A little About Costa Rica

  A little about Costa Rica

Only a 2 1/2 hour flight from Miami Florida, Costa Rica offers a Spanish Immersion traveler--or any other traveler-- a great variety of activities and sites to enjoy.  Whether you are a surfer, birdwatcher, hiker, mountain climber, or beach bum, you will find lots to do in Costa Rica, along with your Spanish Immersion experience.  Costa Rica is different than many other countries in that it has no army, and is known as being a very stable democracy and thus very attractive for both short term and long term visitors.  It is also unique in that it's approach to conservation has resulted in over 25% of the country being protected in national parks and preserves.  These national parks include a great variety of volcanoes, wetlands, beaches, and islands; offering great diversions so that those wanting to spend a few hours or days away from their Spanish-speaking experience can find much enjoyment in nature.  In addition -- as I discussed in the article about mammals -- a visitor to Costa Rica will find a superb variety of birds, mammals, and reptiles to suit any interest in wildlife viewing.

With an economy of over $20 billion, and a growth rate of 7% in 2006, Costa Rica is showing real signs that the economy is on a continual upward swing.  Two of the main drivers of the economy are tourism and real estate, which in some cases are intertwined.  Many people who visit Costa Rica quickly learn that this is a country worth visiting again, and possibly buying a property to invest in or to retire.  In fact, it was not uncommon in my Costa Rican travels to find Americans who own real estate in Costa Rica or operate businesses to help boost the economy.  Naturally, with an abundance of national parks and preserves, ecotourism provides a big draw for those who appreciate and want to preserve the environment.  What better place to see the activities of a rain-forest than a country which boasts some of the best rain forests in the world?

In addition, Costa Rica enjoys a number of exports to other countries which help its economy, and these exports include bananas, pineapples, coffee, sugar cane, vegetables, and apparel.  Interestingly--on some of my bus trips--I saw miles after miles of one type of crop or another.  For example, during my second to last day, I enjoyed the view of thousands of banana trees from my crowded bus in which I was traveling.  I believe that Costa Rica's future in exporting goods is bright.  Its main exporting partner is the United States, which provides over 49% of the purchasing of goods.  Japan, Mexico, and Venezuela are the next chief importers of Costa Rican goods.

In addition, with its highly educated labor force of over 95% literacy, Costa Rica boasts a workforce willing and able to tackle any economic problems that can arise now or in the future.  With so many workers, only 18% of the country is below the poverty line, and the government is taking steps to reduce that number.  However, as I discussed in my article on bus travel, an example of an area in Costa Rica that could use more labor is in the construction industry.  In my view, the number of roads and buildings that contain deferred maintenance is high and in some need of repair.  Perhaps in the future the diverse labor force of Costa Rica could be channeled a little more into the construction industry to help support this important sector.  After all, tourists and immigrants who come to Costa Rica will need to use roads and houses, and improving this infrastructure is a good idea for both the regular population and visitors who come to this beautiful country.

Costa Rica is located in Central America, with Panama to its south and Nicaragua to the north.  It is about the size of West Virginia, and is approximately 19000 mi.².  The highest point in the country is called Chirripo, which at 12,500 feet is the fifth highest peak in Central America.  The highest volcano is called Irazu, and this volcano stands at 11,200 feet.  In addition, the coast of Costa Rica comprises several islands, some of which I passed during my ferry ride.  Overall, I learned from my bus trips that the country is filled with mountains, volcanoes, and wetlands.  This variety of geographic features can make it difficult to travel, but as I described in the article on bus travel, it can be navigated with a little effort and some close study of bus schedules.

The number of people in Costa Rica is estimated at four and a half million.  The majority of people in Costa Rica are descended from Spanish settlers.  Unlike its neighboring countries populations, Costa Rica did not have much mixing of Spanish settlers and the indigenous populations.  In fact, most analysts believe that only 1.7% of the population--or around 50,000 people--are descendants of the original population.  Most people in Costa Rica are Christians—more specifically Catholic--like most other parts of Latin America.  Although Catholicism is the main denomination, Protestant denominations have been experiencing rapid growth in recent years, and that trend is expected to continue. 

To properly understand Costa Rica, one needs to understand the history of the country, which helps explain the tapestry of its traditions and culture.  Although the Spanish conquistadors did visit Costa Rica, it was not a principal destination point mainly because of its geographic diversity.  The principal city in the area for colonization was Guatemala City for early Spanish development, and Costa Rica experienced some isolation at that time, in part because of its natural geographic elements.  In addition, the Costa Rican population had little political allegiance to the government in Guatemala City, which added to its isolation.  Moreover, Costa Rica was not interested in participating in a federation of Central American countries during the break from Spain.    This fact is considered to be a contributing factor to the eventual reality that each country evolved into an independent state.  However most countries in that part of Central American still celebrate September 15 as an Independence Day from the Spanish rule, embracing a common history. 

In 1821, Costa Rica obtained its independence along with the other countries in the Central American region, when Spain relinquished its control over Mexico.     Costa Rica became free at that time, and needed to develop a form of government.   Over the next hundred years—while it was developing a governmental system--Costa Rica did experience some immigration from Jamaica, Italy and China.  This was because workers were needed for construction of the railway system.  Ultimately, this rail system went into some state of disrepair, which it current stands and is not in mainstream use.   Costa Rica struggled for some number of years to establish a government, as different cities like Heredia and San Jose attempted to exert the most influence in the country.   Unlike some of the other countries in the region, Costa Rica did not have a large indigenous population with common heritage, but instead was comprised of a number of diverse groups that were separated by mountains and other topography.   Eventually, stronger leaders pulled the country together in the later part of the 19^th century.    Some analysts believe that the country really did not establish the “identity” which it currently holds until the revolution of the late 1940s.  During this bloodless revolution, the new president at that time decided to abolish the military and take Costa Rica on the path where it currently resides.   Despite some of these ups and downs in its development, Costa Ricans nonetheless exhibit much pride in celebrating the Independence Day on September 15, which again is the date which signifies its independence from Spain.

During this century, Costa Rica has experienced a number of strong presidents who had served for several terms that helped stabilize the country.  As mentioned, around 1950 the military was disbanded.  To this day, Costa Rica is one of the few countries that can boast a lack of a standing military, and this arrangement helps ensure that essential resources are not a drain on the economy to support a military infrastructure.  In the late 1980s, Costa Rica gained international recognition as its president at that time, Oscar Arias, won a Nobel Peace Prize.  This occurred in 1987.  Barred from seeking reelection at the time, he retired while several presidents served over the next 15 years into the new century.  Unfortunately, some of these presidents have been identified in corruption scandals that are not completely resolved, but the democracy of Costa Rica has continued to thrive during the same time.  In April 2003, the law that prevented a person from seeking presidential reelection was reversed, and Oscar arias ran for a second term.  He won and took office during 2006, running on a platform of free trade.  During the time I was in Costa Rica—which was in August and September of 2006, I read a number of articles about some of his early initiatives and proposals, and it did appear that he had a strong mandate to make some positive changes.  Hopefully, the changes he has embarked upon will address some of the economic and structural challenges of the country, and I believe he has the leadership credentials and capabilities to make it happen.

One of the current challenges of Costa Rica pertains to illegal immigration from Nicaragua, its neighbor to the north.  Because Nicaragua's economy is not as strong as Costa Rica's, there is a flow of Nicaraguans who cross over the border illegally to work in Costa Rica.  Early in Oscar Arias’s second term, some measures were approved to help stem this problem, including quick deportation when someone is identified as an illegal alien during a police raid.  The new law allows the Costa Rican police to enter a house where there might be suspected illegal immigrants, and take the people by force.  According to new reports I saw during August 2006, no search warrant of any kind is needed, and the suspects can be held in jail while their status is sorted out.   There are some complaints that this can be interpreted as a kind of unlawful search and detention, but the law is still being upheld.

This problem of illegal immigrants does not appear to be the same when looking at Panama. This is because Panama is similar to Costa Rica in many ways, and enjoys  a strong economy and close ties to the United States.  Of course, this is because of the historical US development and management of the Panama Canal, which serves as a major shipping through-way in the Western part of the world.  Panama, unlike Costa Rica, uses dollars as its currency and its citizens enjoy many benefits to living in the country.  Higher standards of living and access to money are more common, and there is typically little reason for Panamanians to want to immigrate to Costa Rica.  With the money generated by the Panama canal, and Panamas traditional influence by the United States, the country has always experienced a great deal of affluence by Central American standards.  Panama is known as a “sister country” to Costa Rica, and has many similarities in culture, standard of living, and attractiveness.   On a personal note, I plan to visit Panama in the future and I expect my visit to be as rewarding and enjoyable as my one-month trip to Costa Rica.

With respect to business news, during the time I was in Costa Rica there was a major news story about a casino operation being closed and the laying off of 1,400 Costa Rican employees.  An American who owned and operated the business was arrested by US authorities while stopping over in a flight while in Texas.  Unfortunately, with his arrest the business folded and all the employees were left out in the street.     As has been widely reported in world news, the US government has been cracking down on foreign run casino operations, and this Costa Rican company happened to be a target in this circumstance.  Despite this story, the fact that the business was in operation for some period of time shows that there are many incentives for businesses to operate in Costa Rica.    There are other major US corporations that have recently opened business operations in Costa Rica.    It was recently reported that Wal-Mart has a major stake in a Costa Rican supermarket called Pali, which I frequented on many occasions. 

As far as other businesses are concerned, a traveler will find most everything they would normally see in the United States also in Costa Rica.  For example, in Alajuela—a town close to San Jose--I stayed at a motel for two nights that was a few blocks from a modern mall which I visited.  This mall had a movie theater and all the other types of stores you might see in a typical American mall.  It also included the normal rush of shoppers and kids enjoying themselves and socializing.  However, in Quepos -- the city I lived in three weeks -- there was no movie theater and the businesses were oriented toward local needs and tourists.    These were mainly small local shops and gift shops.  Naturally, businesses that I saw in every town I visited were hotels and restaurants.  Clearly, the tourist and hospitality industries are booming in Costa Rica. 

In summary, I believe Costa Rica is a stable, well-organized democracy with all the amenities a Spanish immersion traveler might find at home.  If your interests involve bars and restaurants, you will feel at home.  If your interests involve ecotourism and nature, you will feel much more at home than in some places in the United States.  And finally, if your interests involve meeting people and experiencing a great culture with a rich tradition, you will not be disappointed.  Costa Rica is home to a good life for those who live there and also to those who are visiting.   It is in fact a pure life.  For that reason, I say to you Pura Vida, which in Spanish means pure life.  For more information, go to www.spanishimmersiononline.com. 

Eric Fielding, All rights reserved, 2007