Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in the Central American region of North America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as maritime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around five million in a land area of nearly 51,180 km2 (19,760 sq mi). An estimated 352,381 people live in the capital and largest city, San José, with around two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area.
The first indigenous peoples of Costa Rica were hunters and gatherers, and when the Spanish conquerors arrived, Costa Rica was divided in two distinct cultural areas due to its geographical location in the Intermediate Area, between Mesoamerican and the Andean cultures, with influences of both cultures.
Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually defined as consisting of seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Within Central America is the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from southern Mexico to southeastern Panama. Due to the presence of several active geologic faults and the Central America Volcanic Arc, there is a high amount of seismic activity in the region, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, which has resulted in death, injury, and property damage.
Central America is commonly said to include Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. This definition matches modern political borders. Central America begins geographically in Mexico, at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico's narrowest point, and the former country of Yucatán (1841–1848) was part of Central America. At the other end, before its independence in 1903 Panama was part of South America, as it was a Department of Colombia. At times Belize, a British colony until 1981, where English instead of Spanish is spoken, and where the population is primarily of African origin, has been considered not part of (Spanish-speaking) Central America.
The Greater Republic of Central America, later the United States of Central America, originally planned to be known as the Republic of Central America, was a short-lived political union between El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, lasting from 1896 to 1898. It was an attempt to revive the failed Federal Republic of Central America that existed earlier in the century.
The Costa Rica national football team represents Costa Rica in men's international football. The national team is administered by the Costa Rican Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL), the governing body for football in Costa Rica. It has been a member of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) since 1927, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) since 1961, and a member of the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) since 1990.
The Guatemala national football team represents Guatemala in men's international football and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it has been affiliated to FIFA since 1946, as a member of CONCACAF.
The Captaincy General of Guatemala, also known as the Kingdom of Guatemala, was an administrative division of the Spanish Empire, under the viceroyalty of New Spain in Central America, including present-day Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and the Mexican state of Chiapas. The governor-captain general was also president of the Royal Audiencia of Guatemala, the superior court.
Central America is a subregion of the Americas formed by six Latin American countries and one (officially) Anglo-American country, Belize. As an isthmus it connects South America with the remainder of mainland North America, and comprises the following countries : Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.
The Anglican Church in Central America is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering five sees in Central America.
The Central American Integration System has been the economic and political organization of Central American states since 1 February 1993. On 13 December 1991, the ODECA countries signed the Protocol of Tegucigalpa, extending earlier cooperation for regional peace, political freedom, democracy and economic development. SICA's General Secretariat is in El Salvador.
This is an index of Central America-related articles. This index defines Central America as the seven nations of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The El Salvador national rugby union team, nicknamed Los Torogoces, represents El Salvador in rugby union. They had their first international tournament in 2011 in Costa Rica along the other teams from Central America, winning the Silver Cup.
The Guatemala national rugby union team represents Guatemala in rugby union.
The Men's Association football competition at the 2001 Central American Games took place from 22 November to 2 December at the Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City. This was the seventh Football edition since 1973.
The Guatemala women's national football team is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. They are one of the top women's national football teams in the Central American region along with Costa Rica, having won the 1999 UNCAF championship.
Mexican immigration to Costa Rica comprises people who emigrated from Mexico to Costa Rica and their descendants. Costa Rica has the most Mexicans living in Central America, aside from Guatemala. The waves of migration from Mexico to Costa Rica started from 1970s, as they were attracted by a stable democracy, a mild climate and political stability that characterizes this country south of Central. The Mexican population in Costa Rica reaches more than 5,000 people who exercise as professionals, doctors, secretaries, among other services. Costa Rica is the seventh destination for Mexican immigrants in the world, and first in Hispanic America. Unlike other destinations, most Mexicans who immigrate to Costa Rica are mainly from Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Chihuahua, Baja California and Mexico City. Despite having more cultural elements similar to the northern countries of Central America, such as Guatemala, Mexicans in Costa Rica are quickly assimilated by the Costa Rican population. From 2010, a new wave of Mexican immigrants began coming to Costa Rica, and these are mainly young professionals, who find no opportunities in their country, migrate to the Central American country. Many others are running away from the waves of violence following the war against drug trafficking in Mexico.
The Act of Independence of Central America, also known as the Act of Independence of Guatemala, is the legal document by which the Provincial Council of the Province of Guatemala proclaimed the independence of Central America from the Spanish Empire and invited the other provinces of the Captaincy General of Guatemala to send envoys to a congress to decide the form of the region's independence. It was enacted on 15 September 1821.
The 2018 UNCAF U-16 Tournament was the 8th UNCAF U-16 Tournament, a biennial international football tournament contested by men's under-16 national teams. Organized by UNCAF, the tournament took place in Guatemala between 20 and 27 October 2018.
Volleyball has been in the Central American Games event since the first inaugural edition in 1973 in Guatemala City, Guatemala Since then the volleyball competitions for both men and women was presented in all editions except the 2006 Central American Games Edition That was Cancelled at that time.
