Costa Rica Overview

by countryaah · Published June 3, 2019 · Updated September 25, 2019

Country Profile

Know as American Wildlife Park, The Republic of Costa Rica is located in southern Central America, and means “rich coast” in Spanish. Covering an area of 51,100 square kilometers, it has a population of 14.09 million, 95% of whom are white or mestizo. Residents are Catholic and the official language is Spanish. The currency is the Crown and San Jose is the capital.

Costa Rica National Flag

The Costa Rican flag contains five horizontal strips of blue, white, and red, with an emblem in the middle left. Blue and white represent the original Central American Federation flag, with red symbolic of the country’s republic status, achieved in 1848.

History Summary

Originally inhabited by Indians, Costa Rica was colonized by Spain in 1564. On September 15, 1821, independence was declared, and in 1823 it joined the Central American Federation. On August 30, 1848, the country was established as a Republic. In recent years, there have been power swings between the National Liberation Party and the Christian Social Unity Party.

Economy and Culture Overview

Costa Rica has many active volcanoes and is rich in forest resources. It also has a variety of wild animals and plants, causing Yu to refer to it as the “American Wildlife Park.” At the same time, because of the beautiful natural landscape and the colorful flowers, it has also been hailed as the “American Garden.”

Coffee, cocoa, bananas, and sugar cane dominate the economic sector, with industrial food processing, textiles, and leather also important. Costa Rica’s main trade partner is the United States, exporting coffee and bananas and importing machinery, equipment, and chemical products. The development of tourism is Costa Rica’s main source of foreign income.