Costa Rica (UK: /ˌkɒstəˈriːkə/, US: /ˌkoʊstə-/ⓘ; Spanish:[ˈkostaˈrika]; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in the Central American region of
North America. Costa Rica is bordered by
Nicaragua to the north, the
Caribbean Sea to the northeast,
Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as
maritime border with
Ecuador to the south of
Cocos Island. It has a population of around five million0 in a land area of 51,060 km2 (19,710 sq mi). An estimated 333,980 people live in the capital and largest city,
San José, with around two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area.
The
sovereign state is a
unitarypresidentialconstitutionalrepublic. It has a long-standing and stable democracy and a highly educated workforce. The country spends roughly 6.9% of its budget (2016) on education, compared to a global average of 4.4%. Its economy, once heavily dependent on agriculture, has diversified to include sectors such as finance, corporate services for foreign companies, pharmaceuticals, and
ecotourism. Many foreign manufacturing and services companies operate in Costa Rica's
Free Trade Zones (FTZ) where they benefit from investment and tax incentives.
Jairo Mora Sandoval (March 22, 1987 – May 31, 2013) was a Costa Rican environmentalist who was murdered while attempting to protect
leatherback turtle nests. Just before midnight on May 30, 2013, Mora and four female volunteers were abducted by a group of masked men. The women eventually escaped and informed the police. Mora's bound and beaten body was found on the beach the next morning. An
autopsy determined he died by
asphyxiation after suffering a blow to the head.
Sea turtles are protected by law in Costa Rica, but
poaching remains common. Locals take eggs, which are believed to be an
aphrodisiac, and sell them on the black market. The egg trade has been linked to drug trafficking and organized crime. Environmentalists working in
Limón say they are often threatened for trying to protect turtle eggs. Jairo Mora was one such environmentalist working in the area. (Full article...)
... that goalkeeper Daniela Solera had the most touches of any Costa Rican player in their opening match of the
2023 World Cup?
... that while Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Barrios was exiled from Nicaragua and living in Costa Rica in the 1980s, his sister
Claudia was there as Nicaragua’s ambassador?
Image 8An
Intel microprocessor facility in Costa Rica that was, at one time, responsible for 20% of Costa Rican exports and 5% of the country's GDP. (from Costa Rica)
Image 9The mangrove hummingbird is endemic to Costa Rica and specializes in feeding from the tea mangrove plant with its uniquely shaped beak. (from Wildlife of Costa Rica)