Costa Rica is a small, democratic country, located in Central America. Nicaragua is to the north of Costa Rica and Panama to the south and it is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The country is very small, only about 32,000 square miles and is slightly smaller than the state of West Virginia (CIA, para. 2 2013). This beautiful country only covers about 0.03% of the earth’s surface, yet contains about 5% of the biodiversity in the world (Visit Costa Rica, para. 2). The climate is tropical and subtropical and has four volcanoes, two of which are still active (CIA, 2013, para. 2).
The population of Costa Rica is 4,805,000 (WHO, 2009). The population growth is roughly 1.27% annually (CIA, 2013, para 3). About 64% of the country’s population lives in urban areas (CIA, 2013, para. 3). Although Central America is considered poor by many, Costa Rica’s poverty rate is lower than its neighboring countries – it is about 20% percent (CIA, 2013, para. 3). In 2012, the gross domestic profit (GDP) was $59.79 billion, or $12,800 per capita (CIA, 2013, para 3). A considerable amount of the country’s income comes from agricultural exports and tourism (CIA, 2013, para. 5). Agriculture makes up about 6.2% of the GPD and industry makes up about 2.5% of the (CIA, 2013, para. 5).
Costa Rica was first settled in 1522 (Michigan State University (MSU), n.d., para. 1). It was settled as a colony by the Spanish in 1563 (CIA, 2013, para. 1). In 1821 along with the other provinces in Central America, it proclaimed its independence from Spain (MSU, n.d., para. 3). Then in 1838 Costa Rica proclaimed itself sovereign (CIA, 2013, para. 1). In 1899 Costa Rica began its democracy by having the first true e...
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...Many poor countries suffer much worse public health problems and disasters than the people of Costa Rica, but they are very fortunate to have the health system that they have in place. In 2011, Costa Rica’s health expenditure on health care was 10.9% of the GDP (CIA, 2013, para. 3). This is one of the highest in the world. The Ministry of Health is able to focus on influencing public policies, create policies to protect the health of the people and provide guidance. They are always investigating new trends in medicine and finding the best way to help the Costa Rican public. It seems that the focus of the Ministry of Health and the CCSS is more about the care and the health of the people, even though the health expenditure is so high compared to most other countries. They do have this money to spend partly because of the lack of any military forces to finance.
The physical science of the two countries is completely different. According to the main speaker, Costa Rica is much smaller than the United States. It could actually fit in the state of Oklahoma about two and a half times (Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 2010). The population is a little different too. Costa Rica’s population is around 4.5 million, compared to Oklahoma which has approximately 3.4 million.
femininity in regards to culture. The country of Costa Rica is considered an incredibly feminine culture, which means that stress falls more on caring and nurturing behaviors and overlapping emotional gender roles (Cultures and Organizations) as opposed to Canada that identifies as a more masculine culture. A masculine culture reflects traits such as ambition, stress on wealth and material success as well as more differentiated gender roles. Costa Ricans typically have more of a focus on the quality of life and caring and living with one another (Cultural Insights). The feminine characteristics of Costa Rica are also reflected in the way fluid gender roles are more prominent, as Costa Rica ranks first among Latin American countries regarding gender equality (The World Economic Forum). A large amount of women are present in both government and business roles, there is not a large distinction between men and women in this world. Also, women are involved in harvesting coffee, cotton and vegetables in and among the men (Countries and Their Cultures) and there is very high acceptance for women in the working world (Cultural Insights). What motivates people in this feminine country of Costa Rica is to enjoy and find pleasure in what they do rather then just working in order to live (Cultures and
The country’s two coastlines are referred to as the Caribbean and Pacific, rather than the north and south coasts. To the east is Colombia and to the west Costa Rica. Pacific. Dominant features of their landform is highlands forming the continental divide. The higher elevations near borders with Costa Rica and Colombia. The highest point in the country is the Volcán Barú which rises to almost 3,500 meters. The lowest elevation is in the middle of the country where it is crossed by the Panama Canal.
...rica. There will need to be an assessment of the political risk versus the potential gains and growth in the newly emerging markets of the Middle East.
Costa Rica has mountains, green tropical forests and fertile soil. “Its name, meaning rich coast in Spanish, came from explorers who heard tales of precious metals in the region. However, the land had little mineral wealth.” (The World Book encyclopedia of people and places 306) Costa Rica is located in Central America on the continent of North America. It is bordered by Nicaragua, Panama, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It has elevations that exceed 12,500 feet and displays 12 different climatic zones. The country has a variety of natural hazards including occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along the Atlantic coast and frequent flooding of lowlands at the beginning of the rainy season. Costa Rica has mountain ranges that stretch the length of the entire country. Many of the mountains have thick vegetation and when the air moves over the mountains it cools and creates rain and keeps the lush forests wet and green.
Human habitation can be traced back more than 10,000 years but it appears Costa Rica was sparsely populated and a relative backwater in the pre-Columbian era. There is little sign of major communities and none of the impressive stone architecture that characterized the more advanced civilizations of Mesoamerica to the north and the Andes to the south. When Columbus arrived near Lim¢¢n on September 18, 1502 on his third and last voyage to the Americas, there were probably no more than 20,000 indigenous inhabitants They lived in several autonomous tribes, all with distinct cultures and customs. Costa Rica's only major archaeological site is at Guayabo, 30 miles east of San Jos‚‚, where an ancient city, dating back to 1000 B.C. and though to have contained 10,000 people at its peak, is currently being excavated. Many interesting gold, jade and pottery artefacts have been found throughout the region and are on display in several museums in San Jose.
Everyone knows what the word poverty means. It means poor, unable to buy the necessities to survive in today's world. We do not realize how easy it is for a person to fall into poverty: A lost job, a sudden illness, a death in the family or the endless cycle of being born into poverty and not knowing how to overcome it. There are so many children in poverty and a family's structure can effect the outcome. Most of the people who are at the poverty level need some type of help to overcome the obstacles. There are mane issues that deal with poverty and many things that can be done to stop it.
...n order to cater to worldwide needs, but also to seek to become a richer country by exploiting the natural resources with little or no concern for the environmental repercussions this may have. The Nicaraguan government also constantly states that the islands are closer to their coast than that of Colombia’s, a weak argument considering the history Colombia has with the territory.
Poverty in Developing and Less Developed Countries The world includes less developed countries and developing countries. Less developed countries are countries considered to be poor and often contain many people who are in absolute poverty. Developing countries are countries like India, which are gaining in wealth. There are two types of poverty within the world.
Nicaragua is between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Nicaragua is a Central American nation known for its dramatic terrain of lakes Volcanoes and beaches. The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish Colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was
Thayer Watkins. 2014. Political and Economic History of Costa Rica. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/costarica.htm. [Accessed 24 April 2014].
What is poverty? What do we think the real definition of poverty is? As humans, we always complain about the small things in life, but what about the people who live in Peña Blanca? What do they have to say about their daily struggles just to earn a simple grain of rice? As some people say, poverty is a beast that cannot be beaten. The people of Peña Blanca suffer from extreme poverty, and yet, they are willing to give or offer anything to the people in urgent need or need help, which what instantly caught my attention. Their generosity was unexplainable. An example of this in the movie is when a man reported that his wife is going to die because he doesn't have enough money to pay for medicine since she’s extremely bedridden, and then Anthony, a fellow neighbor, offered his money to pay for the medicine, even though that would affect him negatively since his family are also extremely poor . Poverty has played a major role in these people’s lives, making everything a challenge.
As developed countries quench their thirsts for petrol, developing countries around the world are left behind, force to watch on without any help from the outside community. Being poor means to be disadvantaged in every single way. It means not being able to support yourself or your family or have the basic necessity to life. Without substantial help for these helpless people then we should be feeling guilty that we are living lives far better than what others are experiencing. Poverty may because by wars, disease or lack of education and infrastructure and the resulting consequences may be hunger, starvation, crime and ultimately death. If poverty is not eradicated then injustice will continue, increasing death tolls and lives.
The healthcare industry of the Bahamas is divided into two sectors, public and private health care. There are five hospitals, which includes two private hospitals and three public hospitals, and numerous public community clinics along with the many private facilities through which medical services are rendered (Doctors Hospital, 2009). The Princess Margaret Hospital, which is the main public facility, according to Smith (2010) in 1905 was people’s last choice when seeking medical attention. Smith described the then hospital as being partitioned into four areas, “for the sick, indigent, lepers and insane” (Smith, 2010). Smith (2010) further expressed that the medical services were free and those that were financially stable paid for treatment to be carried out at their homes. Today, 108 years later, much has changed within health care arena. Presently, there is an increase in the number of persons resorting to the public hospitals and public clinics for medical attention. For those that are in good financially standings they make use of private hospitals or/and other private medical facilities. While some people may use the public medical facilities by choice there are others whom, because of their income or lack of income, have no other alternative but to fall at the hands of the public services. Too, for many years the Bahamas has had the problem of immigrants from Haiti crossing the Bahamian borders illegally and this therefore results in an increase in the funds allocated for the health care industry. According to McCartney (2010) the Haitian nationals accounted for 11.5% of the Bahamas population, hence adding to the government health care budget (McCartney, 2013). The reality is that the Bahamas is far from winning...
Poverty in the Philippines The rich, the middle class, and the poor are described by the way we live and the amount of money one has. There are many different ways of describing what poverty is, whether it is by how you live or how much money you have. What is poverty and what does it mean to be poor? Not many of us know the true meaning of these terms.