"Costa Rica"

Costa Rica is a Spanish speaking country in North America (Central America.) Its borders are, to the north Nicaragua, to the south Panama, to the east the Caribbean Sea, and to the west the Pacific Ocean. Costa Rica is 19,730 sq. miles. It is a great place to visit in the winter because it is always hot and humid. Its capital is San Jose; other cites are San Juan, Alajuele, and Puntarenas. The major mountain range in Costa Rica is the Cordillerus. There are also some large rivers in this country which include the General River and the Chirripo River.

In Costa Rica most of the people make their living ranching and farming. Most of there natural recourses include fertile volcanic soil, bauxite, and magnesia. There main agriculture products include bananas, beef cattle, cocoa, coffee, and sugar. There manufactured goods embodies cement, clothing, furniture, and machinery. They export bananas, beef, coffee, and sugar. The money they use in Costa Rica is the colon. Two hundred-thirty-three-and-four-hundredths colons equal one US dollar.

The dominated race in Costa Rica is Spanish; the dominated religion is Roman Catholic which is ninety-five percent of Costa Rica. The greetings in Costa Rica are always polite and respectful. It is an insult not to shake everyones hand in a small group. There gestures include using your hands to express ideas. If you were a native Costa Rican and you were shocked you would most likely snap your fingers. Also eye contact is very important. In Costa Rica a couple of holidays are New Years, on March 19th they have the Feast of St. Joseph, and on April 11th they have the Battle of Rivas against Walker. Costa Ricans typical foods include basically rice and beans a lot of the time. There are also other kids of foods like ollade which is beef stew with potatoes, onions, and lots of vegetables; they also have a dish called arroz con pollo which is chicken and rice. There general attitudes are always courtesy, domestic enterprise, hospitality, and gentleness.

I would like to see the Limon. That is the place in 1502 where Columbus found Costa Rica. I would like to visit Costa Rica in late winter or early spring. I would like to visit the country because it would be cold here and warm in Costa Rica. I would visit the beaches in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. In both of the beaches they have yellow and white sand.

WORKS CONSULTED

Booth, John A. "Costa Rica." World Book Encyclopedia, 1998.

Lerner, Harry Jonas. Costa Rica….In Pictures. New York: Lerner

Publications Co. 1987.

Culturgram '98 Costa Rica. Provo. Utah: David M. Kennedy Center.

Brigham Young University, 1997.