Costa Rica Statistics
- Area - 50,895 square kilometers (20,000 square miles)
- Capital - San Jose (pop. 300,000)
- Population - Four million
- Language - Spanish
- Location - Central American between Nicaragua and Panama (between 8 and 11 degrees north of the equator)
- Currency - Colon (Varies, currently $1 US = about 240???) in notes of 5,000, 1,000, 500, 100 and 50
- Religion - More than 90 percent of Costa Ricans are Roman Catholic.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, a small Central American country of 20,000 square miles, about the size of West Virginia, has a population of 4 million. The official language is Spanish although English is widely spoken. The climate in the highlands is temperate, while in the lowlands and coastal areas, temperatures range from the high 70's to the 90's. The many varied climates of Costa Rica reveal the tremendous diversity and brilliance of the country's rich tropical setting. It is home to three volcanic mountain ranges, 9 active volcanoes, Pacific and Caribbean coastlines and numerous rainforests. Costa Rica is a multi-party democracy with over 400 years of unbroken peace, and the "Ticos" (as they are affectionately called)
are characterized by genuine friendliness and national pride.
Geography of Costa Rica
Costa Rica is known for its volcanoes. The country is divided by a backbone of volcanoes and mountains, an extension of the Andes-Sierra Madre chain which runs along the western side of the Americas. Costa Rica has four distinct cordilleras or mountain ranges -- Guanacaste and Tilaran in the north, Central and Talamanca in the south. Costa Rica is part of the Pacific “Rim of Fire” and has seven of the isthmus’s 42 active volcanoes plus dozens of dormant or extinct cones. Earth tremors and small quakes shake the country from time to time.
The last major quake hit on April 22, 1991.
Centered on the Caribbean side southeast of San Jose, it measured 7.4 on the Richter scale. The country’s highest point is Mt. Chirripo (3,797 meters). The capital, San Jose, and the neighboring major cities of Alajuela and Heredie lie in the middle of the Meseta Central (Central Valley). Almost two-thirds of the nation’s population lives in this small, fertile valley. The Pacific coastal plain is much narrower than its Caribbean counterpart. Both coasts are lined with white and black sand beaches.
Costa Rica’s Climate
Costa Rica is a tropical country with several distinct climatic zones. There is no winter or summer season as such, but rather a rainy season from May to November and a dry season from December to April for most regions. Annual rainfall averages 100 inches nationwide with some mountainous regions getting as much as 25 feet on exposed eastern slopes. Temperature is more a matter of elevation than location, with a mean of around 72 degrees for the Central Valley, 82 degrees for the Atlantic coast and 89 degrees for the Pacific coast.
Costa Rica Cloud Forest
Nestled on the slopes of the Tilaran Mountain Range, La Montaña Christian Camps is part of a vast section of cloud forest. Cloud forest clothes the top of all but the highest of the Costa Rica’s mountains. Driven by the northeast trade winds, clouds sweep up and over the mountains and through the treetops, bathing the forest in moisture. Cloud forest is a land of gnarled trees, festooned with orchids, bromeliads and other epiphytes, which thrive in the highly humid environment. Beads of moisture cling to countless leaves and sparkle when sunlight filters through the mist, making this one of the most pure water sources in the world. Huge areas of cloud forest are protected in Costa Rica in national parks and reserves that are strung out along the continental divide.
A Brief History of Costa Rica
Human habitation can be traced as far back as 6,000 years but it appears Costa Rica was sparsely populated and a relative backwater in the pre-Columbian era. There some sign of major communities, but none of the impressive stone architecture that characterized the more advanced civilizations of Mesoamerica to the north and the Andes to the south. When Columbus arrived near Limon on September 18, 1502 on his third and last voyage to the Americas, the country probably had no more than 20,000 indigenous inhabitants. These early occupants lived in several autonomous tribes, all with distinct cultures and customs. Costa Rica’s only major archaeological site is at Guayabo, 30 miles east of San Jose‚, where an ancient city, dating back to 1000 B.C. was thought to have housed 10,000 people at its peak. The site is currently under excavation. Many interesting gold, jade and pottery artifacts have been found throughout the region and are on display in several museums in San Jose.
The Indians gave Columbus gold and he returned to Europe with reports of a plentiful supply of the yellow metal. But the adventurers who arrived to cash in found only hostile Indians, swamps and disease for their trouble. Several early attempts to colonize the Atlantic coast failed for the same reasons, and for almost half a century, Costa Rica was passed over, while colonization gathered pace in countries to the north and south. In 1562, the Spanish administrative center in Guatemala sent Juan Vasquez de Coronado to Costa Rica as governor, and Cartago was established as the capital the following year. With no Indian slaves to work the land, the colonists were forced to work the land themselves, scratching out a meager subsistence tilling small plots. The impoverished colony grew slowly and was virtually ignored by Spanish rulers in Guatemala. By the late 18th century, agricultural settlements became more profitable with the introduction of of wheat and tobacco exports.
Central America gained independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. The news reached Costa Rica a month after the event. The question of whether Costa Rica should join the newly independent Mexico or join a new confederation of Central American states resulted in a bitter quarrel between leaders in San Jose and their counterparts in Cartago and Heredia. A brief civil war ensued in 1823 won by San Jose, and Costa Rica eventually joined the confederation.
Juan Mora Fernandez was elected the country’s first head of state in 1824. His progressive administration expanded public education and encouraged the cultivation of coffee with land grants for growers. This quickly led to the establishment of a new Costa Rican elite, the coffee barons, who quickly put their power to use by overthrowing the first Costa Rican president, Jose Maria Castro. His successor, Juan Rafael Mora, is remembered as the leader who mobilized a volunteer force of Costa Rican militia to defeat William Walker, ending the North American adventurer’s ambitions to turn Central America into a slave state and annex it to the Confederacy.
After more than a decade of political turmoil, General Tom S Guardia seized power in 1870. Though he ruled as a military dictator, his 12 years in power were marked by progressive policies like free and compulsory primary education, restriction of military excesses and the taxing of coffee profits to finance public works. It was Guardia who contracted Minor Keith to build the Atlantic railroad from San Jose to the Caribbean. The post-Guardia years witnessed the fitful transition to full democracy.
The next important era began with the election of Dr. Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia in 1940. His enlightened policies included land reform, a guaranteed minimum wage and progressive taxation. However, when Calderon’s United Social Christian Party refused to step down after losing the 1948 election, civil war erupted. The anti-Calderon forces were led by Jose Mar¡a (Don Pepe) Figueres Ferrer who had been exiled to Mexico in 1942. Supported by the governments of Guatemala and Cuba, he won a civil war that lasted 40 days and cost 2,000 lives.
Figueres became head of the Founding Junta of the Second Republic of Costa Rica. He consolidated the reforms introduced by Calderon and introduced many of his own: He banned the Communist Party, gave women the right to vote and granted full citizenship to blacks, abolished the armed forces, established a term limit for presidents and nationalized the banks and insurance companies. He also founded the Partido de Liberacion Nacional. (The PLN won last year’s presidential election behind Don Pepe’s son, now President Jose Mar¡a Figueres Olsen.
Don Pepe died in 1990 a national hero, his deeds having set the scene for the social and economic progress that would earn Costa Rica its reputation as a peaceful and stable island of democracy in one of the world’s most politically unstable, and often war-torn regions. When civil war broke out in neighboring Nicaragua, Costa Rica was drawn reluctantly into the conflict, its northern zone being used as a base first for Sandinista and later for “contra” forces. In 1986, a young lawyer called Oscar Arias Sanchez was elected president on a platform of peace. Arias’ tireless efforts to promote peace in the region were rewarded when the five Central American presidents signed his peace plan in Guatemala City in 1987, an achievement that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.
Costa Rica’s Government
Costa Rica is a democratic republic. Under the 1949 constitution, all citizens are guaranteed equality before the law, the right to own property, the right of petition and assembly, freedom of speech and the right to habeas corpus. The constitution also divides the government into executive, legislative and judicial branches. The executive branch is comprised by the president, two vice presidents and a cabinet. The legislative body is the National Assembly, comprised by 57 members (diputados) elected by proportional representation. National elections are held every four years, on the first Sunday of February. A president may serve only two four-year term during his lifetime. Diputados also are elected for four years and may serve a second term four years after the first ends. The largest political party is the National Liberation Party (PLN). Its main rival is the more progressive Partido Accion Ciudadana (PAC).
Travel Documents
Citizens of the U.S., Canada and Panama may enter Costa Rica with a tourist card and one other piece of identification e.g. passport, driver’s license or birth certificate. Tourist cards can be obtained in advance from any Costa Rican embassy or consulate and are valid for 30 days. No passport or visa is needed. If you want to stay longer, a valid passport allows Canadians and Americans to stay for up to 90 days. Citizens of all other countries require a valid passport to enter Costa Rica. You are required to carry your passport or tourist card with you at all times. If you are stopped by officials, a photocopy with your photo, passport number and entry stamp will usually suffice.
Health Issues and Costa Rica
You are unlikely to encounter any serious diseases in Costa Rica. Sanitary standards are high and the health system is excellent. During the past two wet seasons there have been several outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease dengue but so far there have been no reported cases of the more serious hemorrhagic dengue. No vaccinations are required to enter Costa Rica as epidemic diseases have been all but eradicated throughout the country. Infectious hepatitis, a serious problem throughout Central America, is reported only rarely in Costa Rica.
Several private hospitals in San Jose offer emergency medical services to foreigners are reasonable prices: Clinica Biblica (avenida 14, calles central & 1, tel. 223-6422) also has a 24-hour pharmacy. Costa Rica’s Social Security system (the Caja) offers a medical insurance assistance program for foreigners needing emergency medical assistance. The coverage can be bought at travel agencies, language schools or through tour companies.
