Costa Rica | History, Capital, Language, Flag, Facts & Geography of Costa Rica
History of Costa Rica:
Christopher Columbus was the first European to get foot in Costa Rica. It was in 1502, during his last voyage to America. Initial attempts to colonize Costa Rica were difficult. Obstacles such as pirates, weather, mosquito diseases, and unfriendly natives prevented permanent settlement for many years. In 1563, the city of Cartago became Costa Rica’s first permanent settlement. Costa Rica remained a Spanish colony for almost 300 years. In 1821 Costa Rica declared independence from Spain along with many other Central American colonies. It became an independent country in 1838.
Since the late 19th century, the only thing that has hindered the development of democracy in this country has been violence on her two occasions in a short period of time. In 1849 Costa Rica disbanded its army. Costa Rica still has a large agricultural sector, but a strong technology and tourism industry has boosted its economy. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is common.
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Costa Rica has been a democracy since 1899. There were only two major disruptions. First, from 1917 to 1919, when Federico Tinoko was dictator, and then in 1948, when José Figueres and some rebels revolted. Figueres became the new president, under whom a new constitution was drawn up, providing for universal suffrage and abolishing the army.
The name Costa Rica comes from the Spanish word meaning fertile coast. The Spaniards believed the land contained gold and other rich minerals. However, this was not the case and the island was used for farming instead.
Information about Costa Rica:
| Capital | San Jose |
| Population | 5,216,889 (Source: 2023 worldometer) |
| Major Cities | SAN JOSE (capital), Limon |
| Borders | Nicaragua to the North, Panama to the South, the Atlantic Ocean to the East, and the Pacific Ocean to the West |
| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | $68,380,838,316 (2022 worldometer) |
| Currency | Costa Rican colon (CRC) |
Flag of Costa Rica:
Costa Rica Economy Key Industries:
Costa Rica Major Industries: microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Costa Rica Agricultural Products: coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber
Costa Rica Natural Resources: hydropower
Costa Rica Major Exports: coffee, bananas, sugar, pineapples; textiles, electronic components, medical equipment
Costa Rica Major Imports: raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum
The Geography of Costa Rica:
Total Size of Costa Rica: 51,100 km² (source: 2022 The world factbook)
Geographical Low Point of Costa Rica: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Geographical High Point of Costa Rica: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m
Climate of Costa Rica: Tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
General Terrain of Costa Rica: Coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes
World Region or Continent of Costa Rica: Central America
Geographical Coordinates: 10 00 N, 84 00 W
The People of Costa Rica & Culture
Costa Rica Government Type: democratic republic
Costa Rica Nationality: Costa Rican (s)
Costa Rica National Holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Costa Rica Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Costa Rica National Symbol: clay-colored robin known as Yiguirro
Costa Rica National Anthem or Song: Himno Nacional de Costa Rica (National Anthem of Costa Rica)
Costa Rica Languages Spoken: Spanish (official), English
Costa Rica Religions: Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah’s Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
Interesting Facts about Costa Rica:
Costa Rica is divided into seven states: Heredia, Cartago, Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limon.
San Jose is Costa Rica’s largest city and also the capital. Here he lives with 339,980 inhabitants. Nearly half of the population, about 2 million people, live in the metropolitan area.
Costa Rica has a population of about 5 million. The national currency of Costa Rica is the colon. The exchange rate in 2022 is about $600 to $1. If there are multiple colons, they are called colons. The US dollar is also widely accepted in the country.
Costa Rica has a universal public education and the literacy rate is 97% she is the highest in Central America and one of the highest in South America.
Costa Rica became independent from Spain in 1821. This is the same year as other Central American countries. Its Independence Day is September 15th.
Street signs are rarely used in Costa Rica, but street names do exist. Most residents use landmarks to describe how to get to their destination.
Costa Rica is about the size of West Virginia in the United States and slightly smaller than Lake Michigan.
Costa Rica is home to over 5% of the world’s biodiversity, but its land accounts for only 0.03% of its surface.
Over 25% of Costa Rica’s land area is protected by 27 national parks. That includes Coco Island (Coco Island), which has some of the best diving spots in the world. This is where “Jurassic Park” was filmed.
Costa Rica has over 121 volcanic layers. He has seven active volcanoes. Poas volcano has his second largest crater in the world with a beautiful blue lagoon in its center. Arenal Volcano is one of the ten most active volcanoes in the world. The country’s youngest volcano is Arenal, which erupted in 1968. The eruption devastated the city of La Fortuna and killed thousands of Costa Ricans.
Chirripo is the highest mountain in Costa Rica. Elevation he is 3,820 m (12,533 ft). It is located near the small town of San Gerardo de Rivas. This national park spans three states: Limon, San Jose, and Heredia.
Related articles: San Gerardo de Rivas Travel Guide
#20 Costa Rica has a total coastline of 1,228 kilometers. 1,016 kilometers lie on the Pacific coast. 212 kilometers lie on the Caribbean coast.
Costa Rica has more sea than land, ten times as many. It has 625,000 square kilometers of ocean and only 52,000 kilometers of land.
Costa Rica has more than 300 of her beaches, more in the Pacific than in the Caribbean.
Costa Rica is the most visited country in Central America and one of the most visited countries in the world.
Costa Rica has only two seasons, the wet season and the dry season. The dry season lasts from December to May. The rainy season lasts from June to November.