Jonathan Boyd Kayla Delgado Teral Hillard 04/21/2015 Economics of Latin America: (Costa Rica) Costa Rica is bordered by Nicaragua and Panama in the Northwest part of Latin America. The population is 4.77 million as of December 2014, with an unemployment rate of 10 percent. The currency for Costa Rica is the Costa Rica Colon (CRC) and the exchange rate to the dollar is 539.3 2014 CRC per US dollar (WFB). Although their economy is growing, with a 5 percent growth rate in 2006, Costa Rica 's public infrastructure has been a huge problem for many years (Trading Economics, 2015). It suffered from a lack of maintenance and new investment. The country has an extensive road system of more than 30,000 kilometers, and although much of it is in disrepair, most parts of the country are only accessible by road (U.S. Department of State, n.d.). In the past, Costa Rica has relied heavily on their presidents to change the way the country works. Jose Figueres was probably the most impactful on Costa Rica in terms of making it easier for the state intervene in the economy. Costa Rica has gone through much change throughout its existence in our history. An estimated 400,000 Indians inhabited the land when Christopher Columbus explored its country in 1502 (Anywhere Costa Rica, n.d.). However, initial attempts at colonizing in the 16th century proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate
Costa Rica is currently at the population of 4,500,000. The national territory is 31,682 square miles. If you compare that to size of the United States at 3.79 million square miles, its a very small piece of land. The capital is San Jose located in almost the middle of the country. Spanish is the official language, like many of the other surrounding countries. Their currency is called colon which was named after Christopher Columbus. Catholic is
We ate at a restaurant there in which the owner made ox carts. He did all of the woodwork using hydroelectricity with a waterwheel in the back. They were all also hand painted and hand carved pieces. It was very beautiful. We finally got to Turriabla that night. The next day we went to the college and botanical gardens of CATIE. In the botanical gardens we got to try all of the different fruits grown in Costa Rica. They are all very good and different tasting. Even the mangos and pineapples taste so much better there. Now that we are back I dislike the ones here. One example of something we tried there was called the miracle fruit. It made anything you ate afterwards that was sour taste sweet and it actually worked. We toured the coffee plantation there as well as the college campus and had more traditional Costa Rican food in the cafeteria there. Finally, in Turriabla we went to a fruit market and an ice cream shop and practiced our Spanish. We then prepared for our third stop.
Costa Rica has a narrow Pacific coastal region that rises abruptly into central highlands. The highlands, forming the rugged backbone of the country, descend much more gradually toward the generally wider Caribbean (Atlantic) Plain. The Pacific coast is generally lowland in character, and, like the Caribbean coast, it is lined with white sandy beaches. The country has made use of its
Many people immigrate to Costa Rica for the education and literacy rate there are extraordinary. There’s Many goods in Costa Rica such as Coffee Beans, Bananas, Lumber and Sugar and they are all exported from Costa Rica. The people from Costa Rica depend on fruit, mining, lumber and other resources the country has adapted to the area by building houses with area conditioning and bridges for areas that are separated by bodies of water they have also build dams that provide energy and big factories for producing mass production products they also have airlines, airplanes, the postal mail services and etc. They have also evolved in communication because back then they could only communicate through person and now they communicate through email, text, and
This is a brief overview on the diverse geography of Costa Rica. From its beautiful mountains, its dense forestry, to its beautiful beaches, it is a place that all should scribble on their bucket
Costa Rica is a peaceful Central American country fronting both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It has almost 4 million residents, a stable democratic government, no army, and is host to Central America 's largest hi-tech community, including the Latin American Headquarters of Microsoft and one of Intel 's most modern chip fabrication plants. Many major US high-tech corporations maintain offices or branches in Costa Rica including IBM, Oracle, Dell, Apple, Compaq, Cisco, and others. Literacy (nearly 95%), English language and computer usage are the highest in Latin America. Costa Rica has the highest United Nations Human Development Index among all developing countries. With the abolishment of the army in 1948, the
Imagine a place, a paradise, where rain, wind, the rays of our sun, and even the dozens of volcanoes that this country has can be used to power up your television, your microwave, your whole house, even your whole city. Well, this will become a reality for a Central American developed country, who has vowed to become 100% bio-sustainable, fossil fuel-free, by the year 2021. This paradise is called Costa Rica.
Place is what the country is like and it also describes the human and physical characteristics of a location. The first native’s in Costa Rica were hunters and gatherers. Costa Rica served as an “Intermediate Region”. It was between Andean native cultures
Costa Rica was discovered in 1502 by Christopher Columbus on one of his voyages to the Americas. He claimed the land and made it a Spanish
94% of Ticos and Ticas are Europeans (Spain, Germany, France, and Great Britain.) There are only 3% of African descendants in Costa Rica which is a very small amount. However, there are only 1% of indigenous people left in Costa Rica. Although Spanish is the official language in Costa Rica there is something special about the way that they speak it. For example, they slur the r and may soften it as well. African descendants speak Spanish. Some Indian languages are Bribri, Cabecar, Maleku, etc... 96% of adults who live in Costa Rica can read and write. Nevertheless, after finishing primary school you can go and get a job or to continue on to high school. While in high school you have to complete at least 30 hours of community service to graduate. Your housing depends on your location and your wealth. People who are poor live in a wooden shack or cardboard. Their houses are often times dirtier, unpainted, or broken. People who are working class typically live in a house made of bricks or concrete blocks. Their houses are usually 1 story high. Those who are wealthy have a 2 story house and may have fencing, a garage, pool, and/or porch. Transportation in Costa Rica is shuttles, private transfers, rental cars, buses, and even flights! Because Costa Rica is about the size of West Virginia, getting a flight is not too hard. A majority of people believe in Catholicism. Special occasions are held in churches such as baptisms of Catholic kids, weddings, and funerals. There is a high standard health care in Costa Rica. Because there is such a high standard health care, there is free health coverage to those who are legal residents. On average, men typically live to be around 75 years old while women live to be around 81 years
Costa Rica is located in central America. Its absolute location is 10 degrees north of the equator and 84 degrees west. The relative location is between Nicaragua and Panama in Central America. Costa Rica is partnered next to Liberia, Quesada, Puntarenas, and San Isidro etc., all these places next to Costa Rica are not far away from each other and are also nice to visit. Costa Rica is surrounded by three bodies of water, and these three bodies of water are the Gulf of Nicoya, Pacific Ocean and The Caribbean
Costa Rica is an example and leader worldwide for the reduction of fossil fuels to produce energy. As we all know, global warming and environmental problems are a major reality that most of the countries have to deal with. Costa Rica as many countries have the resources to do this, for being a small country that supplied 5 million people for 271 days gives a great example that all countries should start to follow.
Costa Rica is known for not having an army due to their belief in world peace. The war Costa Rica was involved in was the Dominican Civil War in 1965 where they assisted their allies the Dominican Republic in establishing a democracy. Prior to that Costa Rica was involved in its own civil war in 1948. The Costa Rican civil war last 44 days and claimed approximately 2000 lives. The war began when Jose Figueres with support of the United States led the “Caribbean Legion” in its rebellion
In, Costa Rica globalization has moved from materials into manufacturing and the export of technology and services. Examples include Intel’s microchip plant in Heredia, the popularity of medical device manufacturing and companies. Most of these larger companies also setup service centers so that international management and support is done from Costa Rica. Costa Rica has its roots as an exporter of coffee, and bananas. However, as costs rise worldwide companies look elsewhere for cheap resources. Pollution is possibly the biggest externalized cost, and is an issue that resonates with expats and Costa Ricans. The Tarcoles River is now the most populated river in Central America. It drains the central valley and much of the manufacturing in the
Costa Rica has coastlines on the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Costa Rica's geography mainly consists of five towering mountain ranges: the Central Mountain Range (Cordillera Central), the Talamanca Mountain Range (Cordillera de Talamanca), the Tilaran Mountain Range (Cordillera de Tilaran), the Guanacaste Mountain Range (Cordillera de Guanacaste) and the Escazu Hills (Cerros de Escazu).Costa Rica boasts at least 60 volcanoes, five of which are active (Poas Volcano, Irazu Volcano, Arenal Volcano, Rincón de la Vieja Volcano and Turrialba Volcano).