Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordering Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, and Ecuador to the south. With a land area of ​​51,060 km2 (19,710 square miles), there is a population of about 5 million. An estimated 333,980 people live in the capital, San Jose, and about 2 million people live in the surrounding metropolitan areas.

A sovereign state is a single presidential constitutional republic. Known for many years of stable democracy and a highly educated workforce. The country spends about 6.9% of its budget (2016) on education, with a global average of 4.4%. Once heavily dependent on agriculture, its economy is diversifying to include sectors such as finance, corporate services for foreign businesses, pharmaceuticals and ecotourism. Many foreign manufacturing and service companies operate in Costa Rica's Free Trade Area (FTZ) and benefit from investment and tax incentives.

Costa Rica was sparsely populated by indigenous peoples before it came under Spanish rule in the 16th century. It was a colony around the empire until it became independent as part of the First Mexican Empire, joined the Federal Republic of Central America, and officially declared independence in 1847. After a brief Costa Rican Civil War in 1948, it permanently abolished its army in 1949, becoming one of the few sovereign states without a standing army.

The country has consistently performed well in the Human Development Index (HDI), ranking 62nd in the world and 5th in Latin America as of 2020. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) also states that it has achieved much higher human development at the same income level than other countries and has better records of human development and inequality than the median of the region. It also works well in comparing democratic states, press freedom, and subjective well-being. It has the 7th free press in the Press Freedom Index, the 37th most democratic country in the World Freedom Index, and the 12th happiest country in the World Happiness Report.