ABSTRACT
Costa Rica is a small Central American nation, comprising an area of 50,000 square kilometres and with a population of 3 million people. The country is comprised of people of Spanish descent, since most of the native Indian population was decimated during colonial times. The nation has the longest history of democratic government in Latin America and abolished its army in 1948. Its main sources of income are tourism, coffee and banana exports. Notwithstanding the fact that it is a developing country, Costa Rica has a large middle class.
