1. COSTA RICA Marian Huang HIST 28: Nation Report Part 1 Dr. Arguello

3. Captal: San Jose

4. Borders Nicaragua and Panama

5. Area: slightly smaller than West Virginia

6. Total: 51,100 km²

7. Land: 50,660 km²

8. Water: 440 km²

9. Climate: Tropical and Subtropical

10. Dry Season (December-April)

11. Rainy Season (May-November)

12. Terrain: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains

13. Over 100 volcanic cones

14. Four volcanoes, two of them active

16. Natural resources include hydropower from Lake Arenal (largest lake in Costa Rica)

18. PEOPLE Extremely family oriented people Peaceful and fun loving Love music and dance and occasionally enjoy alcohol Educated: 93% literacy rate (age 10+) making Costa Rica the most literate populace in Central America Social Class Majority of people are middle-class due to strong democratic system promoting equal opportunity Extreme poverty exists, but not to the extent of neighboring countries Upper class are small in numbers

20. English, French, German, Italian, and Chinese also spoken

21. Culture heavily influenced by Spanish culture

22. Multicultural society due to high standards of life and education and the amount of visitors from other countries

23. Conservative when it comes to family issues

24. Family ties are very strong

26. National Dish: Gallo Pinto (“spotted rooster”)Music: tropical music, salsa, meringue, and reggae Dance: very dynamic part of culture Sports: most played sport is futbol (soccer) Main religious events: Easter Week (Semana Santa), Christmas Week

29. Government voted to implement Central American Free Trade Agreement in 2008

30. Laura Chinchlla became country’s first female president (took 47% of the vote)