Costa Rica - CR - CRI - CRC - Central America and the Caribbean

occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes

volcanism: Arenal (1,670 m), which erupted in 2010, is the most active volcano in Costa Rica; a 1968 eruption destroyed the town of Tabacon; Irazu (3,432 m), situated just east of San Jose, has the potential to spew ash over the capital city as it did between 1963 and 1965; other historically active volcanoes include Miravalles, Poas, Rincon de la Vieja, and Turrialba

Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance from Indigenous populations, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two-and-a-half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica was one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence.

Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. General Federico TINOCO Granados led a coup in 1917, but the threat of US intervention pushed him to resign in 1919. In 1948, landowner Jose FIGUERES Ferrer raised his own army and rebelled against the government. The brief civil war ended with an agreement to allow FIGUERES to remain in power for 18 months, then step down in favor of the previously elected Otilio ULATE. FIGUERES was later elected twice in his own right, in 1953 and 1970.

Costa Rica experienced destabilizing waves of refugees from Central American civil wars in the 1970s and 1980s, but peace in the region has since helped the economy rebound.  Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries.

Costa Rica remains a significant transshipment point for cocaine enroute to the United States from South America; a key transit point in international narcotics trafficking; transit and warehousing hub for illicit drug trafficking; growing domestic drug consumption problem; a major source of precursor or essential chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics

Accessibility Without Exclusion or PASE
Broad Front (Frente Amplio) or PFA
Citizen Action Party or PAC
Costa Rican Renewal Party or PRC
Here Costa Rica Commands Party or ACRM
Liberal Progressive Party or PLP
Libertarian Movement Party or ML
National Integration Party or PIN
National Liberation Party or PLN
National Restoration Party or PRN
New Generation or PNG
New Republic Party or PNR
Social Christian Republican Party or PRSC
Social Christian Unity Party or PUSC of UNIDAD
Social Democratic Progress Party or PPSD

The Costa Rican coat of arms highlights the country’s natural beauty and history. Three volcanoes, each topped with a white cloud, are surrounded with water, symbolizing the seaports of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The rising sun in the background commemorates the birth of a new nation, and the seven white stars stand for the country's seven provinces. The two merchant ships carrying Costa Rica’s flag are a reminder of the maritime trade that shaped the country's history.