Costa RicaCosta RicaBy: Claire Flannery, Deirdre Gang, Sophia Timban, Liz

Hartshorne, Kane Feudtner, Preston Southwick, and Sean Sweeny

Challenge Spanish “B” Day

Population

4,195,914 people

Capital and Government

Capital is San Jose

The government is a democratic republic

The president is Laura Chinchilla Miranda

Currency

El colon is the Costa Rican currency

$1 US dollar=$553.100 Costa Rican el Colons

Language/Dialects

Speak Spanish

“Pura vida”- directly translated to “pure life”

Became popular from 1956 Mexican movie “Pura Vida”

Can be used to: say thank you or you’re welcome, show appreciation (for a person, object or situation), to say good-bye, or to greet someone

Now it is the unofficial motto of costa rica

GEOGRAPHY AND MAJOR REGIONS

By: Kane Feudtner

Major Cities

TamarindoDrake BaySan Jose

Major Regions

Nicoya Peninsula Northern Zone Central Valley Caribbean Central Pacific Southern Pacific

Geography of Costa Rica

Costa Rica was first explored by Christopher Columbus.

Costa Rica is bordered by Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the north.

The overall geography of the land is coastal plain separated by mountains.

It is slightly smaller than West Virginia.

IMPORTANT PLACES & TOURIST

ATTRACTIONS

Volcán Arenla

Pacific Coast Tropical Rainforest

By: Claire Flannery

SPORTS•Some of the sports that can be practiced are tennis, running, sportfishing, trekking, boxing, motocross, swimming, baseball, basketball, diving, snorkeling, and of course surfing.

•By far, the most popular sport in Costa Rica is soccer. To watch the Costa Rica national men’s soccer team, you can visit Estadio Nacional in San Jose West for a thrilling game on the field!

•Luis Gabelo Conejo was the most famous Costa Rican soccer player from the FIFA world cup held in Italy in 1990. He was also given the recognition of best goalkeeper at the World Cup, and is currently ranked as one of the 50 best goal keepers in the history of soccer.

Soccer SportfishingLuis Gabelo Conejo, Soccer Player

COSTA RICAN CUISINE

General Facts

Costa Rican cuisine is known for being flavorful, yet fairly mild, with high reliance on fresh fruit and vegetables.

Rice and black beans are a staple of most traditional Costa Rican meals, often served three times a day

Costa Rican food incorporates several staples of Latin American cuisine, yet differentiates itself by being more healthier

COSTA RICAN BREAKFAST

Breakfast in Costa Rica

The most common dish served for breakfast in Costa Rica is Gallo Pinto

Gallo Pinto is rice mixed with beans, scrambled eggs, fried plantains, natilla (sour cream) and tortillas

Gallo Pinto is usually mixed together

COSTA RICAN LUNCH

Lunch in Costa Rica

Casados are the most common dish to have for lunch in Costa Rica.

Casados is rice mixed with beans, served with meat or fish, salad, fried plantains, white cheese, and corn tortilla.

Casado is alike but different then Gallo Pinto. Gallo Pinto is mixed together, and Casados are served separately.

Casados are usually served separately on

one plate

COSTA RICAN DINNER

Dinner in Costa Rica

For dinner, there is no typical dinner dish, but one very common dinner dish is Arroz con Pollo

Arroz con Pollo is rice served with chicken

COSTA RICAN DESSERT

Dessert in Costa Rica

One typical dessert in Costa Rica is Arroz con leche

Arroz con leche is rice cooked in milk with cinnamon and other ingredients

Another typical dessert in Costa Rica is tres leche

Tres leche is cake baked with evaporated, condensed, and regular milk

Dessert is usually accompanied with coffee

IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN COSTA RICA

Important People

Óscar Arias Sánchez (Politician)

José Figueres (Politician)

Claudia Poll (Athletic)

Francisco Zúñiga (Artist)

Óscar Arias Sánchez

José Figueres

Claudia Poll

Francisco Zúñiga