The nation of Costa Rica (República de Costa Rica) is located in Central America at approximately 10 degrees north of the equator. This tiny country has a population of around 4.3 million people (referred to locally as "Ticos").The majority of the population lives in the central part of the country around the capital of San Jose. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Caribbean Sea on the east.
The majority population is of Spanish decent. Costa Rica constitutionally abolished their military in 1949 and has had no standing military ever since.
Costa Rica, meaning "rich coast", was first "discovered" by Europeans in 1502 by none other than Christopher Columbus. They were colonized and ruled by Spain until 1821.
While some citizens live fairly prosperous lives (compared to other Central American/Caribbean nations) there are many living in desperate poverty. What visitors must realize is that the per capita GDP (nominal) is only $6,345 versus $46,380 (2009) in the U.S. according to the International Monetary Fund. The reality is, compared to most citizens in America, the people of Costa Rica just don't make a lot of money. Another reality is that prices for many items are about the same as U.S. prices (many food products, cars, household goods, etc). So the standard of living is obviously lower. But this has not dampened the spirit of the people of Costa Rica. They are amazingly generous, always kind and compassionate, and they are very open to helping each other.
This is just a little bit of information about Costa Rica. You can read more on the main blog page for stories of our experiences in this amazing country. My information comes partly from my own experience there, but I pulled some info from here and here.
