[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/costa_rica-map_4702.gif]]
Costa Rica, officially known as the '''Republic of Costa Rica''' (Spanish: ''Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica, meaning "Rich Coast"'') is a country of Central America. Due to its position in the isthmus, it was never really appreciated in its time.
Its original inhabitants came from a variety of tribes with shamanistic traditions. The leaders were known as the “Caciques” and they are nowadays honored by the fact that most Costa Ricans know “Cacique” as the name of an alcoholic beverage. Located smack-dab between the Mesoamerican and Andean cultures (That is, [[UsefulNotes/PreColumbianCivilizations Mayans]] and Aztecs North, and Incas South), the tribal cultures in Costa Rica became some sort of chilled-out place where they could flee from the sacrificial frenzy of the heart-hungry Aztecs. There is a reference from UsefulNotes/FranciscoPizarro (conqueror of UsefulNotes/{{Peru}}, the heart of the Andean culture) where he mentions that every set amount of years, the leaders of the Inca would travel up north [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_spheres_of_Costa_Rica “To the country of the balls”]].
Whether it made reference to the mysterious spherical orbs that UNESCO declared World Heritage, or the possibility of Costa Rica's natives being risk-taking [[TheBerserker berserkers]], is left as yet another mystery in the history of the world.
The name “Rich Coast” came from UsefulNotes/ChristopherColumbus himself, who upon seeing natives with gold artifacts, immediately assumed that gold must be plentiful in the land. This alone started a tug of war between the much more established and easy to access Captaincy of Panama against the Viceroyalty of Guatemala. Assumptions proved to be a not quite liquid asset.
There weren't that many locals when the Spaniards appeared to colonize. Most locals died swiftly of the diseases carried by the settlers (the only ones who survived were tribes like the Bribri and the Boruca, who are still around today); that meant there weren't any people who could be 'cordially invited' to the 'forced labor party' the generals wanted to throw, so they had to do it themselves. As a result, the society grew much more uniformly than in the neighboring countries.
Costa Rica at that time was part of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, but it was too far from its capital. This, along with the prohibition of commercializing with Panama (then part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada), turned the country into one of the poorest in the region.
After the Mexican War of Independence, Costa Rica (along with all the other Central American countries) became automatically independent from UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} and part of the Federal Republic of Central America. But this didn’t solve the distance, and lack of infrastructure problems that made Costa Rica almost like an outcast in the nation. So, they decided to declare themselves independent in 1838. The other countries didn’t care, because Costa Rica was already [[LonersAreFreaks the kid who came without a date on Prom Night and just stood on the corner all night long]].
Costa Rica is famous for having no army. There was, however, a long period in its history where it ''had'' one. Like many nations, especially around the area, this made it particularly susceptible to military juntas, traitorous generals, and one or two invasions from the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates. William Walker, a “Pirate” to the pre-[[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar American Civil War]] United States' Northern states and a “Gray-eyed man of destiny” to the pre-American Civil War United States' South established himself a PuppetState in Nicaragua with the intent of making more slave states. Costa Rica's army decided they wanted none of this (according to some books, at the suggestion of Cornelius Vanderbilt) and went to fight his army of Prussian, French, and U.S. mercenaries. They won, and the president is now remembered for having been kicked from his rule shortly after and unceremoniously executed by firing squad some time later. To the rest of the world, this event is not remembered at all.
More modern history in the nation would relate to the rise of {{banana republic}}s. Contrary to what one would expect, Costa Rica didn't end up being one. First of all, their main export was coffee, [[DontExplainTheJoke not bananas]]. Second, the worst thing they saw was a bloody CivilWar in 1948, which brought a radical change in the administration of the country (including the abolition of the army). Since then, the country has been much more prosperous than its neighbors, enjoying democratic rule through to today.
According to the Happy Planet Index, Costa Rica is one of the happiest places on Earth,[[note]]However, the index does not seek to measure the actual happiness of a country's inhabitants, but instead to measure the environmental efficiency in supporting well-being in a given country. This appears to have been purposefully overlooked by the country's local media, for obvious reasons.[[/note]] but that doesn't mean it's full of {{Stepford Smiler}}s; rather, they enjoy life despite the economic problems (it being a developing country). The phrase "Pura Vida" ("Pure Life") condenses their way of thinking: A peculiar form of carpe diem that carries an implicit optimism of which [[Franchise/TheLittleMermaid Sebastian the crab]] would be proud. Accordingly with the location and history of the country, its culture is mixed as hell; there is, for example, the Province of Limón, with a vibe more like UsefulNotes/TheCaribbean due to the Spaniards having brought slaves from UsefulNotes/{{Jamaica}} there, given how few people they could find. It's also a nice destination for medical tourism and (sadly) SexTourism (this way even the tourists are mixed as hell!)
One last thing; after the civil war, the government abolished the military. Not only was it one the first countries to do so, but was for long time the only country in UsefulNotes/LatinAmerica without a military (no doubt that helped dodge the military rule of almost all the continent) until UsefulNotes/{{Panama}} and UsefulNotes/{{Haiti}} abolished their own armies. But what about the novel ''Literature/JurassicPark'', where the dinosaurs are destroyed by the Costa Rican Air Force? Well, that was just Creator/MichaelCrichton not doing enough research. Though that said, the country does maintain a public security force and even its own special forces division purely for self-defense and police work.
Costa Rica had a two-party system for decades, especially between 1982 and 2002, when the two dominating parties were National Liberation Party (PLN) and Social Christian Unity (PUSC) with a very similar dynamic to the Democrat/Republican system in the US. Part of the reason why this was such, was as an aftermath of the Civil War that ended up abolishing the military: The contenders were two opposite political parties and they stuck after the war, with very visceral feelings from one against the other. After 2002, however, it became more of a multi-party system, or more exactly a five-party system because currently five parties are the main political forces. These are:
From right to left; Libertarian Movement (far-right liberals), Social Christian Unity (center-right conservatives and moderate liberals), National Liberation Party (Social-Democrat/Third Way/Socio-liberals and are center-right, center or center-left depending on who you ask), Citizens Action Party (generally considered Progressive/Social-Democrat/Socio-Liberal center-left, similarly but much more to the left than PLN) and Broad Front (Left). There’s also like a dozen of small testimonial parties with no real influence or possibilities of winning an election.
The political position of these parties about different topics may vary strongly from their counterparts in other countries. For example, PUSC is a Social Christian party but is in favor of recognizing same-sex couples, but is not in favor of same-sex marriage while Libertarian Movement had established that LGBT-topics were not their priority, contrary to most liberal parties. The only main party that endorses same-sex marriage is Broad Front, but PLN, PAC and PUSC all support same-sex couples' legal recognition trough other legal figure.
The electoral performance may vary strongly from election to election depending on the candidate. For example, Broad Front was one of the less voted parties in 2010 with its uncharismatic candidate Eugenio Trejos, while with the very charismatic candidate young Congressman Jose Maria Villalta appears as second –and sometimes first- in polls even at same level that PLN’s candidate Johnny Araya (something previously unheard off for the Left), while PAC may have a very different performance depending on the candidate it was second more voted in two elections (2006 and 2010). PLN is still the largest and oldest party with a decades-long loyal base, but can suffer also from the unpopularity of some governments and the fact that most non-PLN sympathizers tend to be anti-PLN so is almost impossible for PLN to catch new voters. PUSC is the smallest of the “Big Five” (partially because of a series of corruption scandals) but is generally included as the “Big Five” for historical reasons (achieve power three times in its history).
Do not confuse with UsefulNotes/PuertoRico, which is not an independent nation, but a commonwealth of the United States.
!! Notable Costa Ricans:
* Creator/MadeleineStowe has Costa Rican ancestry through her mother
* Broadway actor Creator/DannyBurstein was born to a Costa Rican mother who separated from his biological father when he was a baby. His surname came from his Jewish stepfather, and he was raised celebrating both Christian and Jewish holidays.
* Creator/JosePabloCantillo, best known for ''Film/{{Crank}}''.
* Canadian actor Creator/NickCordero.
* Retired WWE fighters Wrestling/CandiceMichelle and Wrestling/RosaMendes are both of Costa Rican descent, though Michelle is American, while Mendes is Canadian.
* Creator/HarryShumJr was born in Costa Rica to Chinese parents, but moved to the United States when he was six. His first language is Spanish, though, according to him, he is no longer fluent in it.
* Singer Music/{{DEV}} (Devin Star Tailes) is of Costa Rican descent.
!! Costa Rica in fiction:
* Probably the most famous saga involving Costa Rica is ''Literature/JurassicPark'', even when the book has some misconceptions (like assuring Costa Rica has an army) and [[Film/JurassicPark1993 the first movie]] shows the capital San José as a beach with palms trees (while it is a city in the middle of a valley), most Costa Ricans have a certain love toward the franchise.
* American play ''Theatre/{{Slowgirl}}'' is set in Costa Rica, although the only two characters are a pair of exiled Americans.
* Costa Rica is mentioned in two Literature/SherlockHolmes' stories; in ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles'' and in ''The Adventure of Black Pete''. In ''Hound'' the main antagonist was born there after his British father escaped and marry a local woman. Interestingly the choice of the country may not have being coincidental as Costa Rica did had a notorious migration of British citizens during late 19th and early 20th century.
* ''Film/SurfSchool'' occurs in Costa Rica.
* ''Film/AfterEarth'' was filmed in Costa Rica, yet the country is never named (not that it matters, considering it's a thousand years AfterTheEnd).
* Multiple scenes of ''Film/{{Congo}}'' were filmed on location in the Costa Rican rainforest, which stood in for DarkestAfrica.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': The episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS3E1RainforestSchmainforest Rainforest Schmainforest]]" happened in Costa Rica. Due to the very bad stereotypes associated with the country, it caused a formal complaint to be requested from the Costa Rican government.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** In the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS19E9EternalMoonshineOfTheSimpsonMind Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind]]", Krusty is beaten by two Latinos who he thinks are both Mexican, but is corrected immediately because one of them was Costa Rican.
** The episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS31E7LivinLaPuraVida Livin La Pura Vida]]" takes place in Costa Rica.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'', in episode ''Lane Miserables'', Jane’s sister Penny returns home after living several years in Costa Rica, losing her business due to a volcano eruption.
* ''Series/HomeImprovement'', Randy was PutOnABus to Costa Rica in episode ''Adios'' due to Jonathan Taylor Thomas departure from the series for personal and academic reasons.
* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'', episode "Goodbye, Toby", Toby Flenderson is having a farewell party because he is going to Costa Rica.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'', takes place in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.
* ''Literature/TheDivideTrilogy'': The first book starts in Costa Rica.
* ''Film/TronLegacy'': Sam Flynn, ever the DeadpanSnarker, muses that his long-disappeared father Kevin may be living it up in Costa Rica in one early scene. Many people from Costa Rica [[ActuallyPrettyFunny actually chuckled at that scene]].
* A ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' issue [[http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Action_Comics_Vol_1_792 Action Comics Vol.1 Number 792, "Big City, Little Man"]] followed Clark developing a friendship with a newspaper vendor that was a Costa Rican immigrant, and Superman's quest to find him when he mysteriously disappeared... [[spoiler:and then finding out that some random bookie killed him because the man had won a large bet and the bookie ''hated'' that.]]
* The Costa Rican Stone Ball (Kosutarikan Sutōn Bōru) are an actual trap card in ''Anime/YuGiOh''.
* The intro of the first ''VideoGame/SyphonFilter'' and a series of missions in the third game are set here, being where the terrorists got the plants needed to create the titular bioweapon from.
* ''Series/NewGirl'', episode “Julie Berkman’s Older Sister”, Schmidt scolds Nick for being a sloth and tells him he should be living in a tree in Costa Rica.
!!Notable media made by Costa Ricans
* ''Terror en Doomsville'': an animated short film made by Costa Rican company Rocket Animation for Creator/CartoonNetwork.
* ''VideoGame/FenixRage'': a PlatformGame from 2014
* ''Monster Party Voodoo Madness'': A MonsterMash CardGame.
* John Timms: Creator/{{Marvel}} and Creator/DCComics illustrator.
* Franco Céspedes: Illustrator for Creator/IDWPublishing
* Daniel Mora: Illustrator for Creator/BoomStudios
* Daniel Zovatto: Costa Rican actor, has made appearances in both TV (''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'', ''Series/FearTheWalkingDead'') and film (''Film/ItFollows'', ''Film/DontBreathe'').
* ''VideoGame/NickelodeonAllStarBrawl'': a Smash Bros.-style MascotFighter co-developed by Costa Rica and Sweden.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: The Costa Rican flag ]]
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/costa_rica_flag_8177.png
->The flag retains the blue/white color scheme of the Federal Republic of Central America, but with a red band added as reaction to the 1848 Revolution in UsefulNotes/{{France}}, which advocated the "right to work". The blue band stands for the sky, opportunities, idealism and perseverance; white for peace, wisdom and happiness; and red for sacrifice, warmth and generosity. At the center-hoist side is the coat-of-arms, showing an allegorical landscape of three mountains between two seas, each with a boat sailing by, symbolizing Costa Rica's geographic position, and crowned by seven stars which stand for the provinces of Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas and San José.
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[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Costa Rican national anthem ]]
->¡Noble patria!, tu hermosa bandera
->expresión de tu vida nos da;
->bajo el límpido azul de tu cielo
->blanca y pura descansa la paz.
->En la lucha tenaz, de fecunda labor,
->que enrojece del hombre la faz;
->conquistaron tus hijos, labriegos sencillos,
->eterno prestigio, estima y honor,
->eterno prestigio, estima y honor.
->¡Salve, oh tierra gentil!
->¡Salve, oh madre de amor!
->Cuando alguno pretenda tu gloria manchar,
->verás a tu pueblo, valiente y viril,
->la tosca herramienta en arma trocar.
->¡Salve, oh patria!, tu pródigo suelo
->dulce abrigo y sustento nos da;
->bajo el límpido azul de tu cielo,
->¡vivan siempre el trabajo y la paz!
--
->Noble homeland your beautiful flag
->It gives us expression of your life
->Under the clear blue of your sky
->White and pure rests peace
->In the persistent struggle, of the productive labour
->That reddens the face of man
->Your simple farmer sons won
->Eternal prestige, respect and honour
->Hail Oh gentle homeland
->Hail Oh mother of love
->When anyone tries to
->Besmirch your glory
->You'll see your nation brave and virile
->The rustic tool transform into a weapon
->Hail Oh homeland your prodigal soil
->Gives us sweet shelter and sustenance
->Under the clear blue of your sky
->May work and peace live always
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[[/folder]]
[[folder: Government ]]
* Unitary presidential constitutional republic
** President: Rodrigo Chaves Robles
** 1st Vice-President: Stephan Brunner
** 2nd Vice-President: Mary Munive
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[[/folder]]
[[folder: Miscellaneous ]]
* '''Capital and largest city:''' San José
* '''Population:''' 5,094,118
* '''Area:''' 51,100 sq km (19,700 sq mi) (126th)
* '''Currency''': Costa Rican colón (₡) (CRC)
* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' CR
* '''Country calling code:''' 506
* '''Highest point:''' Cerro Chirripó (3820 m/12,533 ft) (42nd)
* '''Lowest points:''' Caribbean Sea (7,686 m/25,217 ft) (-) and Pacific Ocean (10,911 m/35,797 ft) (-)