Costa Rica Essay, Research Paper

Costa Rica

by Brandon Noll

Costa Rica’s official language is Spanish. And nearly all Costa Ricans speak

Spanish, but many blacks still speak a Jamaican dialect (local form) of English. About per

cent of the people belong to the Roman Catholic Church. The basic money unit is the

colon which is worth about a penny in the U.S. The total land area is 19,730 sq. mi. In

Costa Rica there are three main land regions: the Central Highlands, the Carribean

Lowlands and the Pacific Coastal Strip. The Central Highlands have lots of fertile

farmland, 75% of Costa Rica’s people live here. The rich volcanic soil and favorable

climate make this region the country’s chief coffee growing region. Daytime temperatures

range from 75 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit the year round. The Caribbean Lowlands,

a wide band of swampy tropical jungles, lie along the east coast. The daytime high

temperature averages about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The Pacific Coastal Strip is largely an

area of lowlands along the west coast. Low mountains rise along most of the shore. This

region has an ideal climate for growing bananas. Daytime temperatures range from 77 to

100 degree Fahrenheit. The annual rainfall is about 100 inches. Nicaragua borders Costa

Rica to the north. Panama borders the south. On the west border is the Pacific Ocean.

On the east border is the Caribbean Sea which is in the Atlantic Ocean. The 1994 estimate

of Costa Rica’s population is 2,100,000 people. The capital of Costa Rica is San Jose

which has a population of 560,000(94′). Three other important cities are Cartago with a

population of 23,928(93′), Puntarenas with a population of 28,640(93′), and Limon with a

population of 42,082(93′).

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What is the history of Costa Rica? Indians were the first people to live in what is

now Costa Rica. In 1000ad the Corobici had settled in northern valleys and Boruca had

migrated to land in the south. The Carib, Chorotega, and Nahau Indians arrived in the

1400’s. Most Indians raised crops near villages and hunted small game. Christopher

Columbus arrived in Costa Rica in 1502. Rumor of gold deposits brought many Spaniards

to the land. But there was little mineral wealth. So, many ended up staying to become

farmers, such as Juan Vasquez de Coronado who founded the first permanent settlement at

Cartago in 1564. Many Spaniards tried to enslave the Indians, but most of the tribes

fought fiercely to stay free. Costa Rica remained a Spanish colony until 1821. That year,

Costa Rica and Spain’s other Central American colonies broke away from Spanish rule.

They joined the Mexican Empire the next year. In 1823, the Central American states

withdrew from Mexico and formed the United Provinces of Central America. The union

began to collapse in 1838, and Costa Rica declared its independence. The fight for power

in Costa Rica was over if was going to have a communist government or a democratic

government. Well, it has been declared a democratic government since 1920. From 1963

to 1965, the volcano Irazu erupted and showered tons of ash over San Jose and the

surrounding countryside. The volcanic eruptions damaged the coffee crop and forced

thousands of people to abandon their homes.

Costa Rica’s most valuable natural resource is its fertile volcanic. Forests of oaks,

pines, and such tropical hardwoods as cederelas and mahoganies cover about one third of

the land. Costa Rica has small deposits of bauxite and manganese. The US is Costa Rica’s

major trading partner, Germany is the second. Costa Rica belongs to the Central American

Common Market, which is an economic union that was formed to stimulate trade.

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Costa Rica’s economy heavily depends on foreign trade. Its agriculture consists of

growing bananas, raising beef cattle, growing cacao, corn, rice, sugar cane, and coffee

which is its leading export. Costa Rica’s manufacturing includes cement, clothing,

furniture, machinery, processed foods, textiles, and employs one fifth of the labor force.

Chief imports include petroleum, chemicals, and manufactured goods.

What foods do Costa Rican’s eat? The diet of most Costa Ricans includes beans,

coffee, corn, rice, and such tropical fruits as bananas, guaves,mangoes,oranges,and

pinapples. Most families also serve beef, fish, poultry, and many kinds of soups. They

often prepare tomales (ground pork and corn meal steamed in corn husks) and tortillas

(thin flat bread made from corn or wheat flower).

The national sport of Costa Rica is soccer. Basketball, tennis, and swimming are

also popular. Many Costa Ricans take part in colorful festivals on religious holidays.

Bullfights, fireworks, and masked parades attract thousands of Costa Ricans and foreign

tourists to San Jose during the annual Christmas festivals. Costa Ricas flag used by the

government, was adopted in 1848. The national flag has a coat of arms which almost

looks like a medallion. The coat of arms shows volcanoes, the Carribean Sea, and the

Pacific Ocean. Each star represents a province.