to 15% of the Costa Rican population is made up of Nicaraguans, most of whom migrate for seasonal work opportunities also with a growing number of agricultural workers from El Salvador. There is also a growing number of Colombians, Panamanian and Peruvian refugees. Moreover, Costa Rica took in lots of refugees from a range of other Latin American countries fleeing civil wars and dictatorships during the 1970s and 80s - notably from Chile and Argentina.
Religion
Christianity is a major religion in Costa Rica. 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 small but recent immigration from the Middle East, and other places, other religions have grown with smaller numbers of Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu adherents.
Crime
In recent years, San José has suffered a growing problem with crime, due partly to population growth in the greater metropolitan area and limited economic opportunities. Tourists are frequently targeted and it is advisable to use taxis even for extremely short distances. Visitors to the heart of San Jose should pay particular attention due to lax policing and the presence of gangs, some of which have operated with impunity for years. Tourists are advised to carry only as much cash as is required and to leave credit cards in a safe at their hotel.
Legal prostitution
Although prostitution is legal in Costa Rica, child prostitution is punished to the most severe extent of the law. This is regularly and endlessly reported by the local press and television. It is also covered in the annual reports of the U. S. State Department regarding prostitution and the international trafficking of minors. Government statistics prove that the problem is prevalently domestic in origin, but regardless this has been ignored by foreign governments that have blacklisted Costa Rica as a haven for paedophiles. However the government deals harshly with those criminals they arrest. There are a large number of small establishments in San Jose catering to locals seeking prostitutes. A small number of hotels might be tolerant with guests bringing in prostitutes but all are vigilant in protecting themselves and guests from entering with minors through verifying identification (such as checking of passports or national identification cards).
Attractions
The National Theater and the Melico Salazar offer hectic calendars of cultural activities, featuring theater and dance groups and orchestra music throughout the year.
There are some cafés in the downtown area, in the Central Mail building, The National Theater and the Melico Salazar, where national coffee is prepared and served in typical Costa Rican ways.
There are many museums and other attractions offering alternative ways of exploring the city. One of these is the Gold Museum, which offers a rare look at various gold artifacts of the ancient Latin American civilizations. An interesting attraction for the less adventurous is the Lankester Botanical Gardens just outside of San José.