Gap Year Destinations

Where to go

Costa Rica

A meeting place for ancient and modern cultures and a haven of dense biodiversity, Costa Rica is a small country packed with experiences!

Environment

Costa Rica is located on the Central American isthmus, with coastline on both sides. It border Nicaragua to the north, and Panama to the south, with the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica has several active volcanoes. It also possesses the greatest density of plant and animal species in the world. The capital is San José.

Climate

Costa Rica’s climate is tropical, with a dry season from December to April and a rainy season from May to November. Other than cooler temperatures being found in the upland areas, the climate is fairly stable due to the proximity of the equator.

Demographics and Language

The population of Costa Rica is 94% Mestizo (mixed race Amerindian and white European) or white. Minorities include Amerindians (1%), Chinese (1%) and afro Costa Ricans (3%), who originated from Jamaican immigrant workers and slaves. A large part of the make up of the Costa Rican population is refugees from Peru and Colombia, and refugees and seasonal migrant workers from Nicaragua.

Spanish is the official language, and there are two main accents – Costa Rican and Nicoyan, which is similar to the Nicaraguan accent and is spoken close to the border of the two countries. Jamaican immigrants speak the Mekatelyu dialect of Creole English.

Cuisine

The main staple of Costa Rican food is Gallo Pinto, black beans and rice. It’s so popular that, in some households, it’s eaten three times a day! Vegetables feature heavily in Costa Rican cuisine – potatoes, onions, peppers and courgettes being favourites. Other much-loved foods include corn, tortillas, and cheese, while for dessert ripe plantain is fried with butter or baked in honey.

Religion

Three in four Costa Ricans are Catholics, and Catholicism is the official state religion. Protestantism has been on the rise recently, though, all over South and Central America, and Costa Rica is no exception. A small Chinese community means Buddhism is practised in the country, and there is a Jewish synagogue.

Economy and money

16% of Costa Ricans live below the poverty line, and natural disasters often hit the country hard. Sex tourism and child sex tourism are also big problems for the country, especially as it receives more tourists than any other Central American nation. Despite these problems, however, the highly educated population has been attractive to investors in recent years and the GDP is increasing. Also, the biodiversity of Costa Rica has enabled the ecotourism industry to grow, allowing sustainable use of natural resources. The currency is the Costa Rican colón.

Culture and politics

For almost the last 60 years, Costa Ricans have enjoyed uninterrupted democracy, making it one of the most stable countries in the region. The constitution is very strong, and Presidential elections are held every four years. The current President is Óscar Arias Sánchez.

Costa Rica has legendarily been a meeting place for cultures – the Nicoya Peninsula is where the South American Incas and Aztecs met the Nahuatl Central Americans, and where the Spanish Conquistadors encountered them all. The influx of Jamaican workers and slaves in the following centuries provided another addition to Costa Rica’s cultural cross roads, bringing with them Calypso music, and Creole English. With modern tourism, refugee situations and globalisation of work, Costa Rica’s culture continues to reflect its heritage as a unique meeting place of customs and traditions.