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Costa Rica is a free and peaceful country, located in Central
America and has nearly unlimited tourist potential. It is ranked as
a top international travel destination and therefore tourism has
become one of Costa Rica’s main sources of income.
Although the country is small, covering only three one hundredths of
one per cent of the surface of the globe, it proudly shelters six
percent of the entire world’s existing biodiversity. An amazing
statistic is that over twenty-five and one half percent of the
country land area is conserved in national parks and protected
nature reserves.
Costa Rica is also an attractive country for investment and it
offers great potential for the establishment of important
multinational companies. This is due to the outstanding academic
level of its population, its centralized location in the hemisphere,
the high standard of modern services and its social and political
stability.
The official language is Spanish. The second language for a large
portion of the population is English.
The official religion is Catholic. However it is the most liberal of
Catholic countries in all of Latin America and freedom of religious
choice is respected and tolerance is part of the national
disposition.
And the official currency is the Colon.
Costa Rican culture is in many ways a reflection of its racial and
social diversity. The predominant influence has long been European,
which is reflected in everything from the official language --
Spanish -- to the architecture of the country's churches and other
historic buildings. The indigenous influence is less visible, but
can be found in everything from the tortillas that are an integral
part of a typical Costa Rican meal, to the handmade ceramics sold at
roadside stands.
An important aspect of Costa Rica's cultural legacy is their love
for peace and democracy. Ticos, (the name give ourselves) like to
point out that their nation is the exception in Latin America, where
military dictatorships have long dominated politics.
Costa Rica has more than one hundred years of democratic tradition,
and over half a century without an army. When the army was abolished
in 1948, the country designated that the money saved was to be
invested in improving the standard of living for all Costa Ricans.
This has fostered a culture of peace and social concern that makes
it such a pleasant place to live or simply visit.
Ticos are famous for their hospitality and always live up to their
reputation. They are well-educated and hard working people, who are
quick with a handshake and a smile. They are well aware of the
special land they live in and often help foreigners when they get
lost, even explaining things that might seem bizarre to a visitor
from another culture; making their stay as enjoyable as possible.
People say that the Ticos are their nation's greatest asset, and
once you've experienced their friendliness and spontaneity, you'll
have no doubt to that regard.
Costa Rica extends majestically from the Pacific Ocean to the
Caribbean Sea though this distance is barely 200 miles. Its land
territory occupies only 20 thousand square miles.
Costa Rica is one of most highly valued tourist destinations on the
planet. This small piece of land includes all of the necessary
components to satisfy the varied taste of more than a million
travelers visiting each year.
Costa Rica’s territorial division includes 7 provinces, which are:
Together they offer many attractive tourist destinations, with
almost limitless possibilities, that include extensive rainforests,
volcanoes, mountain, rivers and beaches, of which most are
safeguarded by an extensive network of national parks and forest
reserves.
As in most international travel, in order to visit Costa Rica the
traveler must show his or her passport. The passport must be valid
during the following 6 months from the entry date to Costa Rica.
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Political Stability of the Country
The economic, political and social stability of Costa Rica is one
characteristic that has distinguished it through its entire
contemporary history and one of its most important attributes, which
has enabled Costa Rica to achieve great success in alluring foreign
investors.
The Costa Rican government is based on a series of constitutionally
guaranteed checks and balances. The executive responsibilities rest
on the President, who is at the center of power and is supported by
two Vice-presidents and his cabinet. The President and Vice-presidents,
plus fifty seven Congressmen, which form the Legislative Assembly,
are directly elected every four years. In addition, the country has
a strong legal system that manages the 'judicial power'. This branch
ensures compliance to law and applies to foreigners, as well as
nationals, within the country's territory.
The last World Bank survey for Global Governance Indicators puts
Costa Rica in first place within Latin America for political
stability and absence of violence. This measure includes several
indicators, among which it includes a measure for the perception of
the likelihood that the government in power will be de-stabilized or
overthrown by unconstitutional and/or violent means, including
domestic violence and terrorism. Our president was acknowledged
internationally in 1987 when Oscar Arias Sanchez, was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize. The constitution was then changed, some 15 years
later, to permit a president to serve more than one term in order to
give President Arias another opportunity to government Costa Rica
once more. So again the country has been able to take advantage of
the international status and prestige’s of this great world citizen.
Costa Ricans also have another opportunity to benefit from his
renowned abilities and experience.
No doubt that one of the pillars of the Costa Rican economic
development has been trade liberalization, which has allowed exports
to grow from its previous 30% ratio of GDP in 1980 to a current 50%
rate. Furthermore, this trade liberalization has been coupled with a
series of structural changes that have pushed Costa Rica towards a
transformation in production, leading to remarkable productivity
growth, diversification of the economy, and a higher level of
investment.
The Costa Rican economy has maintained a continuous growth, despite
and apart from all of the international crisis that have affected
other countries like Mexico, Turkey and Venezuela in 1994-95;
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea and the
Czech Republic in 1997, Russia and Brazil in 1998, and Argentina in
2002. As a matter of fact, during the turbulent economic times of
1997 and 1998, Costa Rica continued to register growth of above 7%
annually.
These decades of peace and democracy, stability and economic growth
have been translated into important social achievements. In this
sense, a relevant fact is that in the last 20 years poverty was
reduced from 40% to less than 20%. Costa Rica has passed on to
occupy one of the highest levels in educational and health
attainment in Latin America, which is also one of the best in the
world. Furthermore, it has been able to provide broad access to
advanced and basic social services like health care, social security
and potable water for the entire population. Just as the
International Monetary Fund Sub-director, Agustin Carstens has said,
"one basic principle that Costa Rica has made is that the ultimate
goal of economic politics is to achieve human development."
Info & Photos provided by I.C.T. (Costa Rica Tourism Board)
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