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Costa Rica Travel Information and Hotel Discounts |
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Costa Rica Hotel Accommodations
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Hotel Kasha - Limon, CR |
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Hotel Kasha
PLAYA CHIQUITA, 5 KM SE PUERTO
Puerto Viejo Limon,
Winner of 2004 Ultimate
Service Award for Central America and
Caribbean given by World Tvl. and Tourism
Council. All-inclusive Caribbean Vacations
at an Undiscovered Paradise, white sand
inlets, emerald waters, superb diving and
surfing spots, Tropical Rainforest Tours,
superb French cuisine.
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Flamingo Beach Costa Rica |
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Flamingo Marina Resort Hotel
Flamingo Beach
Costa Rica,
Flamingo Marina Hotel faces the marina and is a
short few steps from Costa Rica's finest white
sand beach. |
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Costa Rica Car Rental SuperSaver ●
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Listings Hotel Lodging
Accommodations in Costa Rica |
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Tryp Corobici Hotel
Contiguo Agencia Datsun -
San Jose, Costa Rica
Tryp Corobici Hotel Is
Located One Block North Of San Jose's Popular Sabana Park,
Just West Of The City Center. Nearby Points Of Interest
Include National Theater, National Park Volcan Poas,
National Park Volcan Irazu And
Biological Reserve Carara. |
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3D
Animated Flags--By 3DFlags.com |
Costa Rica
Find a premier Hotel & Resort at
Hilton Hotels.
or book
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
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The Republic of Costa Rica is a country
in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the
north, Panama to the south-southeast, the
Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the
Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica was the
first country in the world to constitutionally
abolish its army.
History of Costa Rica
Main articles: History of Costa Rica,
In Pre-Columbian times the Native Americans in
what is now Costa Rica were part of the
Intermediate Area located between the
Mesoamerican and Andean cultural regions. This
has recently been redefined to include the
Isthmo-Colombian area, defined by the presence
of groups that spoke Chibchan languages. These
groups are also believed to have created the
Stone spheres of Costa Rica, between 200 BC and
AD 1600.
The native people of the Mayans and Aztecs were
conquered by Spain in the 16th century. Costa
Rica was then the southernmost province in the
Spanish territory of New Spain. The provincial
capital was in Cartago.
After briefly joining the Mexican Empire of
Agustín de Iturbide (see: History of Mexico and
Mexican Empire), Costa Rica became a state in
the United Provinces of Central America (see:
History of Central America) from 1823 to 1839.
In 1824, the capital moved to San José. From the
1840s on, Costa Rica was an independent nation.
Costa Rica has avoided the violence that has
plagued Central America; it is seen as an
example of political stability in the region,
and is self-referred to as the "Switzerland of
the Americas". Since the late 19th century only
two brief periods of violence have marred its
democratic development. In 1949, José Figueres
Ferrer abolished the army; and since then Costa
Rica has been one of the few countries to
operate within the democratic system without the
assistance of a military.
Culture
Main articles: Culture of Costa Rica,
The locals refer to themselves as tico, maje or
mae (sort of "man", actually maje means "dumb")
idiom in a very popular and "only with close
friends" way, or tica (female). "Tico" comes
from the locally popular usage of "tico"
diminutive suffixes (eg. 'momentico' instead of
'momentito'). The tico ideal is that of a very
friendly, helpful, laid back, unhurried,
educated and environmentally aware people, with
little worry for deadlines or the "normal"
stresses of United States life. Visitors from
the United States are often referred to as
gringos, which is virtually always congenial in
nature. The phrase "Pura Vida" (literally pure
life) is a motto ubiquitous in Costa Rica. It
encapsulates the pervading ideology of living in
peace in a calm, unflustered manner,
appreciating a life surrounded by nature and
family and friends.
Costa Rican traditions and culture tend to
retain a strong degree of Spanish influence.
Their spoken accent is rather closer to certain
areas of Colombia than its Central American
counterparts. Costa Rica boasts a varied
history. Costa Rica was the point where the
Mesoamerican and South American native cultures
met. The northwest of the country, Nicoya, was
the southernmost point of Nahuatl cultural
influence when the Spanish conquerors
(conquistadores) came in the 16th century. The
center and southern portions of the country had
Chibcha influences. However, the indigenous
people have influenced modern Costa Rican
culture to a relatively small degree, as most of
the Indians died from disease and mistreatment
by the Spaniards. The Atlantic coast, meanwhile,
was populated with African slaves in the 17th
and 18th centuries, altough most Caribbean Costa
Ricans of African ascent descend from Jamaican
workers brought in during the 19th century to
work in the construction of railways connecting
the urban populations of the Central Plateau to
the port of Limon on the Caribbean coast. During
the 19th century Chinese and Italian inmigrants
came to the country to work on the construction
of the railroad system as well
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Background:
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Costa Rica is a
Central American success story: since the late 19th century,
only two brief periods of violence have marred its democratic
development. Although still a largely agricultural country, it
has expanded its economy to include strong technology and
tourism sectors. The standard of living is relatively high. Land
ownership is widespread. |
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Location:
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Middle America,
bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean,
between Nicaragua and Panama |
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Geographic coordinates:
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10 00 N, 84 00 W
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Map references:
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Central America
and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
51,100 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco
water: 440 sq km
land: 50,660 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller
than West Virginia |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 639
km
border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km |
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Climate:
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tropical and
subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May
to November); cooler in highlands |
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Terrain:
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coastal plains
separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones,
of which several are major volcanoes |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Costa Rican(s)
adjective: Costa Rican |
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Ethnic groups:
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white (including
mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic
76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, other Protestant 0.7%, Jehovah's
Witnesses 1.3%, other 4.8%, none 3.2% |
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Languages:
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Spanish
(official), English spoken around Puerto Limon |
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Currency:
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Costa Rican colon
(CRC) |
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Currency code:
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CRC |
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Exchange rates:
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Costa Rican
colones per US dollar - 343.08 (January 2002), 328.87 (2001),
308.19 (2000), 285.68 (1999), 257.23 (1998), 232.60 (1997) |
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Destination
Guides > South
America > Central
America & Caribbean |
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