Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a country that is extremely unique in its region of the world. Costa Rica has always been noted as being far more stable and democratic than its neighbors, has never been in a war with another country, and has avoided all but a few civil wars. 2002 marked the 13th consecutive peaceful election (held every 4 years), and the Human Development Index ranked Costa Rica 31st in the world in 1996.
It is important to have a basic understanding of Costa Rica as a country in order to be able to understand Costa Rica’s democratic tendencies. Costa Rica has an area of 31,937 square miles, which makes it slightly smaller than West Virginia. The climate is tropical and subtropical, though very mountainous and having a cooler climate in the mountains. Costa Rica is a democratic republic with a legal system based on Spanish civil law system and universal suffrage (18 years and up). The population of Costa Rica was 3,834,934 in 2002, with a growth rate of 1.61%, and a literacy rate of ...