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Costa Rica Facts
Costa
Rica Facts
Costa
Rica's internationally famous and recognized for the diversity of
its natural resources and for the fabled kindness of its habitants.
These facts set it apart as an specially attractive
destination
for foreign tourists who make far more than a million visits a year.
Costa
Rica Facts
Official
Name: The
Republic of
Costa
Rica (Republica de Costa Rica)
Capital City:
San José
People: Costa Rican
Official
Language:
Spanish
Languages
Spoken:
Spanish,
English, and
French
Government: Democratic Republic
Geopolitical
Structure:
7
provinces:
Alajuela,
Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose
Independence: 15 September 1821
(from
Spain)
National
Holiday:
Independence
Day, 15
September (1821)
Official
Currency:
Costa Rican
Colon
Religion: Mostly Catholic
Land
Area:
51,060 sq km (19,714 sq
miles)
Latitude/Longitude: 9º 93N, 84º
08W
Highest
Point: Chirripo
Mountain,
12,533 ft. (3,820 m)
Bordering
Body of Water - lies
between
the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea
Time
Zone:
UTC
Islands:
Isla
del Caño (Caño's
Island),
Isla del Coco (Coco's Island), Isla Tortugas (Turtles Island)
Major
Industries:
Tourism,
agriculture
(coffee, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber),
and electronic exports.
The national flag: Consists of five
horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and
blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk on the hoist
side of the red band; above the coat of arms a light blue ribbon
contains the words,
AMERICA CENTRAL, |
|
and
just below it near the top of
the coat of arms is a white ribbon with the words, REPUBLICA
DE COSTA
RICA. The blue band symbolizes the blue sky that covers Costa Rica like
a protective blanket. The white stands for the peace that characterizes
the country as well as the purity of its ideals. Finally, the red band
represents the energy, the courage and the generosity with which the
Costa Ricans stand up for their principles and ideals.
The
national coat of arms: It shows
three volcanoes representing the country's three mountain
ranges and a valley. These divide two oceans where ships are sailing,
symbolizing the sea ports of the Pacific and the Caribbean Ocean. The
seven stars stand for the seven provinces of Costa Rica, and the rising
sun commemorizes the birth of the new nation. At the top of the coat of
arms there is an inscription saying: "Central America"!
The national flower: In Costa Rica, cattleya
skinneri is one
of the most common orchids. When in 1937 a vote was organized to choose
the national flower of Costa Rica, nobody was surprised that cattleya
skinneri was the winner. Not only scholars and horticulturists
participated in the vote, but also secondary school and university
students.
National
bird:
The so called Yigüirro
(clay-colored robin) was declared national bird of Costa Rica on
January 3rd, 1977, as a tribute to its powerful and melodious call that
signals the beginning of the rainyseason.This bird was chosen
especially because it is so familiar to Costa Ricans as it tends to
live near people's homes.
National
Tree:
On August 31, 1959, the
Guanacaste tree (enterolobium ciclocarpum) was declared the national
tree of Costa Rica. It was chosen as a tribute to the people of
Guanacaste, which was the last province to join the Republic in 1825.
With the giant shade it provides, this tree symbolizes the protection
that Costa Ricans enjoy from the State. The name "Guanacaste"
originates from a native language called "náhuatl" and means "tree of
the ears". This is because the fruits of the tree are similar to the
shape ofthe human ear.
Unofficial
Motto: "Pura
Vida."-
the
words convey the state of happiness, peace, and tranquility that the
political stability and freedom bring to Costa Ricans.
The
phrase actually comes from a 1956 Mexican movie, "Pura Vida!" By
1970 Costa Ricans were using the expression on a daily basis. The
expression "Pura Vida" has become so popular that has been added to
Costa Rican Spanish dictionaries as an idiom to greet, or to show
appreciation.
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Costa Rica facts, Costa Rica flag, costa rica government, wu yi


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