Portal:Costa Rica

Republic of Costa Rica
*República de Costa Rica* (Spanish)
Republic of Costa Rica República de Costa Rica (Spanish)
	Flag Coat of arms
	Anthem: "Himno Nacional de Costa Rica" (Spanish); "National Anthem of Costa Rica"
ISO 3166 code	CR

The Costa Rica Portal

Introduction

Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central 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

Same-sex sexual relations have been legal in Costa Rica since what year?

Hint

They were legalized in the 20th century.

Answer

Same-sex sexual relations have been legal in Costa Rica since 1971.^[3]

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Indigenous territories in Costa Rica

Indigenous people of Costa Rica, or Native Costa Ricans, are the people who lived in what is now Costa Rica prior to European and African contact and the descendants of those peoples. About 114,000 indigenous people live in the country, comprising 2.4% of the total population. Indigenous Costa Ricans strive to keep their cultural traditions and languages alive.

In 1977, the government passed the Indigenous Law, which created reserves. There are a total of 24 indigenous territories located throughout Costa Rica. After only gaining the right to vote in 1994, they are still fighting for their rights, particularly regarding the government taking over their land and ignoring the articles which protect them. While indigenous people have struggled for legal recognition of their rights, Costa Rica did sign the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007. (Full article...)

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Costa Rica's most famous bull killed two men and loved mangos?
... that goalkeeper Daniela Solera had the most touches of any Costa Rican player in their opening match of the 2023 World Cup?
... that footballer Alexandra Pinell scored the Costa Rica U20 team's only goal at the FIFA tournament hosted by their country?
... that in August 2021 Sheika Scott became the youngest player to score in the Costa Rican Women's Premier Division, at just 14 years old?

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...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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Related portals

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Image 1The golden toad, an amphibian once endemic to Costa Rica, is now extinct. (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 2The zebra longwing butterfly (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 3Las Carretas (oxcarts) are a national symbol. (from Costa Rica)
Image 4Chatham beach on Cocos Island. (from Water resources management in Costa Rica)
Image 5A coffee plantation in the Orosí Valley (from Costa Rica)
Image 6The University of Costa Rica is the largest university in the country and one of the most recognizable across Central America. (from Costa Rica)
Image 7The Ujarrás historical site in the Orosí Valley, Cartago province. The church was built between 1686 and 1693. (from Costa Rica)
Image 8Epiphytes near Santa Elena (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 9An industrial park in Heredia (from Costa Rica)
Image 10Real GDP per capita development in Costa Rica (from Costa Rica)
Image 11The Heliconius doris butterfly (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 12Countries (in blue) which have signed Free Trade Agreements with Costa Rica (from Costa Rica)
Image 13Costa Rica supporters at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil (from Costa Rica)
Image 14Gallo Pinto (from Culture of Costa Rica)
Image 151849 national coat of arms was featured in the first postal stamp issued in 1862. (from Costa Rica)
Image 16José María Castro Madriz formally declared Costa Rica as independent from the Federal Republic of Central America in 1848. (from History of Costa Rica)
Image 17Costa Rica's tropical landscape (from Water resources management in Costa Rica)
Image 18Costa Rican kids. (from Culture of Costa Rica)
Image 19A red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 20The mangrove hummingbird is endemic to Costa Rica and specializes in feeding from the tea mangrove plant with its uniquely shaped beak. (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 21An Intel microprocessor facility in Costa Rica that was, at one time, responsible for 20% of Costa Rican exports and 5% of the country's GDP (from Costa Rica)
Image 22Development of life expectancy in Costa Rica (from Costa Rica)
Image 23Costa Rican breakfast with gallo pinto (from Costa Rica)
Image 24Stone spheres created by the Diquis culture at the National Museum of Costa Rica. The sphere is the icon of the country's cultural identity. (from Costa Rica)
Image 25Population pyramid of Costa Rica for 2024 (from Costa Rica)
Image 26Barack Obama and Laura Chinchilla with Costa Rican children in San José (from Costa Rica)
Image 27The Rio Celeste (sky blue river) at Tenorio Volcano National Park in Costa Rica. (from Water resources management in Costa Rica)
Image 28Hospital CIMA in Escazú (from Costa Rica)
Image 29Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, Cartago), during the 2007 pilgrimage (from Costa Rica)
Image 30Yigüirro, Costa Rica's national bird (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 31The extent of Costa Rica's western EEZ in the Pacific (from Costa Rica)
Image 32Typical settlement of the Diquis indigenous people before the arrival of Columbus. (from History of Costa Rica)
Image 33Hospital Calderón Guardia, named after the president who instituted universal health care across the country in 1941 (from Costa Rica)
Image 34Arenal Volcano National Park is one of the country's tourist attractions. (from Costa Rica)
Image 35Costa Rican Women in traditional dress (from Culture of Costa Rica)
Image 36Costa Rican school children (from Costa Rica)
Image 37Provinces 1 Alajuela, 2 Cartago, 3 Guanacaste, 4 Heredia, 5 Limón, 6 Puntarenas, 7 San José (from Costa Rica)
Image 38Mantled howler monkey, male (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 39Costa Rica map of Köppen climate classification (from Costa Rica)
Image 40The scarlet macaw is native to Costa Rica. (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 41Red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) (from Costa Rica)
Image 42Waterfall in the Tenorio Volcano National Park (from Costa Rica)
Image 43The 1849 national coat of arms was featured in the first postal stamp issued in 1862. (from History of Costa Rica)
Image 44Eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii) (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)
Image 45Gregorio José Ramírez was the most notable political chief of the province of Costa Rica, leading republican forces victorious in the Battle of Ochomogo. (from History of Costa Rica)

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Costa Rica news

6 January 2025 –

Colombian bank Davivienda and Canadian bank Scotiabank announces a merger where Davivienda will absorb Scotiabank's operations in Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama, and, Scotiabank will acquire 20% of Davidienda's stakes. (Scotiabank)

Costa Rica news from Wikinews...

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