Costa Rica is known for having Latin America’s oldest democracy, as it was established and uninterrupted since the 1950s. More importantly, it is one of the few countries without a standing military force. Today, they are under a presidential constitutional republic, lead by Laura Chinchilla, whom is the president since 2010. Costa Rica is in Central America, between Nicaragua (north) and Panama (south east). Christopher Columbus first visited it during his fourth and last voyage to the New World. Its conquistador was Juan Vasquez Coronado, a pacifist whom won the trust of the natives in the area.
Costa Rica, or Rich Coast, was named for Gil Gonzales Davila after the golden bands that the natives wore in their noses at the time of colonization (Costa Rica - History & Culture). For this colony independence came almost instantaneously as it was not forced by any war. Spain had left this part of the colonies alone as they focused on the minerals that Peru and Mexico. Since both Peru and Mexico wanted their independence at this time, Spain was using must of the resources to fight against them, leaving them no capital to take care of Central America. As a result, it was easier for the Central America colonies to declare independence because it was already a reality to them. Since this time Costa Rica was known for their tolerant attitudes as whites, Creoles, Spaniards, blacks and Indians coexisted without any issues.
In 1823, at the time of independence Costa Rica joints the Federal Republic of Central America with Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua (La Federacion Del Centro De America). The president of all the providences, the so-called federal government, was Francisco Morazán a liberal. As president of the provinces...
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Rankin, Monica A. The History of Costa Rica. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, an Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2012. Print.
Tirmenstein, Lisa. "Costa Rica in 1856: Defeating William Walker While Creating a National Identity." Costa Rica in 1856: Defeating William Walker While Creating a National Identity. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. .
"United Provinces of Central America (historical Federation, Central America)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. .
Traveling to a new country can be nerve-racking. Once arriving in Costa Rica, I immediately was amazed by the airport. It was clean and set up just like American airports. Even though the airport was modern, the more common forms of transportation were not. Unfortunately, most of the vehicles did not have air-conditioning. One of the
The Latin American Independence was from 1807-1824. There were military and political movements that ended the colonial rule by Spain over Mexico, Central America, and South America. This gave birth to the modern independent nations of Latin America. (Latin American history)There were a few reasons which made the independence movements happen in Latin America when they did. The Creoles were inspired by the political ideas from Europe’s time of Enlightenment, which would question the traditional beliefs and authority along with introducing such concepts as limiting the power of
I learned more than I ever imagined on my summer study abroad trip to Costa Rica. I learned that Costa Rica is a country like no other. The country is much different than what the United States of America is like. The lifestyles, customs, and practices of Costa Rica are very different than those that I am accustomed to. As an outsider looking into the country, I saw a country that is very poor financially but very rich in spirit. They do not appreciate wealth as United States citizens do, but instead appreciate love and gratitude. I noticed that Costa Ricans have very strong family values and cultural roots.
On independence in 1821 Honduras joined the Central American Federation, and the Honduran general, Francisco Morazán, became its first president. He also entered the phatheon of national heroes after he was killed in the break-up of the federation in 1839. Honduras' liberal revolution took place in the 1870s under the presidency of Marco Aurelio Soto.
Memphis Library "Dominican Republic Through Time." Faces: People, Places, and Cultures Feb. 1999, 12. General OneFile. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
In 1801, the Panamanian communities began the move toward independence. In November of 1821, General José de Fábrega met with the separatists in the Capitol, and the group called for a national assembly, in which representatives from every region in Panama came to convene on November 10th. At this assembly it was officially declared that Panama was severing its ties to the Spanish, and ...
There were a few main points that led up to the Latin American independence movement. In, 1797 the Britain blockade of Spain took place for two years, which cut off resources and revenues for the country. In doing so, Britain had almost proved to Mexico that they could survive on their own in the New World without Spain. About 10 years later in 1808, Spain was in serious trouble with France and Napoleon Bonaparte had taken over Spain and appointed his brother King of Spain. Spain was in there own sort of disarray at this time so after proving to themselves
In the 1800's, Latin American countries won independence, but many new independent countries had trouble creating strong, stable governments. The Creoles played an important role in the independent movements. These countries won their independence through strong leaders and many other factors. As soon as these countries won their independence from Spain and Portugal, they did not want to return the way they did. Many countries revolted, we even find out that the United States had something to do with it. Behind many of these countries' independence, stands and list of causes and effects.
The physical science of the two countries is completely different. According to the main speaker, Costa Rica is much smaller than the United States. It could actually fit in the state of Oklahoma about two and a half times (Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 2010). The population is a little different too. Costa Rica’s population is around 4.5 million, compared to Oklahoma which has approximately 3.4 million.
Costs Rica is a small country in Latin America that contains less than five million people
This greeting evoked strong sentiments within Columbus, however, it was not the kindness of the natives that primarily affected him, but rather, it was the sight of gold that moved his greed hardened heart. Consequently, Spain was placed under the impression that the region was brimming with riches, prompting King Ferdinand to send Diego de Nicuesa on a mission of colonization. While de Nicuesa’s efforts were unsuccessful due to the natives’ resistance, his attempts were representative of the advent of a lengthy struggle on the part of Costa Rica’s indigenous
Colombia. Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo. Resumen Del Tratado De Libre Comercio Entre Estados Unidos y Colombia. Web. .
Like many other Latin American countries, Costa Rica has a strong connection with Roman Catholicism which is the official religion of the country and the prevalent one. The population is predominately Catholic with about 18% of it being part of other Christian Churches that include Methodist, Mormon, Baptist, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are many privileges that the Roman Catholic Church has and these include Catholic marriages are automatically recognized by the government while marriages of other faiths have to go legalized it through a civil union. The Roman Catholic Church also has a strong communication channel with the Costa Rican government and influences the response to economic, political, and social problems.
5. MacLachlan, Colin. “History of Mexico”. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Computer Software. Microsoft , 2000. CD ROM.
Schoonover, Thomas. The French in Central America: Culture and Commerce, 1820-1930. Wilmington DE: Scholarly Resources Inc., 2000. Web 10 Jan. 2012.