The Country Costa Rica

The country of Costa Rica (‘rich coast’, formerly also called ‘Costarica’) is located in Central America. It borders on Nicaragua in the North and Panama in the South. Costa Rica’s east coast lies on the Caribbean Sea while its west coast lies on the Pacific Ocean.

The vast majority of the population is Christian (89% Catholic, 8% Protestant).

The topography of Costa Rica can be divided into 3 areas: the volcanic Cordilleras mountain chains, the alluvial plains of the Caribbean coast, and the hilly Pacific coast. In the Cordilleras there are many active and extinct volcanoes, among them Turialba. The three most-visited are the Volcán Poás (2704 m), the Arenal (1633 m) and the Irazú (3432 m). Costa Rica is most heavily populated on the central plateau (Meseta Central) area in the Central Cordilleras; the biggest cities in the country, San José, Alajuela, Cartago und Heredia, are located here.

Costa Rica’s climate is characterized by two seasons: rainy and dry. The rainy season lasts from May to November, the dry season from December to April. Due to its position between 8 and 11° north latitude, Costa Rica is in the tropics. But the amount of rain varies greatly: In San José there are 1.867 mm of rain per year, and on the Caribbean coast Puerto Limón has almost twice as much with 3.518 mm.

Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces (provincias):
- Alajuela (north of the capital city)
- Cartago
- Guanacaste (northwest)
- Heredia
- Limón
- Puntarenas (southwest)
- San José (the area around the capital city)

History:

In 1821, Costa Rica gained independence from the former colonial power Spain. Costa Rica’s history is, by Central American standards, one of success. Since the late 19th century there have only been two short periods of violence that affected the country’s democratization.
President José Figueres Ferrer (1948–49, 1953–58, 1970–74) abolished the army by constitution on May 8th, 1949, after the country had joined the TIAR alliance (Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance). The police took over border control. In 1983, President Luis Alberto Monge, in the face of the intensification of civil wars in Central America (especially in Nicaragua), announced the permanent, active and unarmed neutral status of his country. Costa Rica is also called ‘Switzerland of Central America’ – not only due to its mountainous landscape, but also its relative wealth.