Costa Ricans are hospitable fun-loving people
A Costa Rica vacation is a pleasant glimpse of a naturally beautiful and diverse landscape and an encounter with friendly, hospitable people who love dancing and will take any opportunity to turn it into a celebration. The combination of the people and the culture blend gives Costa Rica its reputation as a great vacation destination. The Costa Rican Condo in San Jose is the place to stay when spending a vacation in Costa Rica. It is a business class penthouse located right in downtown San Jose and just a few minutes walk from the Costa Rican Zoo.
The population of Costa Rica is mostly white or “meztizo” from its Spanish heritage originating from the 1500s explorations of Christopher Columbus and the Spanish conquests. The Caribbean population is predominantly black, but in Costa Rica, the black population is less than 3% concentrated in the province of Limón. They have arrived in Costa Rica from the slave traders of old and from Jamaican immigrants who came to the country in the late 1800s to work on the railroads and the banana plantations. Most of the black residents speak a distinctive dialect of English with a Caribbean influence.
There are now only a very few indigenous Native Indians in Costa Rica. They have virtually been decimated during the Spanish conquests or blended into the culture throughout the centuries with the white bloodlines of the conquerors dominating the generations. There are some North American people and an Asian segment of the population drawn by the many attractions and opportunities in Costa Rica.
The Costa Rica social classes, unlike many other countries are homogenous. They have a strong middle-class comprising the majority of the population. If there is extreme poverty, they are not as huge a problem as in the other Central American countries. The average income in Costa Rica is still low if it will be compared to highly developed countries, but compared to its surrounding Latin American countries, it can be considered much higher. There are also elitists or upper class Costa Ricans but they constitute only a small number of the population. The middle-class society is huge and this is attributed to the strong and fair democratic system where equal opportunity is promoted.
Although the Catholics comprise more than 77% of Costa Ricans, they are considered as “lukewarm” members of the Roman Catholic faith. Religion and its institutions never exerted a powerful influence in the political life nor the cultural life of the people even during colonial times in Costa Rica.
The Costa Ricans are usually called “Ticos” or “Ticas” which refer to male and female individuals. These words have been derived from “hermanticos” and “hermanticas” which mean “little brothers” and “little sisters” respectively. Ticos and Ticas are very festive people and they like to party and know how to celebrate. Even if they are very fun-loving, they are peaceful people and they welcome vacationers and travelers heart-warmingly into the country.
The citizens of Costa Rica are generally well educated with a 93% literacy rate. The Hotel Costa Rica is in the capital city San Jose, considered the cultural center of the country where there are various opera, symphony, opera and other cultural venues.
