1. Flag of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Use State flag and ensign
Proportion 3:5
Adopted November 27, 1906

2. Design Showing Costa Rican flag prior to 1998
addition of "smoking" volcanoes to coat of
arms.[1]
Designed by Pacífica Fernández
Variant flag of Costa Rica
Use Civil flag and ensign
Proportion 3:5
The official flag of the Republic of Costa Rica is based on a design created in 1848.
The state/national flag, also used as the military ensign, includes the coat of arms of Costa
Rica. The civil ensign, commonly used as an unofficial national flag, omits the coat of arms.
The flag was officially adopted on November 27, 1906, including a slight modification to
the placement and design of the entrenched coat of arms. The flag was updated to reflect
concurrent modifications to the national coat of arms in 1964 and 1998.Flags Prior to
1848[edit]
During most of its colonial period, Costa Rica was the southernmost province of the Captaincy
General of Guatemala, which was nominally part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (i.e., Mexico),
but which in practice operated as a largely autonomous entity within the Spanish Empire. As
such, the land of present Costa Rica was covered by the various flags of the Spanish and
Mexican Empires until 1823.
Costa Rica was part of the Federal Republic of Central America (originally known as the "United
Provinces of Central America"), a sovereign state in Central America, which consisted of the
territories of the former Captaincy General of Guatemala. A republican democracy, it existed
from July 1823 to 1841. During this period, Costa Rica used the flag of the United Provinces of
Central America, augmented by variations specific to the State of Costa Rica within the United
Provinces of Central America (a blue and white striped United Provinces flag, with the Costa
Rican State Seal added).
When the Federal Republic of Central America unofficially dissolved by 1841, Costa Rica made
a further modification to its specific variation of the United
Flags since 1848[edit]
The blue, white and red horizontal design was created in 1848 by Pacífica Fernández, wife of
then president José María Castro Madriz. Fernández was inspired by France's 1848 Revolution,

3. and the creation of the French Second Republic. The new design to the Costa Rican flag
adopted the colors of the French tricolor.
The blue color stands for the sky, opportunities, idealism and perseverance. The white color
stands for peace, wisdom and happiness. The red color stands for the blood spilt by martyrs in
defense of the country, as well as the warmth and generosity of the people. The stripes are in
the ratio 1:1:2:1:1.
The coat of arms of Costa Rica was also revised in 1848 and placed in the center of the flag. In
1906, when the coat of arms was modified, the update was placed in a white disk on the flag's
red stripe, and later on an oval, set toward the hoist.
The coat of arms depicts the isthmus between the Pacific ocean and the Caribbean Sea, with 3
volcanoes. The 7 stars stand for the 7 provinces of Costa Rica. The Spanish name of the
country is scrolled on a white banner, Republica de Costa Rica (Republic of Costa Rica), and
the Central American union is recognized in the blue upper scroll, America Central, recalling the
former United Provinces of Central America.
The flag of Costa Rica is similar to the flag of Thailand, which was adopted 11 years later.[3]
It
also resembles the flag of North Korea which was adopted almost 42 years later in 1948.[4]
Historical flags[edit]
September, 1821 –
June 6, 1823
June 6, 1823 –
March 4, 1824
March 4 –
November 2, 1824
November 2–22,
1824
November 22, 1824
– November 15, 1840
April 21, 1840 –
April 20, 1842
September, 1842
– November 12, 1848
November 12,
1848 – November 27,
1906

4. 1906 - 1964 1964 – 1998
COSTA RICA CONTINENT
COSTA RICA MAP

5. Coat of arms of Costa Rica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coat of arms of Costa Rica

6. Details
Armiger Republic of Costa Rica
Adopted 1848
(5 May 1998 alteration
added smoke to volcanoes[1]
)
Crest An azure ribbon declaring
"America Central"
The official coat of arms of the Republic of Costa Rica was designed in 1848, with
modifications in 1906, 1964, and 1998. The latest change was the addition of smoke to
distinguish the three volcanoes. ("Se dibujaron los volcanes humeantes para diferenciarlos."
Languages of Costa Rica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Costa Rica's official and predominant language is Spanish; the variety spoken there, Costa
Rican Spanish, is a form of Central American Spanish. However, Costa Rica is also home to at
least five local indigenous languages (Maléku, Cabécar, Bribri,Guaymí, and Bocotá), as well
as Costa Rican Sign Language. An English-based creole language called Mekatelyu is spoken
to varying degrees in Limón Province. Mennonite immigrants, mostly in the area of Puerto Viejo
de Sarapiqui also speakPlautdietsch. The Quakers community, who settled in Monteverde in
early 1950s, speaks an ancient dialect of English, using thou instead you
Demographics of Costa Rica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Costa Rica,
including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status,
religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Costa Ricans

7. costarricenses
Sonia Chang-Díaz • Jose Pablo Cantillo • Heather
Hemmens •Debi Noval • Madeleine Stowe • Candice
Michelle • Eliot A. Jardines • Franklin Chang-
Díaz • Leonora Jiménez • Bruno Carranza • Harry Shum,
Jr. • Maribel Guardia • Claudia Poll •Nery
Brenes • Oscar Arias • Chavela Vargas
Languages
Costa Rican Spanish, Limonese Creole,Bribri, Ngäbere
Religion
Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism and minorities of
other religions.
Related ethnic groups
Spaniards, Italian Costa Rican, Nahuatl,Other European
peoples, Afro-Costa Rican,Other Amerindian
peoples, Chinese people in Costa Rica
Demographics of Costa Rica, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.
According to the United Nations, in 2009 Costa Rica has an estimated population of 4,579,000

8. people. Together, whites and mestizos
make up a 94% of the population, 3%
are black people, 1% Amerindians, 1%
Chinese, and 1% other.
Just under 3% of the population is of black
African descent who are called Afro-Costa
Ricans or West Indians and are English-
speaking descendants of 19th century
black Jamaican immigrant workers. Another
1% is composed of ethnic Chinese, and less
than 1% are Middle Easterners, mainly
of Lebanese descent but also Palestinians.
There is also a community of North
American retirees from the United
States and Canada, followed by fairly large
numbers of European Union expatriates
(esp. Scandinavians and from Germany)
come to retire as well, and Australians.[citation
needed]
The indigenous population today numbers
about 60,000 (1% of the population) with
some Miskito and Garifuna (mixed African
and West Indian with
indigenous Arawak/Carib/Taíno) peoples
live in the coastal regions.
Descendants of 19th century West Indian
and Jamaican immigrant workers constitute
an English-speaking minority and at 3% of
the population—number about 96,000 to
100,000.[citation needed]
An estimated 10% of the Costa Rican
population is made up
of Nicaraguans.[1]
There is also a number
of Colombian refugees. Moreover, Costa
Rica took in lots of refugees from a range of
other Latin American countries fleeing civil
wars and dictatorships during the 1970s and
80s - notably from Chile and Argentina.
Almost 100,000 Costa Ricans (2% of the
country's population) live abroad, mostly in
the United States, Mexico and Spain.
COSTA RICA
History & Culture
The first European explorer to
encounter Costa Rica was the Great
Navigator himself, Christopher
Columbus. The day was September
18, 1502, and Columbus was making
his fourth and final voyage to the New
World. As he was setting anchor off
shore, a crowd of local Carib Indians
paddled out in canoes and greeted his
crew warmly. Later, the golden bands
that the region's inhabitants wore in
their noses and ears would inspire the
Spaniard Gil Gonzalez Davila to name
the country Costa Rica, or Rich Coast.
Archaeologists now know that
civilization existed in Costa Rica for
thousands of years before the arrival
of Columbus, and evidence ofhuman
occupation in the region dates back
10,000 years. Among the cultural
mysteries left behind by the area's
pre-Columbian inhabitants are
thousands of perfectly spherical
granite bolas that have been found
near the west coast. The sizes of
these inimitable relics range from that

9. of a baseball to that of a Volkswagen
bus. Ruins of a large, ancient city
complete with aqueducts were
recently found east of San Jose, and
some marvelously sophisticated gold
and jade work was being wrought in
the southwest as far back as 1,000
years ago. Some archeological sites in
the central highlands and Nicoya
peninsula have shown evidence of
influence from the Mexican Olmec and
Nahuatl civilizations.
By the time Columbus arrived, there
were four major indigenous tribes
living in Costa Rica. The east
coast was the realm of the Caribs,
while the Borucas, Chibchas, and
Diquis resided in the southwest. Only
a few hundred thousand strong to
begin with, none of these peoples
lasted long after the dawn of Spanish
colonialism. Some fled, while many
others perished from the deadly
smallpox brought by the Spaniards.
Having decimated the indigenous
labor force, the Spanish followed a
common policy and brought in African
slaves to work the land. Seventy
thousand of their descendants live in
Costa Rica today, and the country is
known for good relations among
races. Regrettably, only 1 percent of
Costa's Rica's 3 million people are of
indigenous heritage. An overwhelming
98 percent of the country is white,
and those of Spanish descent call
themselves Ticos.
Of all the Spanish colonies, Costa Rica
enjoyed the least influence as a
colony. It was initially a tough and
unpopular place to settle, with few
valuable or easily exploited resources.
The Spanish were far more interested
in developing their holdings in Mexico
and Peru, where vast amounts
of silver and gold were being
obtained. The early hapless settlers
who came to Costa Rica were left
largely to their own devices, and the
first successful establishment of a
colonial city was not until 1562, when
Juan Vasquez de Coronado founded
Cartago.
When Mexico rebelled against Spain in
1821, Costa Rica and the rest of
Central America followed suit. Two
years later, a faction in Costa Rica
even opted to become part of Mexico,
sparking a civil war in the country's
center between four neighboring
cities. After the republican cities of
San Jose and Alajuela soundly
defeated the pro-Mexican Heredia and
Cartago, sovereignty was established.
The first head of state was Juan Mora
Fernandez, elected in 1824. Best
remembered for his land reforms,
Fernandez followed a progressive
course but inadvertantly created an
elite class of powerful coffee barons.
The barons later overthrew the
nation's first president, Jose
Maria Castro, who was succeeded by
Juan Rafael Mora. It was under Mora's
leadership that Costa Rican volunteers
managed to repulse a would-be
conqueror, the North American
William Walker.

10. Walker was a disgruntled southerner
who thought that the United States
should annex Central America and
turn it into a slave state. He was a
lunatic, and a dangerous rather than
charming one. With a piecemeal army
of about 50 men, Walker had earlier
invaded Mexico, where he had been
captured and then released back to
the States. Not to be discouraged, he
next invaded Panama, where he
briefly seized control before being
forced to flee--into Costa Rica. After
his bid for despotic rule there was
defeated by Mora's forces, the
indomitable Walker turned his
attentions to Honduras. The
Hondurans, unlike their predecessors
on Walker's list, captured him, and
Walker was finally and summarily
executed.
Military rule has reared its head in
Costa Rica from time to time, though
it has not been marked by the sort of
violent extremism that has occurred
elsewhere in Central America. In
1870, when General Tomas Guardia
seized control of the government, he
made some of the country's most
progressive reforms in education,
military policy, and taxation.
The Costa Rican civil war erupted in
1948, after incumbent Dr. Rafael
Angel Calderon and the United Social
Christian Party refused to relinquish
power after losing the presidential
election. An exile named Jose Maria
(Don Pepe) Figueres Ferrer managed
to defeat Calderon in about a month,
and he later proved to be one of Costa
Rica's most influential leaders, as
head of the Founding Junta of the
Second Republic of Costa Rica.
Under Ferrer's leadership, the Junta
made vast reforms in policy and civil
rights. Women and blacks gained the
vote, the communist party was
banned, banks were nationalized, and
presidential term limits established.
Ferrer was immensely popular,
creating a political legacy that firmly
cemented Costa Rica's liberal
democratic values.
In 1987, Costa Rican President Oscar
Arias Sanchez garnered world
recognition when he was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize for his work in
ending the Nicaraguan civil war.
During that conflict, both the
Sandanistas and the Contras set up
military bases in the northern area of
Costa Rica, and Arias was elected
under the promise that he would work
to put an end to this situation. He was
able to get all five Central American
presidents to sign his peace plan, and
Nicaragua is now experiencing relative
stability.
Education in Costa Rica
The education system in Costa
Rica consists of three main levels. It is a
duty of every citizen and an obligation to
receive education, as such it is free and
obligatory by law.
Universities[edit]
There are five public universities in Costa
Rica

11. Instituto Tecnológico de Costa
Rica (ITCR) or (TEC)
Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR)
Universidad Nacional de Costa
Rica (UNA)
Universidad Nacional Estatal a
Distancia (UNED)
Universidad Técnica Nacional de Costa
Rica (UTN)
Public universities offer degree
programs according to their specialty and
by law, and manage their own central and
regional campus. By Costa Rican law, two
different public universities may not offer the
same degree program.
There are also several private universities:
Universidad Latinoamericana de
Ciencia y Tecnología (Costa Rica)
Universidad Latina de Costa Rica
Instituto Centroamericano de
Administracion de Empresas (INCAE)
Universidad Adventista de
Centroamérica (UNADECA)
United Nations University for Peace
Universidad de Ciencias
Medicas (UCIMED)
Universidad de EARTH
Universidad de Iberoamerica (UNIBE)
Universidad Autónoma de
Centroamérica (UACA)
Universidad Católica de Costa Rica
Universidad Empresarial de Costa
Rica (UNEM)
Universidad Santa Paula
Universidad Veritas
Universidad Cristiana del Sur
Universidad San Juan de la
Cruz (SJDLC)
Politics of Costa Rica
The politics of Costa Rica take place in a
framework of a presidential representative
democratic republic, with a multi-party
system. Executive power is exercised by the
president
and her cabinet, and the President of Costa Rica is both the head of state and head of
government. Legislative power is vested in the Legislative Assembly. The president and
57 Legislative Assembly deputies are elected for 4-year terms. The Judiciary operates
independent of the executive and the legislature. Costa Rica is a republic with a strong system
of constitutional checks and balances.[1]
Voting is compulsory in Costa Rica but it is not
enforced.
The offices of the Comptroller General of the Republic, the Procurator General of the Public,
and the Ombudsman exercise autonomous oversight of the government. The Comptroller
General's office has a statutory responsibility to scrutinize all but the smallest contracts of
the public sector and strictly enforces procedural requirements. Costa Rica has no military but
maintains domestic Police and armed National Guard forces securing its interests.
The position of governor in the seven provinces was abolished in 1998.[2]
There are no
provincial legislatures. In 2009, the state monopolies on insurance and telecommunications (in
which one often needed to wait months to get a cellular phone line) were opened to private-
sector competition. Certain other state agencies enjoy considerable operational independence
and autonomy; they include the electrical power, the nationalized commercial banks (which are
open to competition from private banks), and the social security agency.
Costa Rica

12. This article is part of a
series on the
politics and
government of
Costa Rica
President
Laura Chinchilla
Vice Presidents
Alfio Piva
Luis Liberman
Legislative Assembly
Supreme Court of
Justice
Political parties
Recent elections
General: 2006
2010
2014
CAFTA referendum
2007
Administrative
divisions
Provinces
Cantons
Districts
Foreign relations
Other countries
Atlas
Politics portal
Economy of Costa Rica
The economy of Costa Rica is very stable, and depends essentially on tourism, agriculture,
and electronics exports.
According to a study conducted by ADEN Business School (which included 18 other countries
in the region), Costa Rica is the fourth most competitive country in Latin America in 2012 and is
part of a bloc of countries rated as having a "very good competitive level, with advances and
developments in infrastructure, technology and macroeconomic stability".[6]
The nation scored a
71,8 out of 100 on a study which measured competitiveness based on 10 criteria. Compared to
the 2011 rank, Costa Rica went up by one position (form 5th
to 4th
).[6]
The CIA World Factbook states that Costa Rica's GDP per capita is US$11,900 (2011 est.);
however, poverty has remained around 15-20% for nearly 20 years, and the strong social safety
net that had been put into place by the government has eroded due to increased financial
constraints on government expenditures.
It also states that foreign investors remain attracted by the country's political stability and
relatively high education levels, as well as the incentives offered in the free-trade zones.

13. According to the CIA World Factbook, Costa
Rica has attracted one of the highest levels
of foreign direct investment per capita in
Latin America. However, many business
impediments remain such as high levels of
bureaucracy, legal uncertainty due to
overlapping and at times conflicting
responsibilities between agencies, difficulty
of enforcing contracts, and weak investor
protection.
Inflation rose to 22.5% in 1995, dropped to
11.1% in 1997, 12% in 1998, 11% in 1999
and 13% in 2008. Measures taken by the
Central Bank have reduced inflation
substantially to 4.3% in 2009, and a
projected 5.8% for 2010. Curbing inflation,
reducing the deficit, and improving public
sector efficiency through an anti-corruption
drive, remain key challenges to the
government. Previous political resistance
to privatization had stalled liberalization
efforts. However, after the signing
of CAFTA, Costa Rica is now opened to
competition in its insurance and
telecommunications markets.
Costa Rica's economy emerged from
recession in 1997 and has shown strong
aggregate growth since then. After 6.2%
growth in 1997, GDP grew a substantial
8.3% in 1999, led by exports.
The strength in the nontraditional export and
tourism sector is masking a relatively
lackluster performance by traditional
sectors, including agriculture. The central
government deficit decreased to 3.2% of
GDP in 1999, down from 3.3% from the
year before. On a consolidated basis,
including Central Bank losses and
parastatal enterprise profits, the public
sector deficit was 2.3% of GDP.
Controlling the budget deficit remains the
single biggest challenge for the country's
economic policy makers, as interest costs
on the accumulated central government
debt consumes the equivalent of 30% of the
government's total revenues. This limits the
resources available for investments in the
country's deteriorated public infrastructure,
investments in many cases that would result
in higher quality infrastructure if they were
better planned.
Natural resources[edit]
See also: Ecotourism in Costa Rica
Costa Rica's rainfall, its well-educated
population, and its location in the Central
American isthmus, which provides easy
access to North and South American
markets and direct ocean access to the
European and Asian Continents. Costa Rica
has two seasons, both of which have their
own agricultural resources: the tropical wet
and dry seasons. One-fourth of Costa
Rica's land is dedicated to national forests,
often adjoining beaches, which has made
the country a popular destination for affluent
retirees and ecotourists. It has one of the
best economies in Latin America. Because
of the ocean access 23.7% of Costa Ricas
people fish and trade their catches to fish
companies. In terms of the
2012 Environmental Performance
Index ranking, Costa Rica is 5th in the
world, and first among the Americas.[7]
Tourism[edit]

14. Ecotourism is key in Costa Rica's tourism
industry. Shown Savegre River, Talamanca.
Main article: Tourism in Costa Rica
With a $1.92-billion-a-year tourism industry,
Costa Rica stands as the most visited
nation in the Central American region, with
1.9 million foreign visitors in 2007,[8]
thus
reaching a rate of foreign tourists per capita
of 0.46, one of the highest in the Caribbean
Basin, and above other popular destinations
such as Mexico (0.21), Dominican Republic
(0.38), and Brazil (0.03).
Ecotourism is extremely popular with the
many tourists visiting the extensive national
parks and protected areas around the
country. Costa Rica was a pioneer in this
type of tourism and the country is
recognized as one of the few with real
ecotourism.[9]
Other important market
segments are adventure, and sun and
beaches. Most of the tourists come from
the U.S. and Canada (46%), and
the EU(16%),[10]
the prime market travelers
in the world, which translates into a
relatively high expenditure per tourist of
$1000 per trip. In terms of 2008 Travel and
Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI),
Costa Rica reached the 44th place in the
world ranking, being the first among Latin
American countries, and second if
the Caribbean is included.[11]
Just
considering the subindex measuring human,
cultural, and natural resources, Costa Rica
ranks in the 24th place at a worldwide level,
and 7th when considering just the natural
resources criteria. The TTCI report also
notes Costa Rica's main weaknesses,
ground transport infrastructure (ranked
113th), and safety and security (ranked
128th).[12] [13]
Agriculture[edit]
Main article: Agricultjure in Costa Rica
Costa Rica's economy was historically
based on agriculture, and this has had a
large cultural impact through the years.
Costa Rica's main cash crops, both
historically and up to modern times,
wereCoffee and Bananas. Coffee,
especially, had much cultural and political
importance during the 1800s, being the crop
that brought a newfound wealth to the
nation's elite.
Agriculture also plays a profound part in that
country’s gross domestic product (GDP). It
makes up about 6.5% of Costa Rica’s GDP,
and 14% of the labor force.[14]
Depending on
location and altitude, many regions differ in
agricultural crops and techniques. The main
exports from the country
include: bananas, pineapples, coffee, sugar,
rice, vegetables, tropical fruits, ornamental
plants, corn, andpotatoes.
Livestock activity consists of cattle, pigs and
horses, as well as poultry. Meat and dairy
produce being leading exports.[15]
Exports, jobs, and energy[edit]

15. Graphical depiction of Costa Rica's product exports in 28 color-coded categories.
Intel microprocessor facility in Costa Rica is responsible for 25% of exports and 4,9% of the
country'sGDP.
Costa Rica used to be known principally as a producer of bananas and coffee. Even though
coffee, bananas, pineapple, sugar, lumber, wood products and beef are still important exports,
in recent timeselectronics, pharmaceuticals, financial outsourcing, software development,
and ecotourism have become the prime industries in Costa Rica's economy. High levels
of education among its residents make the country an attractive investing location.
The country has successfully attracted important investments by such companies as Intel
Corporation, which employs nearly 3,500 people at its custom built $300 million microprocessor
plant; Procter & Gamble, which is establishing its administrative center for the Western
Hemisphere in Costa Rica; and Abbott Laboratories and Baxter Healthcare from the health care
products industry likewise. Manufacturing and industry's contribution to GDP overtook
agriculture over the course of the 1990s, led by foreign investment in Costa Rica's free trade
zones. Well over half of that investment has come from the U.S. In 2006 Intel's microprocessor
facility alone was responsible for 20% of Costa Rican exports and 4.9% of the
country's GDP.[16][17]
Poás Volcano Crater is one of the country's main tourist attractions.
Trade with South East Asia and Russia has
boomed during 2004 and 2005, and the
country obtained full Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation Forum (APEC) membership by
2007 (the country became an observer in
2004). In 2011 the Financial
Times Intelligent Unit awarded Costa Rica
with the fDi’s Caribbean and Central
American Country of the Future 2011/12 for
its successful record in attracting FDI into
the country, and being the number one
destination country in the region in terms

16. of foreign direct investment (FDI) project
numbers since 2003. In the previous
assessment for the 2009/10 ranking the
country had ranked second after Puerto
Rico.[18][19]
Tourism is booming, with the number of
visitors up from 780,000 in 1996, through 1
million in 1999, to 2.089 million foreign
visitors in 2008, allowing the country to earn
$2.144-billion in that year.[20]
Tourism now
earns more foreign exchange than bananas
and coffee combined.[21]
In 2005, tourism
contributed with 8,1% of the country's GDP
and represented 13,3% of direct and
indirect employment.[22]
The country has not discovered sources of
fossil fuels—apart from
minor coal deposits—but its mountainous
terrain and abundant rainfall have permitted
the construction of a dozen hydroelectric
power plants, making it self-sufficient in all
energy needs, except oil for transportation.
Costa Rica exports electricity to Central
America and has the potential to become a
major electricity exporter if plans for new
generating plants and a regional distribution
grid are realized. Mild climate and trade
winds make neither heating nor cooling
necessary, particularly in the highland cities
and towns where some 90% of the
population lives.
Infrastructure[edit]
Costa Rica's infrastructure has suffered
from a lack of maintenance and new
investment. The country has an extensive
road system of more than 30,000
kilometers, although much of it is in
disrepair. Most parts of the country are
accessible by road. The main highland cities
in the country's Central Valley are
connected by paved all-weather roads with
the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and by
the Pan American
Highway withNicaragua and Panama, the
neighboring countries to the North and the
South. Costa Rica's ports are struggling to
keep pace with growing trade. They have
insufficient capacity, and their equipment is
in poor condition. The railroad didn't
function for several years, until recent
government effort to reactivate it for city
transportation.
The government hopes to bring foreign
investment, technology, and management
into the telecommunications and electrical
power sectors, which are monopolies of the
state. However, political opposition to
opening these sectors to private
participation has stalled the government's
efforts.
Costa Rica has a reputation as one of the
most stable, prosperous, and among the
least corrupt in Latin America.[23]
However,
in fall 2004, three former Costa Rican
presidents (Jose Maria Figueres, Miguel
Angel Rodríguez, and Rafael Angel
Calderon) were investigated
on corruption charges related to the
issuance of government contracts. After
extensive legal proceedings Calderon and
Rodriguez have been sentenced; however,
the inquiry on Figueres has since been
dismissed by the competent judicial party
and no charges were ever raised against
him.
Trade policy[edit]
Costa Rica has sought to widen its
economic and trade ties, both within and
outside the region. Costa Rica signed a
bilateral trade agreement with Mexico in
1994, which was later amended to cover a
wider range of products. Costa Rica joined
other Central American countries, plus the
Dominican Republic, in establishing a Trade
and Investment Council with the United
States in March 1998.
Costa Rica has bilateral free trade
agreements with the following countries
and blocs which took effect on (see
date):

17. Canada (November 1, 2002)
Chile (February 15, 2002)
China (August 1, 2011).
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)¨
(November 15, 2002)