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Economics Of Latin Americ Costa Rica

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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

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