World Cup - Ms George

Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island.

Flag:

The official flag of the Republic of Costa Rica is based on a design created in 1848. The state/national flag, also used as the military ensign, includes the coat of arms of Costa Rica. The civil ensign, commonly used as an unofficial national flag, omits the coat of arms.

The flag was officially adopted on November 27, 1906, including a slight modification to the placement and design of the entrenched coat of arms. The flag was updated to reflect concurrent modifications to the national coat of arms in 1964 and 1998.

The white color stands for peace, wisdom and happiness. The red color stands for the blood spilt by martyrs in defense of the country, as well as the warmth and generosity of the people. The stripes are in the ratio 1:1:2:1:1. The coat of arms of Costa Rica was also revised in 1848 and placed in the center of the flag.

Coat of Arms:

The Coat of Arms shows three volcanoes representing the country's three mountain ranges and a valley. These divide two oceans where ships are sailing, symbolizing the sea ports of the Pacific and the Caribbean Ocean.

The seven stars stand for the seven provinces of Costa Rica, and the rising sun commemorates the birth of the new nation. At the top of the coat of arms there is an inscription that reads: "Central America"!

Uniform:

Costa Rica 2014 World Cup Home Kit comes with the traditional colors red, blue and white with an eye-catching blue stripe on the front of the kit. Similar to some Nike 2014 World Cup Shirts, the Costa Rica World Cup Kit features an unique collar created by the Italian kit manufacturer Lotto Sports.

On the sleeves appears the Lotto Sports Italia logo as well as a blue line on the sleeve cuffs. The shorts of the kit are blue, while the socks will be red.

   

Language:

Costa Rica's official and predominant language is Spanish

Map:

Costa Rica is a nation in Latin America, located on the isthmus of Central America. Costa Rica is situated just north of the Equator, creating a tropical climate, rich with biodiversity.

National Dress:

 

Interesting Facts:

Interesting Facts About Costa Rica

Less than 1% of Costa Ricans are of indigenous ancestry.  94% are of European or mestizo ethnicity.

The staples of the Costa Rican diet are rice and black beans, along with bread, chicken or meat, vegetables, salads, and fruits.  Rice and beans mixed together for breakfast is called GALLO PINTO.

The average wage laborer is about $10 per day, the highest in Central America.

Costa Ricans refer to themsleves as “Ticos” (males) and “Ticas” (females).  Foreigners are often called “Gringos” (males) and “Gringas” (females).

There are 801 miles of coastline in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces; San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Guanacaste, Puntarenas, and Limon.

There are more than 121 volcanic formations in Costa Rica, and seven of them are active.  Poas Volcano has the second widest crater in the world and Arenal is one of the ten most active volcanoes in the world.

Costa Rica hosts more than 5% of the world’s biodiversity even though its landmass only takes up .03% of the planets surface.

Costa Rica’s marine area reaches 580,000 km2, approximately 10 times larger than its land area of only 52,100 km2.

Though Costa Rica has its own currency (the Colon), many stores list prices in terms of US$.

There are about 52 species of hummingbirds in Costa Rica, making Costa Rica a true hummingbird capital.

Monkeys are one of the most common mammals in Costa Rica – next to bats.  The four common species are the Howler, Spider, White-Faced and Squirrel.

Bug-phobist look out!  There are about 750,000 species of insects that live in Costa Rica, including about 20,000 different types of spiders!  Also, more than 10% of the worlds butterflies live here.

Costa Rica is one of the most valued environmental destinations.  Approximately 25% of the country has protected forests and reserves.  There are more than 100 different protected areas to visit.

Costa Rica has a population of 4.1 million.  The capital is San Jose, with a metro area population of approximately 2 million.  The life expectancy is almost 77 years, one of the highest in the world.

Costa Rica (slightly smaller than Lake Michigan) is in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua on the north and Panama on the south, the Pacific Ocean on the West, and the Carribean Sea on the East.

The Costa Rican government is democratic, with presedential elections every 4 years, and no standing army.

Costa Rican president Oscar Arias won the nobel Peace Prize for his regional peace plan.

• Costa Rica hosts more than 5% of the world’s biodiversity even though its landmass only takes up .03% of the planets surface.

• Costa Rica’s marine area reaches 580,000 km2, approximately 10 times larger than its land area of only 52,100 km2.

• The staples of the Costa Rican diet are rice and black beans, along with bread, chicken or meat, vegetables, salads, and fruits.  Rice and beans mixed together for breakfast is called GALLO PINTO.

• The average wage laborer is about $10 per day, the highest in Central America.

• Costa Ricans refer to themsleves as “Ticos” (males) and “Ticas” (females).  Foreigners are often called “Gringos” (males) and “Gringas” (females).

• Less than 1% of Costa Ricans are of indigenous ancestry.  94% are of European or mestizo ethnicity.

• There are 801 miles of coastline in Costa Rica.

• Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces; San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Guanacaste, Puntarenas, and Limon.

• There are more than 121 volcanic formations in Costa Rica, and seven of them are active.  Poas Volcano has the second widest crater in the world and Arenal is one of the ten most active volcanoes in the world.

• Though Costa Rica has its own currency (the Colon), many stores list prices in terms of US$.

• There are about 52 species of hummingbirds in Costa Rica, making Costa Rica a true hummingbird capital.

• Monkeys are one of the most common mammals in Costa Rica – next to bats.  The four common species are the Howler, Spider, White-Faced and Squirrel.