Yes, I normally post my Travel the World series cards on Tuesdays, but I have another commitment on my blog tomorrow, so this week's Travel the World card is on Monday instead.
This is the 41st week in my Travel the World personal challenge. Each week I am randomly choosing one country (there are 195 countries in the world) and doing a little research on that country. I then select one tidbit of information about the country as inspiration for the card I make.
This week's country is...
Costa Rica
Costa Rica
(slightly smaller than Lake Michigan) is in Central America, bordered by
Nicaragua on the north and Panama on the south, the Pacific Ocean on the West,
and the Caribbean Sea on the East.
In most countries around
the world, the woman who gets married often takes the name of her husband. But,
not in Costa Rica. The Ticas maintain their maiden name for life.
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Costa
Rica's official language is Spanish, though a large number of its citizens are
bilingual. English, due to its status as the international language of
tourists, is the most common second language in Costa Rica.
The sun rises and sets at the
same time 365 days a year. Due to the close proximity to the equator, the
sunrise and sunset are to be expected at the same time every day.
There are
801 miles of coastline in Costa Rica.
Costa
Rica does not have winter,
but a dry season from December to April.
Approximately
25% of the country has protected forests and reserves. There are more
than 100 different protected areas to visit.
There are
more than 121 volcanic formations in Costa Rica, and seven of them are active.
Chirripo
Mountain is the highest point in Costa Rica at 12,500 feet. The country's
lowest point is 790 feet below sea level in the caves of Barra Honda National
Park.
Costa Rica
has a population of 4.5 million and a life expectancy of almost 77 years, one
of the highest in the world.
Costa Rica is categorized
as one of the happiest countries in the world.
All Costa Rica Catholic
churches face west.
While
foreigners often refer to them as Costa Ricans, they themselves instead say
Ticos for males and Ticas for females.
As you
call your lover or spouse “my better half,” Costa Ricans call theirs “the other
half of the orange”.
Costa Rica
has the highest rural literacy
rate at 96% for children. This means that nearly all children in
rural Costa Rica are learned.
Children
who come from destitute families and cannot go to school are taught
through radio lessons.
Costa Rica
does not have a standing military force.
In Costa
Rica, streets are not
named using names but by the distance between that street and the next
landmark.
Only
Ecuador exports more bananas than Costa Rica.
The
Tempisque River Bridge (known locally as El Puente de Amistad) that connects
the mainland to the Nicoya Peninsula was a gift from Taiwan.
Costa Rica generates more
than 99% of its electricity using renewable energy.
Earthquakes are quite common in Costa Rica, fortunately the
majority of them are smaller earthquakes without casualties.
Costa Rica has generated 98.53 percent of its electricity from renewable sources over the past four years, using its rivers, volcanoes, wind and solar power.
In most countries around
the world, the woman who gets married often takes the name of her husband. But,
not in Costa Rica. The Ticas maintain their maiden name for life.
If you
give birth in Costa Rica, the
locals will not say you gave birth; they will say you gave light.
Greetings are
made formal enough and not too casual in Costa Rica. For instance, hugs are
reserved for family and very close friends.
Traditionally
in Costa Rica, the typical meal during
Christmas and other special occasions are tamales.
There’s a lizard known as Jesus Christ Lizard in Costa
Rica. The Basilisk (also known as Jesus Christ Lizard) can literally walk on
water, and that’s how it got its nickname.
There are
about 52 species of hummingbirds in Costa Rica, which is a quarter of the hummingbird
species found on earth, impressive for a country its size.
Monkeys
are one of the most common mammals in Costa Rica – next to bats.
Costa Rica
is home to wild sloths.
There are
about 750,000 species of insects that live in Costa Rica, including about
20,000 different types of spiders! Also, more than 10% of the worlds
butterflies live here.
The
rare golden toad only
resides in the Monteverde rainforest reserve. For this reason, it was picked as
of the symbols of this Costa Rican town.
The Costa
Ricans have a day for the cow
herders. This day is known as the Dia de los Boyeros is celebrated
in honor of cow herders.
The
staples of the Costa Rican diet are rice and black beans, along with bread,
chicken or meat, vegetables, salads, and fruits. Rice and beans mixed
together for breakfast is called Gallo Pinto.
A soda is
a small, informal restaurant that serves traditional meals like chicken, rice,
beans and salad for $2-$3 a plate.
A pulperia
is a neighborhood store that sells essential foodstuffs like canned goods,
eggs, milk, bread and some produce.
The
average wage laborer is about $10 per day.
It is
a crime to drive your
car into San Jose on the day of the week that corresponds to the last number on
the car’s license plate.
Geovanny
Escalante from Costa Rica held the world record in 1998 for holding the longest
single saxophone note.
This note was 90 minutes and 45 seconds long.
Costa
Ricans first tasted coffee in 1779, just three years after the US declaration
of independence. The coffee came from Jamaica.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
Papers: Recollections 110# White and SU Ballet Blue and Early Espresso CS and DP from my scrap file
Embellishments: Coffee Mug Brad and Ribbon from unknown vendors
