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In 1563 a permanent settlement was established in the central highlands of Costa Rica. The country remained as a colony, property of the spanish crown for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain.
In 1836, Costa Rica chose its first head of state: Governor Juan Mora
Fernández. He introduced agrarian reform and offered free land and free
coffee seeds to any farmer who agreed to cultivate this crop for
export. Coffee became very important for the economy of the country for
almost 150 years.
In 1856 the Costa Rican army, commanded by Juan Rafael Mora Porras
joined forces with the other Central American nations to expel a
filibuster invasion, commanded by William Walker. William Walker and
his “Filibusters” wanted to annex Central America to the Southern U.S.
in 1856 thus making it an English-speaking slave state to support the
South. In the battles of Santa Rosa, Rivas and the San Juan campaign,
the filibuster army was deterred from invading Costa Rica and the rest
of Central America. Walker was eventually executed in Honduras.
As conditions worsened for people in Costa Rica because of both World
Wars and the Great Depression, the Communist Party became the spokesman
for disillusioned field workers. With the country on the brink of
social revolution, an unlikely alliance formed in 1940. President
Rafael Calderón Guardia teamed up with the Catholic Church and the
Communist Party to implement the reforms that have made Costa Rica a
leader in Latin America today. These reforms included socialized
medicine, low-cost housing, child welfare, minimum wage laws, the
university system, and many legal and constitutional reforms that gave
important rights to citizens and workers.
After a suspicious win by Calderon in the elections of that year, his
biggest critic, José “don Pepe” Figueres staged a coup that sparked a
one month long civil war. The conflict ended in a compromise that
preserved the reforms implemented in Calderón’s first term, restore
order and then turn power over to the true winner of the elections
Otilio Ulate. The Costa Rica’s army was abolished on December 1st,
1949. His army became the National Liberation Party, which went on to
nationalize the banking system and public utilities, and furthered the
educational and health reforms.
Those reforms have made that Costa Rica offers impressive health and
educational systems, incredible public transportation, widespread and
advanced communication networks etc. The country has a literacy rate
and average life expectancy that are much closer to those of Western
European nations than most Latin American countries. Quality of health
care in Costa Rica is comparable to North America or Europe, but rates
easily 50% less, making medical tourism an important business in Costa
Rica. Foreigners who require medical treatment not covered by insurance
in their respective countries often head to Costa Rica for treatment. A
growing number of high quality cosmetic surgery specialists regularly
treat foreign patients.
Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture,
and electronics exports. The reduction of inflation remains a difficult
problem because of rises in the price of imports, labor market
rigidities, and fiscal deficits. The government continues to grapple
with its large internal and external deficits and sizable internal
debt. The country also needs to reform its tax system and its pattern
of public expenditure.
Costa Rica's system of government is composed by three branches of government:
• Executive, which consists of the president, two vice presidents and cabinet;
• Legislative Assembly, with 57 individually elected deputies;
• the Judicial Branch, which consists of civil, criminal, appellate and constitutional courts.
The President and members of the Legislative Assembly are elected for
four-year terms and the president can't run for reelection.
Government offices are generally open from 8 am to 4 PM, while banks
close anytime between 3:00 and 6:00 PM. Most shops are open from 9:00
am to 6:00 PM, while some open at 8:00 am and others close at 7:00 PM;
most grocery stores close at 8:00 PM. Some shops also close for lunch,
between noon and 1:00 or 2:00 PM. At the Malls they usually work from
10:00AM to 8:00PM.
The official currency of Costa Rica is the colon, however US dollars
are widely accepted. Most major credit cards are widely accepted, and
cash advances can be obtained at banks around the country and a variety
of places throughout San Jose.
A couple needs $800 to $1000 a month, to live well in Costa Rica. This
means riding buses, renting a small house and not indulging in trips or
other luxuries. A more comfortable living standard requires $2000.
Some things such as utilities, local foods and products are cheap, while most imported goods are more expensive.
Costa Rica has a good domestic telephone service in terms of breadth of
coverage; restricted cellular telephone service, point-to-point and
point-to-multi-point microwave, fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link
rural areas; Internet service is available
In Costa Rica there are two distinct seasons: dry season and wet
season. Dry season goes from December to April and wet seaon goes from
May to November. During dry season there are little rainfall from time
to time. In wet season is usually sunny in the morning and rainy in the
afternoon. Temperatures in the highlands and the mountains are warm by
day and brisk at night giving an "eternal spring" feeling. The average
annual temperatures range from 31.7°C (89°F) on the coast to 16.7°C
(62°F) inland.
GETTING IN
Citizens of the US and Canada, need only valid passports or birth
certificates and photo ID’s - such as driver’s license - to enter Costa
Rica and stay for as long and 90 days. Known-passport holders must also
buy two dollars tourist cards. No visas are required.
All Europeans need valid passports. Most, with the exception of the
Greeks, don’t need visas. Greek citizens must have their passports
stamped with visas before they leave home. All may stay for as long as
90 days.
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