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The Fascinating
Land of Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a land of diversity and its flora fauna has added to
the color and the beauty of this land. You will be surprised to note
that the land mass is only about .1% of the world's land mass but
has about 5% of the world's biodiversity.
Costa Rica lies between Panama and Nicaragua and it is bordered by
the Caribbean Sea to the east and the North Pacific Ocean to the west. It is comprised of 51,100 square kilometers and the
territorial waters take up about 589 square kilometers. Costa Rica
is a conglomeration of a number of landforms. The Cerro Chirripo is
the highest point in Costa Rica, the highest volcano is the Irazu
volcano and the lake is known as the Lake Arenal.
The History of Costa Rica
Costa Rica was actually a part of intermediate area between the
Andean and the Mesoamerican cultural regions. Now these have been
recently updated to include the Isthmo-Colombian area. Costa Rica
was first visited by Christopher Columbus in 1502 and he reached the
Isla Uvita. There was subsequent wars and resulting colonization in
spite of the ferocious resistance of the indigenous people.
In the
16th Century Costa Rica faced a great fall in her workforce as the
indigenous people fell to the diseases carried by the colonists.
Costa Rica won her independence in the year 1821 from the massive
empire of Spain. Several countries of Central America like Mexico
and Guatemala had fought hard to achieve this status but Costa Rica
did not even fire a single gunshot. This is why Costa Rica is
considered to be a very peace loving country.
Economy of Costa Rica
The economy of Costa Rica is based primarily on agriculture. This
includes the production of pineapples, bananas and coffee. Besides
these there have been many other industries like electronics,
pharmaceuticals, eco-tourism, financial outsourcing and software
development have now become the major industries.
The country is
strategically placed and therefore it provides an easy access to all
the American markets. These places also have the same time zone and
the ocean acts as a convenient route. The economy is prospering as
the Government has implemented a seven-year expansion policy in the
sphere of high tech industry.
Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a member of the Organization of the American states
and, the United Nations and many other such organizations that
propagate democracy and humanitarian rights. The foreign policy of
Costa Rica fosters human rights and sustains development to secure
growth and stability.
Demographics
Costa Rica has an approximate population of 4,016,173 people. Most
of the people of Costa Rica have Spanish forefathers. There has been
an intermixing of the indigenous with the spanish people and so they
form what is called a mixed mestizo heritage. There are also people
of Polish, German, Jewish and Italian originand together thety make
up about 94% of the total population of Costa Rica. There are also
people of African origin who make up about 3% of the population.
These people are known as the Afro-Costa Ricans.
Culture
The locals call themselves Ticos and Ticas and they are basically
very helpful, timid, friendly, well educated and laid back in their
attitudes towards life. This is indeed quite different from their
American neighbors. Costa Rican culture bears ample evidence of the
Spanish influence. Costa Rica is also the merging point of the South
American native cultures and the Mesoamerican cultures.
The Spanish
influence had been more than the effect of the indigenous people and
this had been because most of the indigenous people have perished
from the diseases and the ill treatment of the Spaniards. The
Atlantic Coast had a huge population of African slaves in the 17th
and the 18th centuries. In the 19th century there were also Italian
and Chinese immigrants who came to earn their living by working on
the railroad system that was being constructed.
Costa Rica Climate
Costa Rica is situated only 8 degrees from the equator and so the
country has a tropical climate throughout the year. Its climate is
defined by the amount of rainfall that it receives during a certain
time. A year in Costa Rica can be divided into two parts- one is
known as the Verano, which is the summer and Invierno that is the
winter season.
The verano is from December to May and during this
time there is no rain in Costa Rica. During the Invierno that is
between the months of May to November it rains constantly in many
locations. The Caribbean slopes receives the maximum rainfall with
over 5000 mm. The humidity is very high but it is higher on the
Caribbean side. The Pacific side is less humid. The lowlands have an
average temperature of around 30 degrees centigrade.
Costa Rica Cuisine
Every country has its own special cuisine. Cuisine gives a country
its own unique identity and the special flavors add to the essences
of the place. The cuisine of Costa Rica is famous for its special
taste, mild flavors and its dependence on fresh fruits and
vegetables. The staple diet of Costa Rica consists of black beans
and rice taken two or three times daily.
The gallo pinto is the food
that is usually preferred at the time of breakfast. It is a healthy
combination of rice, onion, cilantro, red or black beans and this
concoction is then lightly fried. There is a local sauce by the name
of salsa lizano that is used as a flavoring agent.
Casado is eaten
at lunch. Rice is served with beans but lunch will have any type of
meat along with it. It might be fish, chicken or pork chops along
with white cheese or fried banana. Fresh vegetables take up a major
portion of their diet. Some of these are zapallo, zucchini, chayote,
red pepper, potato and onion.
Coffee is the main beverage they
consume. Plantain is served usually as a sweet dish, it is fried or
baked and served with any sugar -based syrup or even honey is used.
Besides coffee most Costa Ricans are very fond of fruit drinks
diluted with milk or water.
The fruits that are used in these
traditional drinks are tamarind, guanabana, passion fruit,
strawberry, watermelon, melon, blackberry and cas.
The Flora and Fauna of Costa Rica
Costa Rica is well known its variety of animals and plants. The
Corcovado National Park is famous for the abundance of wildlife and
virgin greenery. It is also famous for its bio diversity and it has
tapirs and huge cats. The Tortuguero National Park is another very
famous wild life sanctuary that is the abode to the howler, spider,
white-throated Capuchin monkeys, 320 species of birds, the three-
toed sloth and a huge variety of reptiles. It is a home for the
green turtle that is an endangered species. There are also the
hawksbill, loggerhead turtles and the giant leatherback.
There are so many facets to this country that one cannot really
write about it in completion. There are innumerable colors, essences
and flavors associated with this country. All the more special is
the attitude of the people who reside in Costa Rica. They are so
warm-hearted and kind, that visitors feel the urge to visit Costa
Rica over and over again. The food is excellent and healthy. Costa
Rica can therefore be best described as heaven on earth.
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Analysis of
Costa Rica as compared to the Four Major Travel Contributing
Areas in the
US, Northeastern Boston Area,
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