Costa Rica

The Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south-southeast, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and by the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica is seen as an example of political stability in the region, and sometimes refered to as the "Switzerland of Central America." Costa Rica has no army.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Costa Rica

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In the central part of the country, most people are of European descent. The pure indigenous population today numbers about 29,000, less than one percent of the population. In Guanacaste, most of the population descends from a mix of the Chorotega Indians, Bantu Africans and Spaniards. Descendants of black 19th-century Jamaican immigrant workers constitute an English-speaking minority and at three percent of the population number about 96,000. Costa Ricans of mestizo and European descent account for a combined 94 percent. Another one percent is ethnically Chinese.

Related Topics:
Mestizo - Ethnically Chinese

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Today there is a growing number of Amerindians who migrate for seasonal work opportunities as agricultural workers mainly in the south-eastern border region with Panama. The most important group of immigrants in Costa Rica are Nicaraguans, who represent ten percent of the population. Most of them were originally refugees from civil war during the late 1970s and 1980s, but after the Esquipulas Peace Agreement an increasing number of Nicaraguans continue to migrate into Costa Rica due to economic reasons. There is also a growing number of Colombian, Panamanian and Peruvian immigrants.

Related Topics:
Panama - Nicaraguan - Civil war - Esquipulas Peace Agreement - Colombia - Peru

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http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~bzimmerm/Costa_Rica/images/mjrs.jpg

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