An Overview of Costa Rica essays

An Overview of Costa Rica essays A chain of rugged mountains divides Costa Rica, which is an extended part of the Andes-Sierra Madre chain. Costa Rica is in Central America and is surrounded by Nicaragua to the North and Panama to the south. Costa Rica is approximately 19,730 square miles, which is slightly smaller than the state of West Virginia. Bordering the country to the east is the Caribbean Sea, and to the west is the Pacific Ocean. Costa Rica's total coastline distance is 1,290 km. The highest point is Mt. Chirripo, which stands at 3,797 meters high. Costa Rica is included in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" with seven out of forty-two active volcanoes on the chain. The population of Costa Rica is something around 3,534,174, which was taken in July of 1998. The country is marked with a 2.4% population growth rate, which increases annually. 96% of the Costa Rican natives are Caucasian (including mestizos), 2% are African American, 1% are Chinese, and 1% are Indian. Over 90% of the people in Costa Rica believe the faith of the Roman Catholic Church. The official language is Spanish, but English is spoken in parts around Puerto Limon. Costa Rica has a 95% literacy rate, which is from both males and females over the age of fifteen that can read and write. San Jose is not only the capital of Costa Rica; it is also the country's largest city with a population of 300,000. Most of the economic, political, and social events of the country take place in the capital of San Jose. In colonial times, the main industry was tobacco growing and processing. By the mid-1800s, the city (along with the entire country) became a coffee producing area. San Jose was founded around 1738 some two hundred years after Spain's Westward expansion for Cartago. San Jose gained independence from Spain in 1821. It later went on to become the country's political base, and in 1823 it became the country's capital. San Jose is a modern city with parks and fine buildings open to the public. The cap...