Costa Rica Rainforest

GoogoBits.com
Independent Articles and Advice

Additional Resources

External Links

Talamanca Open Photography Project
Project dedicated to rainforest conservation through nature photography, in Talamanca, Limon, Costa Rica. Digital photos for sale.

Costa Rica Rainforest Adventure
The University of Costa Rica School of Biology offers 16 credit-hour semesters abroad studying Tropical Field Ecology.

Wikipedia Links

Costa Rica
The Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south-southeast. Since the civil war of 1948 that brought President José Figueres Ferrer to power, the country has been free of violent political conflict. Figueres also abolished the military and today, Costa Rica has only a national police force. Unlike most of its continental neighbors, Costa Rica, alongside Uruguay, is seen as an exceptional example of political stablity in the region, and sometimes refered to as the "Switzerland of Latin America."

History Of Costa Rica
In Pre-Columbian times the Native Americans in what is now Costa Rica were part of the Intermediate Area, between the Mesoamerican and Andean cultural regions.

Geography Of Costa Rica

Costa Rica is located on the Central American isthmus, 10° north of the equator and 84° west of the Prime Meridian. It borders both the Caribbean Sea (to the east) and the North Pacific Ocean (to the west), with a total of 1,290km of coastline (212km on the Caribbean coast and 1016km on the Pacific).

Demographics Of Costa Rica
Some researchers have stated that around 95% of the Costa Rican population has some native or African ancestry. Franklin Parker in his Central American Republics (1964) writes “In the highland basins about the capital a great majority of the persons are European in stock - wholly so in some instances, in others only preponderantly so with a trace of Indian or Negro also present”. Although it is true that some do not have any native or African ancestry, to claim that the population of Costa Rica is “98% white” is a misrepresentation of the facts. It is, though, one to which many Costa Ricans subscribe, believing it sets them apart from their darker-skinned neighbors to the north and south. (http://www.bjmjr.com/afromestizo/costa_rica.htm)

Economy Of Costa Rica
Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social safety net has been put into place. Economic growth has rebounded from -0.9% in 1996 to 4% in 1997, 6% in 1998, and 7% in 1999. Inflation rose to 22.5% in 1995, dropped to 11.1% in 1997, 12% in 1998, and 11% in 1999. Large government deficits--fueled by interest payments on the massive internal debt--have undermined efforts to maintain the quality of social services. Curbing inflation, reducing the deficit, and improving public sector efficiency remain key challenges to the government. Political resistance to privatization has stalled liberalization efforts.

Military Of Costa Rica
In December 1, 1948 Costa Rica the president José Figueres Ferrer abolished the army after victory in the civil war in that year.
In a ceremony in the Cuartel Bellavista, Figueres broke a wall with a mallet symbolizing the end of the Costa Rica's military spirit.
In 1949 the abolition of the military was introduced in the Article 12 of the 1949 Constitution.

Foreign Relations Of Costa Rica
Costa Rica is an active member of the international community and, in 1993, claimed it was for neutrality. Due to certain powerful constituencies favoring its methods, it has a weight in world affairs far beyond its size. The country lobbied aggressively for the establishment of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and became the first nation to recognize the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Human Rights Court, based in San Jose.