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= = =__Costa Rica__=

Elevation: 3,773
Official Language: Spanish, although there are ten listed and living languages. Blind population: 2,500 Deaf population: 202,625, Deaf institutions: 9

__General Information__
The capital of Cost Rica is San Jose; friendly and helping. It's usually the first place you visit when you come to the beautiful country of Costa Rica. The capital itself lays between three active volcanoes ([]) it also lies between Nicaragua and Panama.

=__Religio__n= 90% of Costa Ricans are Cathlic, Although they dont feel as rilled up about their religion as others do. They have what they call "Holy Week " which is the week before Easter its considered a national holiday, and its supposed to be a time of prayer and good behavior, but people in almost every place of Costa Rica take it as an excuse for vacationing and time to do as they please. Costa Ricans respond to the sound of the church’s bells only on special events, like baptism, marriage, and maybe the Easter morning or during mourning masses. So far the relationship between church and state has been very weak the dislike for dictatorship has made a dislike in priests. There is religous freedom so natives are free to choose whichever religion they choose.The Catholics have seriously deffended there turf agianst protestantism, and there has yet to be a dent made in costa rica. However Protestant ism has affected Centeral America. Of course there other religions in Costa Rica like Judaism, which has its own synagogue in San Jose, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam(.[] )

Economy
The major economic resources are the fertile land and frequent rainfall as well as the well educated population. It's location between North and South America markets and the open access to European and Asian Continents.Costa Rica used to be known as a producer of bananas and coffee, but pineapples have surprisingly become more important than coffee coming in as the number two agricultural export. The land is rich with renewable energy as well so that comes in handy.

=__Money__= The monetary value is the Colon, it was supposibly named after Christopher Columbus who was known as Cristóbal Colón in Spanish and was introduced as the official currency in 1896 therefore replacing the paso, the Costa Rica colon coins that are in use now are 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500 colones; before the government issued new coins, thery were centimos which was only a point of the price. They were in coins of 0.5, 0.25, 0.50, 1 and 2. For example $200 in American US money is 101750 Colones. There are also slang words that the locals use for their bills like:

Each of their bills hold someone impotant to history on them. Dollars and uroes are not acceptable in costa rica, the locations that will accept dollars are generally tourist havens. Goes from 5 to 500.

=__Geography__= Still one of the most beautiful places in the world, Costa RIca sits on four volcanoes, two which are active and are close to the capital of San Jose, Irazu erupting catostrophically in 1963-65. It has a subtropical and a tropical climate but they clash sometimes casuing flooding and landslides. The Coco and Carrabiean Plates are begining to push under one another though and that causes earthquakes. Costa Rica sits on a jagged series of volcanoes and mountains, part of the great Andean-Sierra Madre chain, which explains the reasons for so many eruptions and earthquakes. Rain is common is Costa Rica. The country lies in the tropics but it has over a dozen climate zones, most regions have a rainy season and a dry season and the year round temperature is 74.

=__Brief History__=

In 1502, on his fourth and last voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus made the first European landfall in the area. Settlement of Costa Rica began in 1522. For nearly 3 centuries, Spain ruled the region under the General of Guatemala under a military governor. The Spanish called the country "Rich Coast." Finding little gold or other valuable minerals in Costa Rica, however, the Spanish turned to agriculture; beans and rice.Although Christopher brought with him about 400,000 indians with him in 1502. They gained their independence on Sept. 15th 1821 although there struggle from Agustin de Itrubice, they became repubilic in 1848, they had a dictatorship from Thomas Guardia from 1870 to 1882. Other that that they have enjoyed a democtratic government. ([])

=__Government and Current Political Position__=

Costa Rica is a Democratic Republic Government, they built their Constitution on November 7, 1949 and under the 1949 constitution and every citizen is guranteed equiality before the law, the right to own property, freedom of speech and habeas corpus. Elections are held ever four years on the first sunday of February. There are three different branches; Executive who is the president, the head of government and chief of state. The president is elected for one 4-year term, there's two vice presidents, there's 22 Cabinet ministers, and two of those are also vice presidents. Theres a Legislative deputy, a Legislative Assembly thats elected at 4-year intervals.As well as a Supreme Court of Justice which has 22 magistrates who are elected by the Legislative Assembly and stay in their positions for 8 year terms.

The current president is Laura Chinchilla Miranda, the first vice president is Alfio Piva Mesen, the second vice president is Luis Liberman Ginsburg. (http://centralamerica.com/cr/info/)

=__Culture__= Costa Ricans are complex and full of surprises people say considereing the fact that they don't like to consider themselves racists, but they enjoy talking about how their "whiteness" is different when compared to other Latin American countries. The 1989 census classified 98% of the people as white, and 2% as black or indigenous. You can easily tell the difference whe you take a trip there. The food, i would talk a lot about black beans and rice, they are a main course in every meal. Their portions are rather small to they dont eat in excess and vegetables are not a nesecity there. A lot of food staples include; beef,chicken, fish and becuase of the close coast line, seafood like shrimp or lobster ,although, seafood in costa rica is very expensive becuase of exporting.

__Clothing__
For women in Costa Rica, traditional clothing consists of a dress tailored in a specific style.The traditional dresses worn by women in Costa Rica on special occasions, have thick and out there ruffles sticking upwards and outwards from the shoulders and there are no sleeves to cover the arms. The most popular colors for traditional dresses in Costa Rica are the bright colors including red, blue and yellow. The long skirt reaches down to the ankles and is made from shiny and colorful fabrics. From the waist upwards a plain white top is worn and a bright red cloth is wrappped around the waist like a belt and sometimes to add to the outfit a flower is added. This of course is only for cerimonal outgoings. typically today the locals just wear normal clothing like a t-shirt and jeans.

__Sports__
Sports are VERY important to costa ricans they are avid sports fans. Some of the sports are tennis, running, sport fishing, trekking, boxing, motocross, swimming, baseball, basketball, diving, snorkeling, and of course surfing. Of course though the most important sport in costa rica is SOCCER. The country has been to the world cup several times and the country supports there team all the way.

__Holidays/ Celebrations__
Costa Rica being a Catholic country most if it’s holidays are church-related. Most businesses, including banks, close on official holidays. The country closes down entirely during the biggest holiday time, Easter Holy Week, but only during Holy Thursday, Friday and Saturday, by Holy Sunday, some services might be available Although christmas and new year are not consindered official holidays. Easter is a good time to see tons of fireworks and colors.

Here are some of the common Holiday:

Easter weekend. b>August 2nd: Virgin de los Angeles Day. Patron saint of Costa Rica.
 * January 1**st: New Year’s Day, it is celebrated with a big dance
 * March 19th:** St. Joseph’s Day
 * Easter**: Holy Week, Semana Santa. Dates vary annually but businesses will often close for the entire week before
 * April 11th:** Juan Santamaria Day. Public holiday to commemorate the national hero who fought at the battle of Rivas against the American invader William Walker in 1856.
 * May 1st:** Labor Day. Dia de los Trabajadores.
 * June**: Corpus Christi
 * June 29th**: St. Peter and St. Paul’s Day
 * July 25th**: Guanacaste Day. marks annexation of Guanacaste from Nicaragua in 1824.
 * August 15th**: Mother’s Day and Assumption Day
 * September 15th**: Independence Day, with big patriotic parades celebrates Costa Rica’s independence from Spain in 1821.
 * October 12th**: Dia de la Raza (Columbus Day). Limon province, carnival, which take place the week before October 12.
 * November 2nd**: All soul’s Day
 * December 8th**: Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.
 * December 25th**: Christmas Day (and apparently a lot of apples and grapes are eatin).

Easter SundaySt.Peters

=__Music and art__=



The art work in Costa Rica As you can tell is very color full lots of patterns lots of exzubrant colors. Musicis an important part of the locals lives they love music it takes them back to the begining of the colony when spainyards brought over their instruments and played their music. []

=__Tourism__= The most common atraction is Forest--> beaches.The Monteverde Cloud forest reserve is the most popular place for canopy tours and zip lining. Stay in Santa Elena for local color and better prices. Nearby La Fortuna, beside Lake Arenal and the Arenal volcano, is another great place. Visit a hot spring like Baldi Termae, and enjoy steaming pools and swim-up bars. The beaches offer a lot of luxcerious time and they are filled to the brim withsea turtles. = =

=__Current Events__= Complements of: []

Relatives storm Honduras morgue after jail fire
Posted: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 - By AFP Tensions are rising as the slow pace of identifying victims of the Honduran prison fire angers relatives. AFP Relatives of the victims of the prison fire in Comayagua who trespassed the security cordon, rip the plastic bags in an attempt to find the corpses of their beloved ones. TEGUCIGALPA – Scores of relatives of the 359 inmates killed in a blaze that gutted a Honduran prison broke through police barriers Monday and opened body bags in a desperate search for their kin’s remains. Frustrated by the slow pace of the investigation and the identification of the badly charred bodies, relatives took matters into their own hands when morgue officials moved several body bags outside, into their line of sight. Sobbing family members desperately clawed at the bags hoping to find their kin, only to be forced out by riot police, AFP journalists at the scene said. “Look at how my son is, he is tossed out like a dead dog there,” said María Hernández, weeping as she opened one of the bags, a fetid stench in the air for hundreds of meters around. “The delay is beyond unacceptable. If they don’t step up the pace of handing over remains, we are going to take over the morgue,” threatened José Carlos Orellana, father of a 31-year-old victim who was convicted of homicide. Honduran President Porfirio Lobo suspended top officials from the country’s prison system and called for foreign assistance in the investigations, amid accusations that authorities had been overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster. He pledged compensation for the victims’ families. A U.S. team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived late Thursday to investigate, and Chilean experts also searched the jail. Under tents set up outside the morgue, the team drew blood samples from relatives of the victims for DNA testing. “There are bodies that can only be identified with DNA testing,” Coroner Antonieta Zúñiga said after explaining that many bodies were charred beyond recognition. Lindolfo Hernández, brother of one of the victims, said, “They told me that it would be difficult to give me my brother’s body because it is in a bad state, but I'll stay here until they’ve done it.” His brother, jailed for 10 years for rape, was due to be released in two months. Six days after the flames swept through the overcrowded Comayagua jail – which had held double its capacity with 852 inmates – the cause of the fire still was unclear. Several funerals took place in various towns around the country Friday after authorities released the bodies of the first 24 victims of the inferno. “This was a barbaric crime,” said Trinidad Varela, who bid a final farewell to her 28-year-old son, Edwin Ortega, in the town of Talanga, northwest of the capital. “We cannot leave it just like that.” Around 60 percent of the prisoners in Comayagua had not yet been sentenced. Delmi Matute could not understand the fate of her husband’s remains. “We have been waiting here four days but they have not given him to me. My husband died of smoke inhalation, he should be easy to identify, and they still have not given him to me,” she sobbed as she sat with stunned loved ones. Human rights groups and witnesses questioned the role of the guards and the authorities during the blaze, suggesting negligence or even premeditation. The Committee for the Defense of Human Rights said in a statement that firefighters arrived too late, the prison director was absent and guards failed to open cell doors to save lives. The Committee of Families of Missing Prisoners expressed concern about a complaint from a non-identified prisoner who told local media the fire was started by police to cover up a planned escape. National Police spokesman Hector Iván Mejía denied the suggestion and added that no prisoners had escaped. But President Lobo acknowledged that some inmates caught up in the fire did escape, without saying how many. Besides those killed in the blaze, “other inmates fled, but they will be caught,” Lobo told reporters at a press conference. He also ordered a safety review of the nation’s 23 other jails. Leftist opposition parties blamed the blaze on “criminal negligence.” Some 500 inmates who survived the fire remained inside the jail in a wing that was not affected. “I don’t want to stay in this prison,” said Marco Valladares, who communicated with his wife by mobile phone from inside the jail. “It’s cursed. We knew for a long time that the fire would happen.” Another survivor, Hector Martínez, said, “The facilities are damaged. I’m afraid.” Honduras, which has the world’s highest murder rate – 80 per 100,000 people according to the United Nations – has 24 detention centers with a capacity of 8,000. The prison population is currently around 13,000

Arenal: No lava, no cry
Posted: Friday, February 17, 2012 - By Ashley Harrell The volcano that made La Fortuna abruptly quieted in October of 2010. Can the town rebrand itself as a rain forest adventure destination? An entire tourism industry was built around the Arenal Volcano, pictured here in 2008. Each year, thousands of tourists flock to north-central Costa Rica to see Arenal’s dynamic lava flows and volcanic bursts. But for more than a year, Arenal has been silent, causing uncertainty about the future of tourism in the region. //Courtesy of OVSICORI// LA FORTUNA, Alajuela – Over the last four decades, Arenal Volcano’s dramatic explosions and lava flows transformed the surrounding farmland in north-central Costa Rica into one of the country’s hottest tourist destinations. But 16 months ago, the activity subsided, leaving hundreds of hotels and businesses without their premier attraction. “It’s a pity, but the volcano decided to take a break,” says Eliezer Duarte, volcanology research professor with the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (Ovsicori). To put Duarte’s statement in perspective, scientists believe that the previous “break” of this kind – no explosions, lava-spewing, or interior activity – lasted more than 500 years. Although the volcano is still considered active and occasionally belches gases, area entrepreneurs in recent months have been coming to terms with the prospect that Arenal may not erupt again in their lifetime. The volcano’s quietude has raised questions about long-term tourism viability in the Northern Zone, but it appears that the industry has quietly, smoothly transitioned into a still-lucrative, post-eruption era. Whether that success has been driven by misleading signage, a plethora of other excursions, or tourist indifference remains to be seen. But this much is clear: Business has gone on as usual. “If the meat is good, the customers will arrive,” says Carlos Peñaranda, owner of El Novillo de Arenal, a steakhouse just outside of La Fortuna. He was speaking of the beef at his restaurant – once a prime eruption viewing spot – but the same can be said for many of the neighboring hotels and tour operators. For now, the tourists are happy with their experience and the businesses keep right on booming – even as the volcano sleeps. Each day on the streets of La Fortuna – a volcano boomtown about a three-hour drive northwest of San José – prominent signage instructs tourists to “See Lava!” Restaurants, shops and tour operators display insignias of exploding volcanoes, and red Christmas lights snake around the wooden columns supporting a bar called the Lava Lounge. Inside, a video of an erupting Arenal plays on repeat. “They’re hiding it,” says tour guide and map designer Álvaro Arce. Seated at one of the tables in Lava Lounge, he’s talking about his town’s reluctance to remove outdated and inaccurate signage and web material. He estimates that 75 to 80 percent of the tourists he encounters expect to see lava, and he believes that eventually this will create problems for the area. “The customers are pretty smart,” he says. “When they come here and they don’t see [anything], they’ll go back to [the U.S.] and say, ‘It’s not true.’ Then people will start going somewhere else.” That hasn’t happened yet. Some of the area’s most prominent hotels, such as Nayara Hotel, Spa & Gardens, Arenal Observatory Lodge, and Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort, have apparently rebounded since the 2008 financial crisis; managers now say the occupancy rates are hovering around 95 to 97 percent. The Arenal National Park actually saw more visitors in the year after it quit throwing lava than in the previous year, according to park ranger Erick Cuniga. Between 2010 and 2011, the number of park visitors increased from about 70,000 to 74,000, he said. Regardless, many tour entrepreneurs would prefer that realistic expectations become a priority. Some would like to promote the area as a rain-forest-adventure destination rather than an active-volcano experience, but to do that, businesses would need to bring their marketing materials up to date. Many seem uninterested in doing so. The Red Lava Tourist Service Center website still offers a “Sunset Volcano Experience” in which guests drive to “the most active part of Arenal and watch the lava rocks fall down. (A man who answered the phone at the agency said that sunset tour no longer runs.) Also not helping matters are the guidebook publishers who haven’t gotten the memo. “Waiting for and watching Arenal’s regular eruptions is the main activity in La Fortuna and is best done at night when the orange lava glows against the starry sky,” Frommer’s Costa Rica Guide misinforms readers in its 2012 edition. Guides say that erroneous information will need to be replaced with an emphasis on the area’s current strengths, of which there are many. Edward Acuña, guest relations manager at Arenal Springs Resort and Spa, passionately lists off every local activity he can think of: “Hot springs, rafting, horseback, the lake, hanging bridges, biking, Caño Negro, Peñas Blancas, canyoning, bird watching, helicopter, oof! There are so many activities we can keep you busy for a week.” Nearly every person interviewed for this story echoes that enthusiasm, and many point out that their tourist economy was perfectly healthy without the lava. On July 29, 1968, Arenal’s some 500-year slumber ended with a massive eruption that killed 87 people and demolished the villages of Tabacón, Pueblo Nuevo and San Luis. On the next day, another eight people died in a surge of hot gas and rocks now known as a pyroclastic flow. These events were the first indication to nearby residents – who were mostly cattle breeders and cheese producers – that Arenal was not a large hill, but a volcano. Far from an attraction at that time, the devastating volcano left the dusty hills of La Fortuna empty for months before people trickled back in and carried on with their lives. For nearly two decades, they remained uninterested in the business prospects of the lava-spewing giant in their backyard. But as more and more tourists showed up for the volcano’s frequent fireworks displays, ideas began to spark in the minds of weary farmers. Some began constructing cabins on their property, and others transformed their haciendas into hotels and resorts. In the evenings, anybody with a car would transport tourists to lookout areas for the volcanic spectacle and a dip in the toasty Tabacón River. “You got no idea how beautiful it was,” says longtime tour owner and guide, Selim Rodríguez. “We thought the volcano was never going to stop.” In 1991, a visionary architect harnessed a large stretch of that same river for a luxury bathing experience, and his project became the Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort. After Tabacón’s arrival on the scene, the increasing demand for lodging and activities fueled the development of La Fortuna. Over the last 20 years, dozens of hotels and tour operations, many owned by Ticos, have set up shop. While the volcano has unquestionably brought prosperity to La Fortuna, nobody has any illusions about who – or what – has really been in control. The volcano has run the show, and the show has gone on under certain, mysterious conditions. Even on a cloudless night, there was no telling if the lava would spew, and if it did, there was no telling where. Unpredictable pyroclastic flows and eruptions were constantly changing the shape of the volcano – and the direction of its lava flows – by blasting out walls of the two active craters. This meant that on one night, those at the Arenal Observatory Lodge might witness the fiery spectacle, and the next it might be the cluster of lodgings with balconies and rocking chairs facing south. Sometimes the volcano would go quiet, and guests would need to be entertained in other ways. Those fickle flows influenced enterprising tour industry workers to diversify early and often. Rodríguez has certifications for training as a fireman, accountant, student of volcanology, rescuer of tourists and Chinese foot massager. So after Ovsicori recorded the last magma activity in May 2010, and the final eruption subsided on Oct. 10 of the same year, those diverse skill sets were put to use. Rodríguez started his own spelunking business, and later he created a one-day Nicaraguan safari. Many other skilled and educated tour guides went a similar route, but not all of them. Locals say that 16 months after the volcano activity diminished, rogue guides still lurk in bus stations, trying to sell lava tours to clueless tourists. Visitors flock to extinct volcanoes in Hawaii, Italy and plenty of other places each year, and it seems that if Arenal goes in the dormant direction, people will keep showing up. Of all the tourists The Tico Times interviewed in and around La Fortuna about the current lack of activity, none expressed disappointment at not seeing lava. At a wet bar inside Tabacón’s resort, a tipsy, middle-aged woman from Connecticut says she had been on the volcano tour and already more-or-less knew the deal. “There hasn’t been lava in like 10 years, right?” On a stroll around La Fortuna, a Bulgarian couple, Galina Tzoneva and Lubo Vitkov, say that a friend from New York traveled to Costa Rica first and upon her return informed them that the volcano was no longer spewing. Also, they saw it on the Internet. “We don’t like vacation just lying on the beach,” Tzoneva says. “We like to walk around and see things. The nature is gorgeous.” Over at Arenal Springs Resort and Spa, a U.S. man from Michigan wearing a gold chain and a blue bathing suit says he had beheld Arenal’s piping-hot lava twice in previous years, and he expects to see it again. Upon learning the bad news, he is unconcerned. “I’m pretty lucky,” he says. “It’ll probably come back this weekend just for me.” =__Summery__= 1. Apparently relatives of the men and/or women that perished in the fire are begining to get aggravated that the opperation is going so slow and are begining to take matters into there own hands. In the picture at the beginning of the exerpt is a woman ripping open a body bag in a desperate attempt to find her son. The people of costa rica are trying to get the cops to understand that there loved ones have died and they just want them back.
 * Rebranding Arenal**
 * Volcano’s Influence**
 * Tourists Unfazed**

2. The volcanoe that made La Fortuna is apparently a tourist attraction. people come from around the world to watch the volcanoe squirt lava and gases. For a while though it has become silent and has not been doing this for a while the locals are begning to wonder if they're going to have to find something eles to bring in the tourist.


 * 3.** A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast of Costa Rica on13 February. The epicentre of the quake was 46 miles (75 km) south of San Jose, just offshore near the port of Quepos. The earthquake shook buildings in the capital, but there have not been any immediate reports of damage or injuries.

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Lewis,M. Paul. ed, 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the world, Sixteenth edition. Dallas, Texsas: SL international. Np

"Bureau of Western Hemispere Affairs." State.gov. Sept.14.2011. Web. 22 Feb. 2012

Headley, Susan. "Costa Rican Money". about. Nd. Web. 22 Feb. 2012.

"Costa Ricas Currency", encuentra. encuentra. Nd. Web. 22 Feb. 2012

Lytle, Tim. "The Real Costa Rica." threalcostarica.Lytle, Nd. Web. 22 Feb.2012.

"Clothing for Women". kwintnessential.Nd .web. 23 Feb.2011.

infocostarica Staff. "Culture." infocosatrica. Nd. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.

mcDonald, Mike. "Arenal Update". ebscohst. 5 May.2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.