The Republic of Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s flag uses blue, white and red: blue represents the sky, white represents peace and purity of ideals, and red represents the energy and courage of Costa Ricans.

Costa Rica proclaimed its absolute independence from Spanish rule in Cartago on 29 October 1821, after news of Central American independence reached the province.

Costa Rica abolished its army in 1948, and the prohibition of a permanent army became part of the country’s constitutional system in 1949.

Although Costa Rica is a small country, it contains roughly 5% of the world’s known biodiversity and protects about 26% of its land.

Tortuguero National Park protects the most important green sea turtle nesting beach in the Western Hemisphere, as well as nesting areas for three other sea turtle species.

Cocos Island National Park lies over 500 km from Costa Rica and is famous for hammerhead sharks, rays, and dolphins.

Costa Rica’s Diquis region has mysterious stone spheres, some measuring 2.57 metres across.

Costa Rica’s brightly painted traditional oxcarts once carried coffee from the Central Valley to the Pacific coast and are now recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Coffee cultivation began to take root in Costa Rica in the early 1800s, and the country became the first in Central America to establish a major coffee industry.

“Pura vida,” literally “pure life,” is used throughout Costa Rica as a greeting and an expression of happiness, and has become closely associated with the country’s culture.

Both the two-toed sloth and the three-toed sloth were officially declared national symbols of Costa Rica’s wildlife in 2021.

Poas is an active volcano whose main crater is about 1,320 metres across, making it one of the largest volcanic craters in the world.