Education

Education is highly regarded in Costa Rica by most of the population. 6% of the country’s resources are dedicated to education and it has been proved to have positive results as 96% of the population is literate. Primary (1st-6th grade) and secondary (7th-11th or 12th) are free and mandatory for all citizens in public schools. In private schools, pay is mandatory. However, primary and secondary public education is widely considered to lack the quality and resources seen in private elementary schools. Therefore, most of the middle-higher class population opt to send their children to private institutions. At the university level, the country has four major public universities: The University of Costa Rica (UCR), the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (ITCR), The Universidad Nacional (UNA) and the Universidad de Educacion a Distancia (UNED), which is a correspondence institution. Most of the national universities have institutional autonomy and considerable budgets that have allowed them to become some of the major universities in Central America.

Climate and ecology

The country has a tropical and subtropical climate and is part of the Neotropic ecozone. It is part of many ecoregions, including Costa Rican seasonal moist forests, Bocas del Toro-San Bastimentos Island-San Blas mangroves, Mosquitia-Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast mangroves, Southern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves, Central American dry forests, and Talamancan montane forests. An inlet from the Pacific the Gulf of Nicoya contains several small islands, the largest of these being Chira Island with a population of around four thousand.

Costa Rica‘s dry season in most places is from December to April, while the rainy season is from May to November. On the Caribbean coast, however, December is by far the wettest month. The highlands areas are always cooler. The lowest elevation level in the country is the Pacific Ocean at sea level, the highest point is Cerro Chirripó, a volcanic mountain with an elevation of 3,810 m (part of Chirripó National Park). On a clear day, it is possible to see both the Caribbean and the Pacific from the peak.

Religion in Costa Rica

The most recent nationwide survey of religion in Costa Rica, conducted in 2007 by the University of Costa Rica, found that 70.5 percent of the population identify themselves as Roman Catholics (with 44.9 percent practicing, 25.6 percent nonpracticing), 13.8 percent state they are Evangelical Protestants, 11.3 percent report that they do not have a religion, and 4.3 percent declare that they belong to “another religion.” Apart from the dominant Catholic religion, there are several other religious groups in the country.Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Baptist, and other Protestant groups have significant membership.The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) claim more than 35,000 members and has a temple in San Jose that served as a regional worship center for Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, and Honduras.. Although they represent less than 1 percent of the population, Jehovah’s Witnesses have a strong presence on the Caribbean coast. Seventh-day Adventists operate a university that attracts students from throughout the Caribbean Basin.The Unification Church maintains its continental headquarters for Latin America in San Jose. Non-Christian religious groups, including followers of Judaism, Islam, Taoism, Hare Krishna, Scientology, Tenrikyo, and the Bahá’í Faith, claim membership throughout the country, with the majority of worshipers residing in the Central Valley (the area of the capital). While there is no general correlation between religion and ethnicity, indigenous peoples are more likely to practice animism than other religions.

Alajuela

Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north, and clockwise the provinces Heredia, San José, Puntarenas and Guanacaste. The capital is Alajuela. The province covers an area of 9,757.53 km² (1), and has a population of 767,143 (2). It is subdivided into 15 cantons.

Music

Costa Rican popular music genres include: American and British rock and roll, pop, reggae, and reggaeton are popular and common among the youth (especially urban youth) while dance-oriented genres like soca, salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia and Costa Rican swing. The guitar is a popular instrument especially as an accompaniment to Folk dances.

Mobility

Buses and taxis cover almost all the objectives, through the miserable condition of the roads (and usually also the vehicles), you should, however, to other conditions set what speed, etc. are concerned. Buses and taxis are very cheap compared to Europe (eg one hour bus ride will cost roughly expected around U.S. $ 1-2, one hour taxi ride from 10 to 20 U.S. $).

Within the large area of San Jose, there is a far-reaching, undocumented network of buses. ” The respective terminus are written on the windshield. The fares are moving from 70 to 300 Colon.

Marriage

Because Roman Catholicism is the official state religion, only that church’s marriages are legally recognized by the government.

People wishing to wed outside of the Catholic church must hire a lawyer who will perform and then register their civil wedding for them. Legal age for marriage in Costa Rica is 18. The age of consent is 15.

Geography

Costa Rica is located on the Central American isthmus, 10° North of the equator and 84° West of the Prime Meridian. It borders both the Caribbean Sea (to the east) and the North Pacific Ocean (to the west), with a total of 1,290 kilometers (802 mi) of coastline (212 km / 132 mi on the Caribbean coast and 1,016 km / 631 mi on the Pacific). It is about the size of West Virginia and shares that state’s reputation for excellent whitewater kayaking/rafting opportunities.

Two of the country’s most renowned rivers in that regard are the Rio Pacuare and the Rio Reventazon located near the city of Turrialba about two hours east of San Jose. Other notable whitewater areas are the Sarapiqui Valley area, several Pacific coast rivers near Quepos, and the southern Pacific drainage area around San Isidro de General.

Costa Rica also borders Nicaragua to the north (309 km / 192 mi of border) and Panama to the south-southeast (639 km / 397 mi of border). In total, Costa Rica comprises 51,100 square kilometers (19,730 sq. mi) plus 589.000 square kilometers of territorial waters.

The highest point in the country is Cerro Chirripó, at 3,810 metres (12,500 ft), and is the fifth highest peak in Central America. The highest volcano in the country is the Irazú Volcano (3,431 m / 11,257 ft). The largest lake in Costa Rica is Lake Arenal.

Costa Rica also comprises several islands. Cocos Island stands out because of its distance from continental landmass (24 km² / 9.25 sq mi, 500 km or 300 mi (480 km) from Puntarenas coast), but Calero Island is the largest island of the country (151.6 km² / 58.5 sq mi).

Costa Rica protects 23% of its national territory within the Protected Areas system. It also possesses the greatest density of species in the world.

When to Go

The early months of the rainy season (May to July) are a wonderful time to travel to Costa Rica with some towns experiencing a mini-high season. During this time, rivers start to swell and dirt roads get muddy, making travel more challenging. Remote roads may not be accessible to public transport, so always ask locally before setting out. Bring your umbrella and a little patience.

For surfers, the Pacific coast sees increased swells and bigger, faster waves during the rainy season, peaking in the worst rainy months of September and October. The Caribbean side has better waves from November through May.

Wildlife enthusiasts may wish to plan their trip around high visibility seasons. The best time to spot the resplendent quetzal is between November and April. The peak season for leatherback turtles from April to May; for green turtles it’s during August and September.

Fishing is good year-round, but you might choose your season if you have your heart set on a specific fish. Anglers head to the Caribbean coast between January and May in search of tarpon, while autumn is the season for snook. On the Pacific coast and in the Golfo Dulce, the best time to snag that sailfish is between November and May.

San José

San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and is at the heart of the sprawling Gran Area Metropolitana or GAM, located in the Central Valley. San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.

Founded in 1738, San José is one of the youngest capitals of Latin America by its year of foundation, though it was not named capital until 1823.^[1] Nowadays it’s a modern city with bustling commerce, brisk expressions of art and architecture, and spurred by the country’s improved tourism industry, it is also a significant destination and stopover for foreign visitors.^[2]

Officially, the city’s current population is of 346,799,^[3] this population corresponds to the San José Canton, the first of the twenty administrative units in San José Province, though the metropolitan area stretches beyond the canton limits and comprises a third of the country’s population. Besides, San José exerts a strong influence on a wider range because of its proximity to minor cities (Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago) and the country’s demographic assemblage in the Central Valley.^[4]

The city lies at a mean elevation of 1,161 m above sea level, and enjoys a stable climate throughout the year, with an average temperature of 23C and precipitation of 150 mm per month.^[5]

The University of Costa Rica was established here in 1843, in that time with the name of “University of Santo Tomás”. San José also serves as the headquarters of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The city is served by Juan Santamaría International Airport, 23 km west of downtown, in the city of Alajuela.