Costa Rica

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Costa Rica

    Costa Rica is officially known as the Republic of Costa Rica. It is
19,575 square miles in size and has a population of approximately 3,342,000
people. It is bordered by Panama and Nicaragua. The capital of Costa Rica
is San Jose. Its coastal areas are hot and humid and heavily forested. It has a
large chain of volcanoes rising over 12,000 feet. The official language of
Costa Rica is Spanish. It is a democratic nation and has no military. Costa
Rica has only 3 national newspapers.

History
    Christopher Columbus discovered Costa Rica in 1502. In 1563 Spain
began its conquest of the Costa Rican area. In 1821 Costa Rica gained
independence and was successfully part of the Mexican empire. Coffee
growing started in the early 1800's and banana cultivation began in 1874.
Costa Rica's democratic government began in 1889. Its president from 1986
to 1990 worked for peace in Central America. Economically, Costa Rica has
a history of payment problems.

    Government
    Costa Rica has a democratic government. Its current constitution was
adopted in 1949. In Costa Rica, the president serves as the chief executive
and head of state. The president is elected to a four year term. The
legislative assembly has fifty-seven deputies that are elected for a four year
term. The supreme court has seventeen justices appointed by the legislature.
Costa Rica's army was abolished in 1948. However, they do have a national
guard that can fight in a time of war. Costa Rica's s...

Submitted by: digitalessays
Date Submitted: 06-17-07 6:43pm
Category: Social Issues
Words: 931
Pages: 3.72