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Portal:Costa Rica

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The Costa Rica Portal

Introduction

Republic of Costa Rica
República de Costa Rica (Spanish)
Anthem: "Himno Nacional de Costa Rica" (Spanish)
"National Anthem of Costa Rica"
ISO 3166 codeCR

Costa Rica (UK: /ˌkɒstə ˈrkə/, US: /ˌkstə-/ ; 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

 How many provinces is Costa Rica divided into?

Hint
Fewer than flag Canada, but more than flag Pakistan.
Answer
Costa Rica has seven provinces.
Show another one (or just refresh the page)

Liberia (Spanish pronunciation: [li.ˈβe.ɾja]) is a district and the largest city in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica, located 215 kilometres (134 mi) northwest of the national capital, San José. Part of the Liberia canton, it is a major center for the country's tourism industry.

Liberia has been nicknamed la ciudad blanca (the white city) due to the white gravel that was once used to make the city's roads and the whitewashed colonial houses which used to make up a large part of the city. It had a population of 56,899 in 2013. (Full article...)

Did you know (auto-generated)

More Did you know - show another

...that Tortuguero National Park is the third-most visited park in Costa Rica, despite the fact that it can only be reached by airplane or boat?

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Costa Rica news

29 July 2024 – 2024 Venezuelan presidential election
Venezuela recalls its diplomats in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay after those countries oppose the election results. (TRT World)
Costa Rica news from Wikinews...

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References

  1. ^ "Biodiversity in Costa Rica". Archived from the original on 2011-11-18. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  2. ^ "Compulsory Voting". Internateal IDEA. Retrieved 9 Dec 2023.
  3. ^ State-sponsored Homophobia A world survey of laws prohibiting same sex activity between consenting adults[dead link] Archived 17 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Trejos, Alonso (1991). Geografía Ilustrada Costa Rica (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica: Trejos Editores. p. 128. ISBN 9977-54-029-2.