About Costa Rica

…some basic Costa Rica information:

The Republic of Costa Rica is a sovereign country located 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.

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.

Costa Rica protects 23% of its national territory within the Protected Areas system. It also possesses the greatest density of species in the world.

In 2007 the government of Costa Rica stated that they want to be the first country to become carbon neutral by 2021.

Government

Costa Rica is a democratic republic with a strong constitution. The country has had at least 59 years of uninterrupted democracy, making it one of the most stable countries in the region. Costa Rica has been able to avoid the widespread violence that has plagued most of Latin America.

Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army.

Demographics

Costa Rica has a population of 4,509,290. Whites and mestizos combined make up 94% of the population , while 3% are Black/Afro-Caribbean, 1% Amerindian, 1% Chinese, and 1% other. The white population is primarily of Spaniard ancestry with significant numbers of Costa Ricans of Italian, German, English, Dutch, French, Irish, Portuguese, Lebanese and Polish families, as well a sizable Jewish community.

Language

The only official language is Spanish. Spanish is spoken as mother tongue by a 97% of the population the other 3% is composed by Amerindian languages and English-creole.  Jamaican immigrants in the 19th century brought with them a dialect of English that has evolved into the Mekatelyu creole dialect.  English is a language commonly taught in educational institutions, as are French and Portuguese.

Religion

Christianity is the predominant religion, and Roman Catholicism is the official state religion according to its 1949 Constitution, which at the same time guarantees freedom of religion.

Ecology

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 percentage of protected areas in the world.

Tourism

With a $2.2 billion per year tourism industry, Costa Rica stands as the most visited nation in the Central American region, with 2.0 million foreign visitors in 2008, which translates into a relatively high expenditure per tourist of $1,100 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. and Canada (46%), and Europe (16%). In 2005, tourism contributed 8.1% of the country’s GNP and represented 13.3% of direct and indirect employment. Tourism now earns more foreign exchange than Costa Rica’s agricultural crops of 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 the 2009 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, Costa Rica ranked 42nd in the world and first among Latin American countries. Just considering the sub-index natural resources, Costa Rica ranks 6th worldwide in terms of the natural resources pillar, but 89th in terms of its cultural resources.

Many visitors love Costa Rica so much, they return regularly.  There is a large and growing population of foreign residents that decided to relocate or retire here – making Costa Rica their permanent home.

Bugs

And finally, Costa Rica is a tropical paradise; meaning insects that provide vital environmental and biological functions are numerous and everywhere.  The key to living in harmony with nature in Costa Rica is to keep a clean living area where no food source will encourage the little critters to venture in where they are not welcome.

source: wikipedia.org