The first natives in Costa Rica were hunters, and gatherers, and Costa Rica served as an intermediate region between Mesoamerican and Andean native cultures.
The economy of Costa Rica has been very stable for some years now, with continuing growth in the GDP and moderate inflation, though with a high unemployment rate: 8.2% in 2016. The economy emerged from recession in 1997 and has shown strong aggregate growth since then. The estimated GDP for 2017 is US$61.5 billion, up significantly from the US$52.6 billion in 2015 while the estimated 2017 per capita is US$12,382.
The Public Force of Costa Rica is the country’s law enforcement force, which performs policing and border patrol functions.
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located in the centre of the country, specifically in the mid-west of the Central Valley, and contained within San José Canton. San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of Costa Rica. The population of San José Canton was 288,054 in 2011, and San José’s municipal land area measures 44.2 square kilometers, with an estimated 333,980 residents in 2015. The San José metropolitan area stretches beyond the canton limits and includes the cities of Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago, with an estimated population of over 2 million in 2017. The city is named in honor of Joseph of Nazareth.
According to Article 168 of the Constitution of Costa Rica, the political divisions are officially classified into 3 tiers of sub-national entities.
The Costa Rica national football team is administered by the Costa Rican Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL), the governing body for football in Costa Rica. They have been a member of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) since 1927, a member of 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 Costa Rican Football Federation, commonly known as FEDEFUTBOL or FEDEFUT, is the official association football governing body in Costa Rica and is in charge of the Costa Rican national team.
Education in Costa Rica is divided in 3 cycles: pre-education, primary education, and secondary school, which leads to higher education. School year starts between the second and third week of February, stops at the last week of June, it continues again between the third and fourth week of July and finishes between the last week of November and the second week of December. Preschool and basic education are free to the public. Elementary and secondary school are both divided in two cycles. Since 1869, education is free and compulsory.
Costa Rica is administratively divided into seven provinces which are subdivided into 82 cantons, and these are further subdivided into districts. Cantons are the only administrative division in Costa Rica that possess local government in the form of municipalities. Each municipality has its own mayor and several representatives, all of them chosen via municipal elections every four years.
Costa Rica first participated at the Olympic Games in 1936, but then missed the next four Olympiads. The nation returned to the Games in 1964, and has participated in every Summer Olympic Games since then. Costa Rica has also participated in several Winter Olympic Games since 1980.
Costa Rica – United States relations have been historically close; nevertheless there were instances in history where the US and Costa Rica disagreed. One such example might be the case of Freebooter William Walker. Nevertheless, considering that Costa Rica generally supports the U.S. in international fora, especially in the areas of democracy and human rights, modern day relations are very strong.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Costa Rica:
Miss Costa Rica is a national beauty pageant in Costa Rica.
The Costa Rica women's national football team is controlled by the Costa Rican Football Federation. They are one of the top women's national football teams in the Central American region along with Guatemala.
Reinas de Costa Rica is a national beauty pageant in Costa Rica that selects representative to the Miss World pageant since 2007. The Miss Costa Rica pageant stopped sending contestants to the Miss World and Miss International pageants. The last delegate sent by the organization was in 2006. In 2007, the franchise was acquired by the Reinas de Costa Rica organization presided by Alan Aleman. This pageant is unrelated to the Miss Costa Rica Organization.
Costa Rica–India relations refers to the international relations that exist between Costa Rica and India.
Costa Rica–Spain relations refers to the diplomatic relations between Costa Rica and Spain. Both nations are members of the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language and the Organization of Ibero-American States.
