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| INFORMATION ABOUT COSTA RICA |
| Costa Rica, also
called "The Switzerland of Central America,"
is renowned for its democratic traditions, and differs from other Latin-American countries
in that it no longer has an army, which was abolished in 1948. Furthermore, since the late
1800´s an unparalleled freedom of speech and the
great importance of education became cherished values for its people. As a result, today
Costa Rica's literacy rate is 93%, which is quite high for a developing country. Costa Rica has an area of 19,575 square miles, (50,699 square kilometers) and a population of 3,344,000 inhabitants, according to the 1995 national census. It borders Nicaragua on the north, Panama on the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. In central Costa Rica, there is a basin area known as the "Meseta Central" or the "Valle Central" ("Central Valley"). This area is home of most of its population and industry. It includes the provinces of San José (the capital city), Heredia (also called the city of the flowers), Cartago (the former capital of the country), and Alajuela. However, in the other three remaining provinces of Costa Rica there is also significant activity. Guanacaste is well- known for its beautiful beaches and luxurious hotels. Puntarenas and Limón have ports that bring an important source of income to the country. From the 1800´s to the mid 1900´s the coffee and banana exports represented the main source of income for the country. However, since then, these two traditional products have been replaced by the non-traditional agricultural products and the food processing, textile, and tourism industries. |
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