Costa+Rica



Costa Rica was made up of many tribes whose advancement varied. The most advanced colony was the chorotegas. The chorotegas took up the Northern region of Costa Rica, and they had a land system, slavery, and hierarchical religion. It wasn't untill 1559 that Costa Rica was conquered because the gold and jewels rumored to be there were said to be illusions. Spain is the country that conquered Costa Rica in 1559, although it didn't take them much effort because by this time, the majority of the Costa Rican tribes had either scattered or died from disease. Costa Rica gained it's independance from Spain in 1820. Costa Rica has the largest percentage Spanish population in all of South America. Costa Rica has an infant mortality rate of 9.9. Spanish is the official language of Costa Rica. The adult literacy rate in Costa Rica is 95.8%> Maine exports from Costa Rica include bananas, beef, coca, coffee, sugar, textile, yarn, and fabric.
 * 1. Include a map of your country.**
 * 2. Native peoples -- which major tribal groups (if any) live(d) in your country?**
 * 3. Which European country(ies) colonized your country (if applicable)?**
 * 4. When did your country gain independence (if applicable)? From which country?**
 * 5. What is the current ethnic makeup of your country?**
 * 6. What is the infant mortality rate in your country?**
 * 7. What is the official language of your country?**
 * 8. What is the adult literacy rate for your country?**
 * 9. What are the main exports from your country?**

10. Look for your country's GNI per capita. GNI is the country's total income divided by the population, or an indication of the relative standard of living in that country. It does NOT give you an indication about how wealth is distributed among the population in that country. Compare your country's GNI per capita with that of the United States and add that to your wiki page.** Costa Rica's GNI is $4,590, compared to the United States which is $43,740.
 * Now please click on the WorldBankData.pdf file.

11. What percentage of the population in your country lives on less than $1 a day? $2 a day? Add this data to your wiki page.** 2.2% of Costa Rica lives on less than $1 a day, while %7.5 of Costa Rica lives on less than $2 a day.
 * Please click on the WorldBank$2Day.pdf (or look at the copy in class)

http://s.wikispaces.com/s/rte/images/bold.gif
 * 12. Look for a current events issue that is important in your assigned country. You may wish to look at the internation news source link or the Yahoo! News link where you can type your country's name into the search box.**
 * Summarize (one paragraph in your own words) what a current issue is in this country. In another paragraph, analyze what impact this issue is having on the people in the country or region. (Yes, this sounds a lot like your summer reading assignment!)**

The U.S. and conservations groups have decided to cut $26 million from Costa Rica's debt in order for Costa Rica to spend more money on forest protection. Costa Rica is home to four or five percent of the world's biodiversity, while the small area covers much less than four of five percent of glbal territory. There are many endangered species in Costa Rica such as the jaguar, squirrel monkey and the scarlet macaw. Costa Rica plans to use the exta $26 million to help conserve these species. Money will aslo contribute to the Talamanca Highlands, which is the countrie's largest untouched rainforest. These improvements will support local communities and encourage tourism. Along with the tax cut, the U.S. will contribute an additional $12.6 million to contribute to these potential improvements.

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CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions per capita (per person):** Costa Rica's CO2 emissions is 1.3, while the U.S. is 19.9.
 * 13. If you have finished all of the above, look for other environmental and health data from the Population Reference Bureau. Compare your country's data with that of the United States and add it to your wiki page.
 * Number of vehicles per 1,000 people:** There are 155 cars per 1000 people in Costa Rica, while there are 774 cars per 1000 people in the United States.
 * Percentage of the population using adequate sanitation, rural areas:** 96% of Costa Rica usuing adequate sanitation, while 100% of the United States uses adequate sanitation.
 * Percentage of underweight children, &lt;5:** 1% of the United States' children are underweight. The data for the percentage of underweight children in Costa Rica is unavailable.

http://www.infocostarica.com/history/colony.html

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-40879/Costa-Rica

http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/costa.htm