Costa Rica

FLAG The blue color stands for the sky, opportunities, idealism and perseverance. The white color stands for peace, wisdom and happiness. The red color stands for the blood spilt by martyrs in defense of the country, as well as the warmth and generosity of the people.

Emblem The Costa Rican coat of arms depicts three mountains. On each end, water is located. This represents the nation being surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Two ships are located in each body of water, which represents the nation’s maritime tradition. Seven white stars are located at the top of the Costa Rican coat of arms, which represent the nation’s provinces. The yellow beans on the side represent coffee, which is an important export. The Costa Rican coat of arms also contains two ribbons on top that say the countries name as well as “America Central”.

Population The capital of Costa Rica is San José. The population of San José is 365,799. As of 2010, Costa Rica has an estimated population of 4,640,000.

Ethnic make-up Whites and castizos being 82%. mestizos 15% while 2% are Black or Afro-corribean. .8% Native American 0.2% Chinese and 1% other The average Costa Rican from the Central Valley is 75% European, 20% Amerindian and 5% Black

Costa Rica Weather Averages

Languages of Costa Rica The primary language spoken in Costa Rica is Costa Rican Spanish. Some native languages are still spoken in indigenous reservations. The most numerically important are the Bribri, Maléku, Cabécar and Ngäbere languages. A Creole-English language, Jamaican patois (also known as Mekatelyu), is spoken along the Caribbean coast. About 10.7% of Costa Rica's adult population (18 or older) also speaks English, 0.7% French, and 0.3% speaks Portuguese or German as a second language.

Economy According to the World Bank, Costa Rica's GDP per capita is US $11,122. This developing country still faces the fourth-highest inflation rate in Latin America, lack of maintenance and new investment in infrastructure, a poverty rate estimated to be 23%, a 7.8% unemployment rate, and a trade deficit of 5.2%. Costa Rica is located on the Central American isthmus, lying between latitudes 8° and 12°N, and longitudes 82° and 86°W. It borders the Caribbean Sea (to the east) and the Pacific Ocean .

Religion Christianity is the predominant religion, and Roman Catholicism is the official state religion according to the 1949 Constitution, which at the same time guarantees freedom of religion.

Exports The central government offers tax exemptions for those willing to invest in the country. Several global high tech corporations have already started developing in the area and are exporting goods, including chip manufacturer Intel, pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, and consumer products company Procter & Gamble. In 2006, Intel's microprocessor facility alone was responsible for 20% of Costa Rican exports and 4.9% of the country's GDP. Trade with Southeast Asia and Russia boomed during 2004 and 2005.

Representative figure Jose Maria Castro Madriz: Was once the president of the Congress and the Supreme Court of Costa Rica. He co-founded the Santo Tomas University and started one of the first newspapers of the country, “El Mentor Costarricense”. He was elected chief of state in 1847 and made Costa Rica an independent nation on 1848 and became the first president of the Independent Republic from 1848 to 1849. During his presidency he created a school for girls and established the actual Costa Rica flag.