Costa Rica

The country got its name from Christopher Columbus. This Central American country is bordered by Nicaragua in the north and Panama in the south.

Costa Rica is one of the most politically stable countries in Latin America and has an infrastructure comparable to that of Europe.

In the country between the Pacific and the Caribbean in Central America you will find rainforests, national parks, volcanoes, exotic animals and also excellent opportunities for water sports enthusiasts and active vacationers.

With just 51,100 square kilometers, Costa Rica is only slightly larger than Switzerland, but the biodiversity of the small country makes 5 % of all flora and fauna on earth.

Around a quarter of the country is under nature protection or protected areas - including 28 national parks - which are intended to protect the rich flora and fauna from destruction.

The country is politically divided into seven provinces.

Costa Rica: history

Until around the year 1000

Today we still do not know too much about the various Indian peoples, who formed about 25 groups, most of which were at odds with one another. Probably 10,000 BC The first immigrated from the north. The existing high cultures from Central America and the Andes made these peoples subject. However, they never formed their own empire, remained scattered and were under the rule of caciks (chiefs) who fought among themselves.

According to Abbreviationfinder website, from the 6th century, the Chorotega, the most developed, settled in what is now the Guanacaste province. The Chorotega were influenced by the advanced cultures from Mexico and Guatemala, the Olmecs, later the Aztecs and Mayans. These penetrated further and further south and subjugated the native tribes.

The Buruca, Chibcha and Diquis in the southwest and the Bribrí, Caribs and KéKöLdi on the coast of the Caribbean Sea were influenced by the peoples of South America. Between the 6th and 9th centuries, these ethnic groups came into contact with seafaring Indians from Colombia or Peru, which greatly changed their culture. It was around this time that the Diquis created the first pieces of gold jewelry and over time they developed into talented goldsmiths.

From the year 1000 to the 17th century

In the Central Highlands, the Meseta Central, the Corobicí were the predominant culture. They formed small communities of hunters, farmers and gatherers and traded gold. They built the only pre-Columbian city in Costa Rica, Guayabo, that has been discovered to date at the foot of the Turrialba volcano. Around a thousand people lived in this 11th-century settlement, which included cobbled streets, tombs, aqueducts and stone cisterns. For reasons unknown until now, the city was abandoned in the 15th century.

Christopher Columbus was the first European to reach Costa Rica, reaching the coast on September 18, 1502. In 1506 the Spaniards tried unsuccessfully for the first time to found a colony there. In Costa Rica, however, the Spaniards did not find the gold they longed for and therefore plundered the local people's supplies before they enslaved them and forced them to work in the South American mines. Diseases and robberies brought in from Europe did the rest to further decimate the number of indigenous people. In 1562 Vásquez de Coronado was appointed governor of Costa Rica. He founded a settlement in the highlands, named it El Guarco (later Cartago) and made it the first capital of the country. As was customary at the time, he distributed large lands to his soldiers, who recruited the Indian population for forced labor. Much of the natives died of European diseases between 1610 and 1650, and the Spanish settlers had to look for new workers. But since there were no valuable commodities, the white settlers had to cultivate their fields themselves in order to survive. Soon Costa Rica was one of the poorest regions in the New World.

In the 18th and 19th centuries

Agriculture played an important role in the middle of the 18th century. The population grew and more cities were built, such as Herida, San José and Alajuela. Most of the people lived far from the capital. It took a full month for news of Central America's independence to reach Costa Rica in 1821. First a provisional government was established, which decided to join Mexico. In 1823 the Central American Federation was formed, which sparked a civil war in Costa Rica. In 1824 the teacher Juan Mora Fernández became the first president, in 1839 the league dissolved. At that time, the demand for coffee in Europe increased and it became Costa Rica's most important export. Mora and his successor Carillo promoted this policy, by making land available to European immigrants. A little later, power was in the hands of a few coffee barons who ruled the country's political scene. In 1870 the reform-minded General Tomás Guardia took over the presidency. Among other things, he supported the construction of railroad tracks under the direction of the American engineer Minor Keith, who secured the rights to grow bananas on both sections of the railroad tracks. Keith's company later became the United Fruit Company. Among other things, he supported the construction of railroad tracks under the direction of the American engineer Minor Keith, who secured the rights to grow bananas on both sections of the railroad tracks. Keith's company later became the United Fruit Company. Among other things, he supported the construction of railroad tracks under the direction of the American engineer Minor Keith, who secured the rights to grow bananas on both sections of the railroad tracks. Keith's company later became the United Fruit Company.

In the 20th and 21st centuries

In the following decades there were repeated changes of power until the civil war broke out in 1948. After the war, José Mora Fernández took over power in the country at the head of the PLN party he had founded. In the 1970s, the country's social network devoured around 40% of the gross national product, while 25% of the population also worked for the state. A period of recession began, which was accompanied by high inflation and low monetary value. The prices of coffee, bananas and sugar, the country's most important export items, also fell worldwide. The 1978 civil war in Nicaragua plunged all of Central America into a ten-year crisis. After the Sandinista invasion of Managua (Nicaragua), many of Somoza's supporters fled to Costa Rica and formed the anti-Scandinavian movement of the "Contras" there. The country urgently needed economic support and the US expected in return that Costa Rica would allow the contras. A little later, the CIA set up runways and supply bases not far from the border with Nicaragua, while North American military units trained the Costa Rican police. In 1986 the lawyer Oscar Arias Sanchéz became president and sold the Contras. He also pushed the peace treaty of the five Central American countries. In 1986 the lawyer Oscar Arias Sanchéz became president and sold the Contras. He also pushed the peace treaty of the five Central American countries. In 1986 the lawyer Oscar Arias Sanchéz became president and sold the Contras. He also pushed the peace treaty of the five Central American countries.

Nevertheless, the country was economically bankrupt. In 1981, Costa Rica was the first country in the world to be unable to pay off its debts. The 1991 earthquake and Hurricane César also caused severe damage.

Today Costa Rica is trying to maintain a positive image and is seeing increasing tourism figures.

From May 8, 2002, Abel Pacheco de la Espriella (PUSC) was President of the country. Óscar Rafael de Jesús Arias Sánchez has been President and Head of Government since 2006. He held the office from 1986 to 1990. In 1987 he received the Nobel Peace Prize.