The Flag of Costa Rica
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General InfoName: Costa Rica
Official Name: Republic of Costa Rica Origin: Named by Spanish explorers who were trying to look for gold. They weren't really successful... Meaning of Flag: The blue color denotes opportunity, and perseverance. The white represents peace, happiness, and wisdom, while the red represents the blood of martyrs and vibrancy of the people. Geographic Coordinates: 10 00 N, 84 00 W Official Language: Spanish Other Language(s): English |
Population Demographics |
Life Expectancy: 30.4 years
Birth Rate: 15.91 births/1000 population Death Rate: 4.55 deaths/1000 population Infant Mortality Rate: 8.46 deaths/1000 live births Total Fertility Rate: 1.9 children born/per woman Rate of Natural Increase: 12.36/1000 population Net Migration Rate: 0.83 migrants/1000 population Stage of Demographic Transition: Stage 3 |
Demographic Charts
Analysis of
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Costa Rica is a country that has a decreasing birth and fertility rate. The largest age group are in the 20's so there must have been a large baby boom in the late 1900s and early 2000s. This pattern shows that the demographic transition of a Stage 3. The population of Costa Rica is unevenly distributed, with most of the population in San Jose, the capital and primate city of Costa Rica.
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Timeline |
1502: (September 18) Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to reach Costa Rica in the search for gold, god, and glory. Spanish colonization soon begins in 1522.
1821: Costa Rica gains its independence from Spain and joins the Mexican Empire. Unlike most countries, Costa Rica didn't fight for independence, rather after the defeat of Spain in the Mexican War of Independence, Guatemalan authorizes declared all of Central America independent. 1823: The Mexican Empire dissolves due to corruption and a bad economy. Costa Rica joins El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua as the United Provinces of Central America. 1838: Costa Rica becomes a fully independent country due to the strife in the United Provinces of Central. 1949: (March 12 -April 24) The Costa Rican Civil War was caused when the Costa Rican Legislature annulled the results of the presidential elections held in February, alleging that the triumph of opposition candidate Otilio Ulate had been achieved by fraud. This caused a violent uprising that is believed to have killed 2000 people. Eventually after 44 days, the war ended and a Constitution was written up. 2010: Laura Chinchilla becomes Costa Rica’s first woman President. |
Economy Indicators |
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $71.23 billion
HDI Ranking: 68th HDI Index: 0.736 Level of Economic Development: NIC Level of Economic Activities: Tertiary |
Analysis of
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Costa Rica has an average GDP in Latin America. The average HDI ranking is caused by poor infrastructure, high energy costs, bureaucracy, weak investor protection which leads to more poorer people, decreasing its rank. The level of development as a NIC shows that Costa Rica's development is increasing. Most of the industries of Costa Rica are in the tertiary sector due to the large amount of ecotourism due to Costa Rica's vast biodiversity.
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Economy |
Costa Rica has a mixed economy which allows private ownership of small business while the more important businesses are run by the government. The government regulates the economy and allows a fairer distribution of income. This type of system is efficient, stable, and equal. It maximizes profits and prevent recessions. The cons of this however is there is too much gray area and way to many factors
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Government |
Costa Rica has a democratic republic government where representatives are chosen to make, decide, and enforce laws. This prevents giving too much power to the government and helps ensure personal liberty. However, this type of government makes it tedious to pass legislation. The system is very similar to the system in America except for the election cycle of the Supreme Court. In Costa Rica, the Supreme Court is elected every 8 years. In the US, the Justices are appointed by the president and have a life-long term.
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Climate |
Costa Rica has a tropical and subtropical climate. It had a dry season from December to April and a wet season from May to November. The temperature is average and varies very little between 19-21.5 degrees Celsius. The highlands is relatively cooler than the rest of Costa Rica due to its elevation. .
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Racial/Ethnic Distribution |
Costa Rica has a majority white population including mestizos. Other races make up a small percentage of the population. The fact that 94% are white and 6% are other races, shows that there is little cultural diversity.
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Religious Distribution |
Costa Rica has little diversity in religion. Most of the religions fall under the umbrella of Christianity. The majority under the Christianity umbrella are Roman Catholics. This is mostly because of Spanish colonization. The minority religions however are similar to Roman Catholicism.
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Women's Rights and Treatment |
Costa Rican women are at a crossroad of traditional and modern roles. Historically, women have been limited to housework and were considered weaker than traditional. Nowadays, women have a bigger role and are seen as equal to men. They have the same rights. There has been women presidents and candidates, in fact, women have a higher literacy rate than men due to free, mandatory education. Not only do women do jobs outside the home, but they also take up household responsibilities. One can see that the women of Costa Rica have significantly progressed throughout time.
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Push/Pull Factors |
Very few people migrate out of Costa Rica, most of those who do are college students who want an education in other countries. A bit more people migrate into Costa Rica but not to huge extent like the US. The pull factors are a safer environment and a stable economy. Most people who do migrate into Costa Rica are people who want to escape from violence in their home countries, Honduras, El Salvador, etc.
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Diplomatic Relations |
Costa Rica and the US has close relations based on similar beliefs. They both believe in democratic freedoms and free trade. In many international affairs they often share similar positions. The two countries have bilateral law enforcement, in fact, they have signed a maritime cooperation agreement for narcotics seizures, illegal migrant rescues, illegal fishing seizures, and search-and-rescue missions. Costa Rica and the US have a strong commitment to protecting the environment, especially the diverse flora and fauna in Costa Rica. The US is Costa Rica's biggest trade partner. They trade agriculture and machinery.
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Energy Consumption and Production |
Costa Rica uses 8.987 billion kWh and produces 10.05 billion kWh. Costa Rica has moved to renewable resources and is expected to rely on it for 95% of the total consumption. Costa Rica has been on a road of using renewable sources for at least a decade. Even before anybody cared about climate change, Costa Rica has been able to rely on clean energy sources thanks to its location. A majority of the electricity has been generated by hydropower. There's also geothermal and wind power. Most of this energy is used in the service sector due to the huge amount of ecotourism in the country.
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Natural Resources |
1. Agricultural lands
2. Climates 3. Water (Note) Costa Rica has unexploited bauxite and copper deposits. There is magnesium, gold and magnetite. It also has promising petroleum resources. However, Costa Rica has refused to use it due to environmental concerns. |
Infrastructure |
In the past few years, Costa Rica has had relatively weak transportation infrastructure. In 2013, thanks to loans from the Inter-American Development Bank and Chinese government, Costa has improved its transportation infrastructure. This will help communities to transfer products at a cheaper and more efficient cost; allow more social resources to reach citizens; improve trade within the country, etc. Old ports will also be improved to last longer and new ports will be added. This is to help the economy.
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