Costa Rica Research Paper

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Costa Rica, which means “rich coast,” is one of the twenty-one Spanish speaking nations in the world. Christopher Columbus was the person to give Costa Rica its name because of the valuable metals he believed the country would possess. It is located in North America and is home to over four million people. Costa Rica is filled with wildlife, forests, volcanoes, and springs. There are many factors that helped form Costa Rica into the country it is today. Costa Rica’s history of gaining independence, religion, holidays, foods, music, and sports are some of the many important components of the country. During Christopher Columbus’s fourth and final trip to the Americas, he arrived to Costa Rica in 1502. There were about 400,000 people living …show more content…

Some of the important holidays that are celebrated in Costa Rica include Saint Joseph’s Day and Dia de la Raza. Saint Joseph’s Day takes place on March 19th. People celebrate this day with fairs, Catholic masses, bullfights, and street food. Dia de la Raza is a celebration held on October 12th. It is to honor Columbus’s finding of the New World and all of the cultural influences that helped shape modern-day Latin America (Van Velzer). Traditional dishes in Costa Rica contain mostly rice, beans, chicken, fish, and different vegetables. Gallo Pinto is the most common breakfast dish. It is black beans mixed with rice, sour cream, eggs, and a fried plantain. Arroz con leche (rice with milk) is a traditional Costa Rican dessert. It is rice, sugar, cinnamon, and other ingredients cooked in milk (“Costa Rica Traditional Food”). Music is very important to Costa Rica, and depending where you are in Costa Rica, the music may be a little different. However, most people like Latin music. Some examples of Latin music are salsa, the ‘lambada’, and ‘soca.’ Costa Ricans also enjoy American and British rock (Alvarez). Soccer, which is called Futbol in Costa Rica, is a main sport for Costa Ricans. Soccer was introduced to the region by English settlers in the 20th century. Surfing, golf, rafting, and recreational fishing are some more sports in Costa Rica ("Costa Rica

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