Costa Rica

Columbus called Costa Rica "rich coast," when he discovered it in 1502. Located between Nicaragua and Panama, with coastal beaches on both the Caribbean and the North Pacific Ocean, Costa Rica is widely acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful countries in Central America.
Costa Rica’s natural heritage form one of the world’s most outstanding biological reserve and national parks systems.

National Parks cover almost 12 per cent of the country, and forest reserves and indigenous reservations boost the protected land area to 27 per cent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Government

As one of the oldest democracies in the Americas, Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948 and has instead chosen to spend its money on education, health services and now, tourism infrastructure. Having established political and social stability, Costa Rica is a peaceful and prosperous nation. There is a growing population of North Americans and Europeans settling in this country, called by some the” Switzerland of Central America”.

The government of Costa Rica is a democratic republic. The capital city is San Jose’ and most of the nation’s commerce takes place within San Jose’s city limits.

Costa Rica’s basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture and electronic exports. Poverty has been substantially reduced in the last 20 years and a strong social safety net has been put into place.
The Constitution guarantees and protects its people’s rights to life, freedom and basic civil liberties. The death sentence was abolished in 1882. This has provided an ideal environment for several international human rights organizations, which have established their headquarters in Costa Rica

People and language

Costaricans are warm hearted, gracious, educated and entrepreneurial people. Their lifestyle is simple and relaxed, with lots of time for family and friends. The old and young get lots of attention.

There are a little more than 4 million people. Half of them live in and around the capital, San Jose’
Costa Rica provides free education for their residents and boasts the highest literacy rate in Central America, rivaling even that of many larger and wealthier countries.

Spanish is the official language but English, which is a mandatory subject at schools, is widely spoken. Additionally, as the number of foreigners settling in the country continues to increase, other languages such as German, French, Italian and Dutch are becoming more and more prevalent.

Health Care

Costa Rica offers one of the best health care systems in the Americas. Hospitals, and public and private clinics can be found almost everywhere, with a highly educated and efficient personnel. Life expectancy is about 76 year old for both men and women.

Foreigners frequently take advantage of the low cost and professional medical care offered in Costa Rica. Cosmetic surgery, plus dental and optical care are very affordable and in particularly high demand. Any foreign national has the right to receive immediate medical attention at hospitals and clinics, in case of an emergency, accident or sudden illness.

Climate

There are only two seasons in the major part of the country: the dry and the green season. The Pacific side is rainy from May to November, and drier from December to April. On the Caribbean side usually the rainy months are November and December, July and August. The rest of the time is dry season.

In the green season, afternoon brings clouds and tropical rainfall, usually followed by the re-emergence of the sun. At times, there can be rain for days on end. It is the rain forest after all! The vegetation becomes more lush and green, which attracts more wildlife.

Because it's so close to the equator – 8 to12 degrees north - the sun rises between 5 and 6am every day of the year. Sunset is between 5:30 and 6:30pm and is a pretty spectacular sight.

Residency

Costarican residency is not hard to get and there are several ways to go about it. All of these methods require a fee to be paid to the immigration offices, and different documentation to be presented, depending on the type of residency you are interested in acquiring.