Misplaced Pages

#755244

89-491: The Ad Astra Rocket Company Costa Rica (AARC CR) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ad Astra Rocket Company. AARC CR was formed in 2005. The facility is located approximately 10 km west of the city of Liberia , capital of the province of Guanacaste, on the campus of EARTH University . On December 13, 2006, the Costa Rican team of AARC generated its first plasma. After extensive testing of a 200 kW ground-test VASIMR unit,

178-483: A 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 4.65/10, ranking it 118th globally out of 172 countries. The country has been considered economically stable with moderate inflation, estimated at 2.6% in 2017, and moderately high growth in GDP, which increased from US$ 41.3 billion in 2011 to US$ 52.6 billion in 2015. The estimated GDP for 2018 is US$ 59.0 billion and the estimated GDP per capita (purchasing power parity)

267-473: A continuous firing of 100 hours at 100 KW planned as the last test before testing in space, which could occur as early as 2023. Liberia, Costa Rica Liberia ( Spanish pronunciation: [li.ˈβe.ɾja] ) is a district and the largest city in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica , located 215 kilometres (134 mi) northwest of the national capital, San José . Part of

356-679: A few sovereign nations without a standing army . The country has consistently performed favorably in the Human Development Index (HDI), placing 58th in the world as of 2022 , and fifth in Latin America. It has also been cited by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as having attained much higher human development than other countries at the same income levels, with a better record on human development and inequality than

445-452: A government decree changed the name of the City of Guanacaste (Ciudad de Guanacaste) to the City of Liberia (Ciudad de Liberia). The name of the province of Guanacaste was changed to Moracia in honor of then Costa Rican president Juan Rafael Mora Porras . In August 1859, Juan Rafael Mora Porras was overthrown in a coup d'état orchestrated by Dr. Jose Maria Montealegre. On 20 June 1860 during

534-485: A key role in Costa Rica's history and in 2006, was the third cash crop export. As a small country, Costa Rica now provides under 1% of the world's coffee production. In 2015, the value of coffee exports was US$ 305.9 million, a small part of the total agricultural exports of US$ 2.7 billion. Coffee production increased by 13.7% percent in 2015–16, declined by 17.5% in 2016–17, but was expected to increase by about 15% in

623-464: A large festival as the capital of Guanacaste where one can find folk dances, parades, cattle shows, local food, and other cultural traditions in the area. Music is a large part of the festival and the traditional "marimba" is very popularly heard. A parade also takes place in the centre of the city at which children wear masks and costumes. Liberia's importance continued to grow and it became a major center for agriculture and livestock. The construction of

712-732: A major role in the national economy and eventually became a symbol of the exploitative export economy. The major labor dispute between the peasants and the United Fruit Company (The Great Banana Strike) was a major event in the country's history and was an important step that would eventually lead to the formation of effective trade unions in Costa Rica , as the company was required to sign a collective agreement with its workers in 1938. Historically, Costa Rica has generally enjoyed greater peace and more consistent political stability than many of its fellow Latin American nations. Since

801-439: A new constitution by a democratically elected assembly. Having enacted these reforms, the junta transferred power to Ulate on 8 November 1949. After the coup d'état , Figueres became a national hero, winning the country's first democratic election under the new constitution in 1953 . Since then, Costa Rica has held 15 additional presidential elections, the latest in 2022 . With uninterrupted democracy dating back to at least 1948,

890-457: A recent test phase of the VX-200 has demonstrated a ten percent increase in efficiency at intermediate levels of specific impulse, indicating that an operational version would both increase payload mass and decrease trip times. The "efficiency improvements were achieved through design improvements in critical engine components, 'fine-tuning' the radio-frequency power system settings, and upgrades to

979-674: A result of which is that the country has one of the highest literacy rates in Latin America, 97%. General Basic Education is mandatory and provided without cost to the user. A US government report confirms that the country has "historically placed a high priority on education and the creation of a skilled workforce" but notes that the high school drop-out rate is increasing. As well, Costa Rica would benefit from more courses in languages such as English, Portuguese, Mandarin, and French and also in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Costa Rica sources much of its energy from renewables and

SECTION 10

#1732771940756

1068-453: A second plebiscite was called in the city of Nicoya. After deliberation, the incorporation into Costa Rica was decided in an open town hall meeting, preparing a record in which the main reasons for it were noted, pointing out the advantages in terms of trade, the desire to participate in the advances that are palpable in Costa Rica, the economic, administrative and public service benefits, the creation of schools, security and quiet, referring to

1157-452: A spaceship to Mars in just 39 days. NASA's funding was part of the "12 Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnership." Ad Astra's rocket will travel ten times quicker than today's chemical rockets while using one-tenth the amount of fuel. Ad Astra Rocket Company developed the VX-200, a full-scale prototype of the VASIMR engine intended for ground testing. The company successfully tested

1246-499: A trade deficit of US$ 2.39 billion in 2015. Pharmaceuticals, financial outsourcing, software development, and ecotourism have become the prime industries in Costa Rica's economy. High levels of education among its residents make the country an attractive investing location. Since 1999, tourism earns more foreign exchange than the combined exports of the country's three main cash crops : bananas and pineapples especially, but also other crops, including coffee. Coffee production played

1335-868: A way to secure stability and growth. Costa Rica is a member of the International Criminal Court , without a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the United States military (as covered under Article 98 ). Costa Rica is an observer of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie . On 10 September 1961, some months after Fidel Castro declared Cuba a socialist state, Costa Rican President Mario Echandi ended diplomatic relations with Cuba through Executive Decree Number 2 . This freeze lasted 47 years until President Óscar Arias Sánchez re-established normal relations on 18 March 2009, saying, "If we have been able to turn

1424-408: Is Lake Arenal . There are 14 known volcanoes in Costa Rica, and six of them have been active in the last 75 years. Costa Rica experiences a tropical climate year-round. There are two seasons. The dry season is December to April, and the rainy season is May to November. March and April are the hottest months in the country, while December and January are the coldest. However, there are rainy days in

1513-607: Is Intl$ 17,559.1. The growing debt and budget deficit are the country's primary concerns. A 2017 study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development warned that reducing the foreign debt must be a very high priority for the government. Other fiscal reforms were also recommended to moderate the budget deficit. Many foreign companies (manufacturing and services) operate in Costa Rica's Free Trade Zones (FTZ) where they benefit from investment and tax incentives. Well over half of that type of investment has come from

1602-704: Is an active member of the United Nations and the Organization of American States . The Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the United Nations University of Peace are based in Costa Rica. It is also a member of many other international organizations related to human rights and democracy, such as the Community of Democracies . The main foreign policy objective of Costa Rica is to foster human rights and sustainable development as

1691-521: Is moderately high (8.2% in 2016, according to the IMF). Although 20.5% of the population lives below the poverty line (2017), Costa Rica has one of the highest standards of living in Central America. High-quality health care is provided by the government at a low cost to the users. Housing is also very affordable. Costa Rica is recognized in Latin America for the quality of its educational system,

1780-622: Is quite dry in comparison to the rest of Costa Rica. If weather is a concern as a traveler, the best time to visit this city would be towards the start of the dry season where the climate is only beginning to get warm, and precipitation from the wet season has decreased. The dry season can get quite hot and sometimes becomes uncomfortable for those who are not accustomed to such dry heat. Costa Rica Costa Rica ( UK : / ˌ k ɒ s t ə ˈ r iː k ə / , US : / ˌ k oʊ s t ə -/ ; Spanish: [ˈkosta ˈrika] ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially

1869-575: Is the one park in Costa Rica where all four Costa Rican monkey species can be found. These include the white-headed capuchin , the mantled howler , the endangered Geoffroy's spider monkey , and the Central American squirrel monkey , found only on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and a small part of Panama , and considered endangered until 2008, when its status was upgraded to vulnerable. Deforestation , illegal pet-trading, and hunting are

SECTION 20

#1732771940756

1958-468: Is undertaking reforestation projects to reduce its overall greenhouse gas emissions. In 2007, the Costa Rican government announced the commitment for Costa Rica to become the first carbon neutral country by 2021. Costa Rica would be, according to its leaders, the first country in the world to have launched in 2019 a comprehensive decarbonization plan ( net zero carbon emissions by 2050). Costa Rica has free trade agreements with many countries, including

2047-461: The 2011 census , Liberia had a population of 53,382 inhabitants. With more than 50,000 inhabitants, Liberia is the regional hub of the Costa Rican northwest. The city center features a modern church , as many Costa Rican towns do, facing a plaza surrounded by locally owned shops and restaurants . Liberia is also home to an expo that takes place in the month of July, celebrating the annexation of Guanacaste Province on 25 July 1824. Located in

2136-618: The Cortes of Cádiz created a single autonomous province, covering Nicaragua and Costa Rica, with its capital in León . Nicaragua and Costa Rica achieved independence from Spain on 15 September 1821 after the Spanish defeat in the Mexican War of Independence . After the short-lived First Mexican Empire (1821–1823), Costa Rica (considered a minor provincial outpost at the time) became part of

2225-702: The Costa Rican Primera División after winning promotion in 2001. They play their home games in the Estadio Edgardo Baltodano Briceño . This area typically has a pronounced dry season. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Liberia has a tropical savanna climate , abbreviated Aw on climate maps. In Liberia, as in the rest of Costa Rica outside the perennially humid Caribbean coast, there are essentially two seasons –

2314-511: The Liberia canton , it is a major center for the country's tourism industry. Liberia has been nicknamed la ciudad blanca (the white city) due to the white gravel that was once used to make the city's roads and the whitewashed colonial houses which used to make up a large part of the city. It had a population of 56,899 in 2013. Modern-day Liberia was founded as a hermitage without any legal or formal act of foundation on 4 September 1769. It

2403-642: The Mexican Empire , and the Republicans, represented by the cities of San José and Alajuela who defended full independence. Because of the lack of agreement on these two possible outcomes, the first civil war of Costa Rica occurred. The Battle of Ochomogo took place on the Hill of Ochomogo , located in the Central Valley in 1823. The conflict was won by the Republicans and, as a consequence,

2492-565: The Pan-American Highway further increased Liberia's importance and increased commerce in and out of the city. By the late 20th century, Liberia had become a major stopping point for tourists traveling to the Pacific Coast beaches of Guanacaste . Today Liberia and the province of Guanacaste accept 25 July 1824 as their annexation day to Costa Rica. Liberia has an area of 563.57 km and an elevation of 144 metres. For

2581-708: The Republic of Costa Rica , is a country in the Central American region of North America . It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as maritime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island . It has a population of around five million in a land area of nearly 51,180 km (19,760 sq mi). An estimated 352,381 people live in

2670-401: The United States and Canada , as well as London and Amsterdam . Liberia Airport is very close to the most beautiful beaches from Guanacaste province, such as Tamarindo, Nosara, Sámara, Carrillo, Playa del Coco, Montezuma, Malpaís, and Santa Teresa. The Liberia River bears the same name as the town. Municipal Liberia is the city's major football team, having spent almost 10 years in

2759-616: The Viceroyalty of New Granada (i.e. Colombia ), and lack of resources such as gold and silver, made Costa Rica into a poor, isolated, and sparsely-inhabited region within the Spanish Empire. Costa Rica was described as "the poorest and most miserable Spanish colony in all America" by a Spanish governor in 1719. Another important factor behind Costa Rica's poverty was the lack of a significant indigenous population available for encomienda (forced labor), which meant most of

Ad Astra Rocket Company - Misplaced Pages Continue

2848-487: The flag of Nicaragua but may not charge them for departure clearance from its ports. These were all specific items of contention brought to the court in the 2005 filing. In 2010, there was also a dispute around Isla Calero , and the effects of Nicaraguan dredging of the river in that area. On 1 June 2007, Costa Rica broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan , switching recognition to the People's Republic of China. Costa Rica

2937-418: The "dry" and the "wet." The dry season runs from November to April, when the temperature is high and very little rainfall, if any, is experienced. The wet season runs from May to October when it often rains throughout the entire country. However, Liberia is considered to be one of the drier cities in the province of Guanacaste, which experiences much less rain than the rest of country. Even in wet seasons, Liberia

3026-553: The 1870s, the Costa Rican government contracted with U.S. businessman Minor C. Keith to build a railroad from San José to the Caribbean port of Limón . Despite enormous difficulties with construction, disease, and financing, the railroad was completed in 1890. Most Afro-Costa Ricans descend from Jamaican immigrants who worked in the construction of that railway and now make up about 3% of Costa Rica's population. U.S. convicts, Italians, and Chinese immigrants also participated in

3115-479: The Costa Rican settlers had to work on their land, preventing the establishment of large haciendas (plantations). For all these reasons, Costa Rica was, by and large, unappreciated and overlooked by the Spanish Crown and left to develop on its own. The circumstances during this period are believed to have led to many of the idiosyncrasies for which Costa Rica has become known, while concomitantly setting

3204-477: The Federal Republic of Central America began to dissolve, Costa Rica formally withdrew and proclaimed itself a sovereign state. On 7 December 1848 Costa Rica divided its national territory into provinces , cantons , and districts . The territory encompassing Nicoya, Bagaces, Santa Cruz, Guanacaste (modern day Liberia) and Cañas became part of the newly formed province of Guanacaste . On 30 May 1854,

3293-557: The Papagayo Peninsula. An African safari attraction or zoo called " Africa Mia " is 4 kilometers south of town. The Museo de Sabanero is also located in Liberia. Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park is located just to the northeast of Liberia. Volcanic hot springs, bubbling clay pots, and numerous waterfalls and rivers may be found along the park's many kilometres of hiking trails. Hot springs are also located to

3382-543: The Party's population in favor of incorporation, and 23% against it. The town of Guanacaste was the only one that declined annexation, due to the ties its residents had with the city of Rivas, Nicaragua . Upon independence, Costa Rican authorities faced the issue of officially deciding the future of the country. Two bands formed: the Imperialists, defended by Cartago and Heredia cities , which were in favor of joining

3471-476: The Spanish language, was in some accounts first applied by Christopher Columbus , who sailed to the eastern shores of Costa Rica during his final voyage in 1502, and reported vast quantities of gold jewelry worn by natives. The name may also have come from conquistador Gil González Dávila , who landed on the west coast in 1522, encountered natives, and obtained some of their gold, sometimes by violent theft and sometimes as gifts from local leaders. During most of

3560-523: The U.S. According to the government, the zones supported over 82,000 direct jobs and 43,000 indirect jobs in 2015. Companies with facilities in the America Free Zone in Heredia, for example, include Intel, Dell, HP, Bayer, Bosch, DHL, IBM and Okay Industries. Of the 2016 GDP, 5.5% was generated by agriculture, 18.6% by industry and 75.9% by services. For the region, its unemployment level

3649-565: The US (and probably from other countries). The major concerns identified were as follows: Costa Rica had 2.9 million foreign visitors in 2016, up 10% from 2015. In 2015, the tourism sector was responsible for 5.8% of the country's GDP, or $ 3.4 billion. In 2016, the highest number of tourists came from the United States, with 1,000,000 visitors, followed by Europe with 434,884 arrivals. According to Costa Rica Vacations, once tourists arrive in

Ad Astra Rocket Company - Misplaced Pages Continue

3738-476: The US. There are no significant trade barriers that would affect imports and the country has been lowering its tariffs by other Central American countries. The country's Free Trade Zones provide incentives for manufacturing and service industries to operate in Costa Rica. In 2015, the zones supported over 82 thousand direct jobs and 43 thousand indirect jobs in 2015 and average wages in the FTZ were 1.8 times greater than

3827-668: The VASIMR technology. Ad Astra completed a formal Preliminary Design Review (PDR) on the VF-200 engine with NASA in June 2013. This is the initial major design milestone on the path to flying a VF-200 on the ISS. August 1st, 2024: NASA recently delivered $ 10 million in funding to Ad Astra Rocket Company of Texas for further development of its Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR), an electromagnetic thruster proficient of propelling

3916-486: The World Travel & Tourism Council's estimates indicated a direct contribution to the GDP of 5.1% and 110,000 direct jobs in Costa Rica; the total number of jobs indirectly supported by tourism was 271,000. A pioneer of ecotourism , Costa Rica draws many tourists to its extensive series of national parks and other protected areas. The trail Camino de Costa Rica supports this by allowing travelers to walk across

4005-497: The administration of new Costa Rican president Dr. Jose Maria Montealegre, the name of the province was switched back from Moracia to Guanacaste . Montealegre kept the name City of Liberia but saw it unfit to keep a province named after a political enemy. Today, the Annexation of Guanacaste is celebrated annually on 25 July to celebrate the date in which the province became a part of Costa Rica instead of Nicaragua. Liberia holds

4094-473: The arrival of various groups of hunter-gatherers about 10,000 to 7,000 years BCE in the Turrialba Valley . The presence of Clovis culture type spearheads and arrows from South America opens the possibility that, in this area, two different cultures coexisted. Agriculture became evident in the populations that lived in Costa Rica about 5,000 years ago. They mainly grew tubers and roots. For

4183-750: The average for private enterprise work in the rest of the country. In 2016, Amazon.com for example, had some 3,500 employees in Costa Rica and planned to increase that by 1,500 in 2017, making it an important employer. The central location provides access to American markets and direct ocean access to Europe and Asia. The most important exports in 2015 (in order of dollar value) were medical instruments, bananas, tropical fruits, integrated circuits and orthopedic appliances. Total imports in that year were US$ 15 billion. The most significant products imported in 2015 (in order of dollar value) were refined petroleum, automobiles, packaged medications, broadcasting equipment, and computers. The total exports were US$ 12.6 billion for

4272-526: The border between the two countries, and Costa Rica's rights of navigation on the river. On 14 July 2009, the International Court of Justice in the Hague upheld Costa Rica's navigation rights for commercial purposes to subsistence fishing on their side of the river. An 1858 treaty extended navigation rights to Costa Rica, but Nicaragua denied passenger travel and fishing were part of the deal;

4361-715: The capital and largest city, San José , with around two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area. The sovereign state is a presidential republic . It has a long-standing and stable constitutional democracy and a highly educated workforce. The country spends roughly 6.9% of its budget (2016) on education, compared to a global average of 4.4%. Its economy, once heavily dependent on agriculture, has diversified to include sectors such as finance, corporate services for foreign companies, pharmaceuticals, and ecotourism . Many foreign manufacturing and services companies operate in Costa Rica's Free Trade Zones (FTZ) where they benefit from investment and tax incentives. Costa Rica

4450-557: The city of Cartago lost its status as the capital, which moved to San José . In 1838, long after the Federal Republic of Central America ceased to function in practice, Costa Rica formally withdrew and proclaimed itself sovereign. The considerable distance and poor communication routes between Guatemala City and the Central Plateau, where most of the Costa Rican population lived then and still lives now, meant

4539-620: The colonial period, Costa Rica was the southernmost province of the Captaincy General of Guatemala , nominally part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain . In practice, the captaincy general was a largely autonomous entity within the Spanish Empire . Costa Rica's distance from the capital of the captaincy in Guatemala , its legal prohibition under mercantilist Spanish law from trade with its southern neighbor Panama, then part of

SECTION 50

#1732771940756

4628-539: The company is aiming for a three-year flight test mission. In March 2015, NASA selected Ad Astra for the NextSTEP program. The partnership is currently ongoing as of July 2021, with Ad Astra aiming to achieve the NASA-set goal of firing VASIMR continuously for 100 hours at 100 kW in the second half of 2021. The VASIMR is a state-of-the-art rocket design that uses plasma for rocket propulsion. Chang-Díaz developed

4717-510: The concept of the VASIMR in 1979, shortly following his graduate research in fusion and plasma-based rocket propulsion at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . After being selected as an astronaut in 1980, Chang-Díaz served on seven different shuttle missions, a space record that he shares with astronaut Jerry L. Ross . After retiring in 2005 from NASA, Chang-Díaz formed Ad Astra Rocket Company to develop and commercialize

4806-462: The congress of the Federal Republic of Central America added Guanacaste (modern day Liberia) to Costa Rica. The village of Guanacaste grew in importance and gradually overtook the village of Nicoya as the most important settlement in the area. On 23 July 1831, the settlement of Guanacaste was given the title of Villa de Guanacaste. Just a few years later on 3 September 1836 it was given the name Ciudad de Guanacaste (City of Guanacaste). In 1838 after

4895-475: The construction project. In exchange for completing the railroad, the Costa Rican government granted Keith large tracts of land and a lease on the train route, which he used to produce bananas and export them to the United States. As a result, bananas came to rival coffee as the principal Costa Rican export, while foreign-owned corporations (including the United Fruit Company later) began to hold

4984-603: The continent. Historians have classified the indigenous people of Costa Rica as belonging to the Intermediate Area , where the peripheries of the Mesoamerican and Andean native cultures overlapped. More recently, pre-Columbian Costa Rica has also been described as part of the Isthmo-Colombian Area . Stone tools, the oldest evidence of human occupation in Costa Rica, are associated with

5073-546: The country from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. In the 2011 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index , Costa Rica ranked 44th in the world and second among Latin American countries after Mexico in 2011. By the time of the 2017 report, the country had reached 38th place, slightly behind Panama. The Ethical Traveler group's ten countries on their 2017 list of The World's Ten Best Ethical Destinations includes Costa Rica. The country scored highest in environmental protection among

5162-471: The country is the region's most stable. Costa Rica borders the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Costa Rica also borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. The highest point in the country is Cerro Chirripó , at 3,819 metres (12,530 ft). The highest volcano in the country is the Irazú Volcano (3,431 m or 11,257 ft) and the largest lake

5251-647: The country lacked a strong native civilization to begin with. Most of the native population was absorbed into the Spanish-speaking colonial society through inter-marriage, except for some small remnants, the most significant of which are the Bribri and Boruca tribes who still inhabit the mountains of the Cordillera de Talamanca , in the southeastern part of Costa Rica, near the frontier with Panama . The name la costa rica , meaning "rich coast" in

5340-482: The country's electricity came from renewable sources . In 2019, the country produced 99.62% of its electricity from renewable sources and ran completely on renewable sources for 300 continuous days. In 1996, the Forest Law was enacted to provide direct financial incentives to landowners for the provision of environmental services. This helped reorient the forestry sector away from commercial timber production and

5429-521: The country, 22% go to Tamarindo , 18% go to Arenal , 17% pass through Liberia (where the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport is located), 16% go to San José , the country's capital (passing through Juan Santamaría International Airport ), while 18% choose Manuel Antonio and 7% Monteverde. By 2004, tourism was generating more revenue and foreign exchange than bananas and coffee combined. In 2016,

SECTION 60

#1732771940756

5518-547: The country. Most of the coffee exported was grown around the main centers of population in the Central Plateau and then transported by oxcart to the Pacific port of Puntarenas after the main road was built in 1846. By the mid-1850s the main market for coffee was Britain. It soon became a high priority to develop an effective transportation route from the Central Plateau to the Atlantic Ocean. For this purpose, in

5607-493: The court ruled Costa Ricans on the river were not required to have Nicaraguan tourist cards or visas as Nicaragua argued, but, in a nod to the Nicaraguans, ruled that Costa Rican boats and passengers must stop at the first and last Nicaraguan port along their route. They must also have an identity document or passport. Nicaragua can also impose timetables on Costa Rican traffic. Nicaragua may require Costa Rican boats to display

5696-541: The dry season, as well as weeks without rain in the wet season. Despite its size, Costa Rica is one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity in all of Latin America . One national park, the Corcovado National Park , is internationally renowned among ecologists for its biodiversity (including big cats and tapirs ) and is where visitors can expect to see an abundance of wildlife. Corcovado

5785-559: The final Spanish defeat in the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821), the authorities in Guatemala declared the independence of all of Central America. That date is still celebrated as Independence Day in Costa Rica even though, technically, under the Spanish Constitution of 1812 that had been readopted in 1820, Nicaragua and Costa Rica had become an autonomous province with its capital in León . On March 3, 1824,

5874-607: The first and second millennia BCE there were already settled farming communities. These were small and scattered, although the timing of the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture as the main livelihood in the territory is still unknown. The earliest use of pottery appears around 2,000 to 3,000 BCE. Shards of pots, cylindrical vases, platters, gourds, and other forms of vases decorated with grooves, prints, and some modeled after animals have been found. The influence of indigenous peoples on modern Costa Rican culture has been relatively small compared to other nations since

5963-555: The government of the State of Costa Rica officially proposed to the municipality of Nicoya its voluntary incorporation into the country, through a document in which it invited it "if it was convenient to join its Province without going against its will." On July 4, an open town hall was convened in Nicoya to discuss the matter, but attendees declined the invitation under the argument "that this Party... cannot be dissident." On July 25, 1824,

6052-515: The growing port of Puntarenas . The settlement of Guanacaste (modern day Liberia), on the other hand, held closer economic ties to Nicaraguan territory like the town of Rivas. Under the leadership of the villages of Nicoya and Santa Cruz, the Partido de Nicoya voted to annex themselves to Costa Rica on 25 July 1824. The inhabitants of Guanacaste (modern day Liberia) chose to continue to be part of Nicaragua in 1824. In 1826, after years of dispute,

6141-520: The heart of Liberia, Guanacaste, the Museo de Guanacaste represents the civility of Costa Rica, and the embodiment of military abolishment. The Museo de Guanacaste portrays many of the local and national artists. Volunteers come from both internationally and locally to help restore the location and also preserve the cultural heritage. Tourists pass through Liberia en route to Pacific Coast beaches such as Playa del Coco , Playa Hermosa , Playa Tamarindo or

6230-447: The late 19th century, however, Costa Rica has experienced two significant periods of violence. In 1917–1919, General Federico Tinoco Granados ruled as a military dictator until he was overthrown and forced into exile. The unpopularity of Tinoco's regime led, after he was overthrown, to a considerable decline in the size, wealth, and political influence of the Costa Rican military. In 1948, José Figueres Ferrer led an armed uprising in

6319-425: The local population had little allegiance to the federal government in Guatemala. Since colonial times, Costa Rica has been reluctant to become economically tied with the rest of Central America. Even today, despite most of its neighbors' efforts to increase regional integration, Costa Rica has remained more independent. Until 1849, when it became part of Panama , Chiriquí was part of Costa Rica. Costa Rican pride

6408-540: The main reasons for its threatened status. La Amistad and Chirripó present the climate of the páramo , at a height of more than 3000 meters above sea level, providing other types of flora and fauna, such as the white-nosed coati , the sooty thrush and Rogiera amoena . Costa Rica is the first tropical country to have stopped and reversed deforestation; it has successfully restored its forestry and developed an ecosystem service to teach biologists and ecologists about its environmental protection measures. The country had

6497-604: The median of the region. It also performs well in comparisons of democratic governance , press freedom, subjective happiness and sustainable wellbeing . It has the 8th freest press according to the Press Freedom Index , it is the 35th most democratic country according to the Freedom in the World index, and it is the 23rd happiest country in the 2023 World Happiness Report . It is also a major tourist destination in

6586-415: The newly formed Federal Republic of Central America in 1823. The Partido de Nicoya (Nicoya's Party) served as an administrative unit for the Federal Republic of Central America. The Partido de Nicoya comprised much of the territory that today is the province of Guanacaste , Costa Rica. Most of the area, such as the settlements of Nicoya and Santa Cruz, held economic ties to Costa Rican territory such as

6675-572: The page with regimes as profoundly different to our reality as occurred with the USSR or, more recently, with the Republic of China, how would we not do it with a country that is geographically and culturally much nearer to Costa Rica?" Arias announced that both countries would exchange ambassadors. Costa Rica has a long-term disagreement with Nicaragua over the San Juan River , which defines

6764-525: The prototype in September 2009. Following the test, the company will begin preparations for the VF-200-1, the first flight unit. The VASIMR technology could be useful in the near future for interplanetary space travel. The VASIMR design would be capable of reducing the trip from Earth to Mars to less than four months, whereas current chemical rockets would take around eight months for one-way transit, making

6853-417: The resulting deforestation and helped create awareness of the services it provides for the economy and society (i.e., carbon fixation , hydrological services such as producing fresh drinking water, biodiversity protection, and provision of scenic beauty). A 2016 report by the U.S. government report identifies other challenges facing Costa Rica as it works to expand its economy by working with companies from

6942-441: The round-trip mission longer than 2 years. A nuclear-powered VASIMR engine could shorten the round-trip in-flight time into under five months, while smaller scale solar powered engines could tug satellites through different orbits and deliver loads to the moon. As of October 2010, the company is aiming to offer the technology for space tug missions to help "clean up the ever-growing problem of space trash ." As of July 2012,

7031-503: The software that controls the engine during startup and firing." As of June 2013, Ad Astra completed a formal Preliminary Design Review (PDR) on the VF-200 engine, as a critical milestone on the development pathway to testing the VF-200 on a multi-month test on the International Space Station . By July 2021, Ad Astra had completed multiple long-duration engine firings on the upgraded VF-200SS engine, with

7120-556: The southeast of Liberia along the west slopes of Miravalles volcano. The district is covered by the following road routes: The Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport is 13 kilometres (8 miles) west of the city, following the road to Nicoya . This is the second international airport in the country, after the Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, and serves a variety of cities in

7209-452: The stage for Costa Rica's development as a more egalitarian society than the rest of its neighbors. Costa Rica became a "rural democracy" with no oppressed mestizo or indigenous class. It was not long before Spanish settlers turned to the hills, where they found rich volcanic soil and a milder climate than that of the lowlands. Like the rest of Central America , Costa Rica never fought for independence from Spain. On 15 September 1821, after

7298-461: The state of war that Nicaragua was experiencing at that time and the fear that it would spread to the Partido populations, in addition to point out the poverty in which its towns find themselves and the geography of the territory as justifications for the union. Three days later, another similar plebiscite was held in Santa Cruz , with the same result. The election was by majority vote, with 77% of

7387-401: The subsequent year. Costa Rica has developed a system of payments for environmental services . Similarly, Costa Rica has a tax on water pollution to penalize businesses and homeowners that dump sewage, agricultural chemicals , and other pollutants into waterways. In May 2007, the Costa Rican government announced its intentions to become 100% carbon neutral by 2021. By 2015, 93 percent of

7476-413: The wake of a disputed presidential election between Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia (who had been president between 1940 and 1944) and Otilio Ulate Blanco . With more than 2,000 dead, the resulting 44-day Costa Rican Civil War was the bloodiest event in Costa Rica during the 20th century. The victorious rebels formed a government junta that abolished the military altogether and oversaw the drafting of

7565-530: The winners. Costa Rica began reversing deforestation in the 1990s, and they are moving towards using only renewable energy , with 93% of all its energy being renewable. Costa Rica is composed of seven provinces, which in turn are divided into 82 cantons (Spanish: cantón , plural cantones ), each of which is directed by a mayor. Mayors are chosen democratically every four years by each canton. There are no provincial legislatures. The cantons are further divided into 488 districts ( distritos ). Costa Rica

7654-450: Was assuaged for the loss of this eastern (or southern) territory with the acquisition of Guanacaste , in the north. Coffee was first planted in Costa Rica in 1808, and by the 1820s, it surpassed tobacco , sugar , and cacao as a primary export . Coffee production remained Costa Rica's principal source of wealth well into the 20th century, creating a wealthy class of growers, the so-called Coffee Barons. The revenue helped to modernize

7743-510: Was inhabited by indigenous peoples before coming under Spanish rule in the 16th century. It remained a peripheral colony of the empire until independence as part of the First Mexican Empire , followed by membership in the Federal Republic of Central America , from which it formally declared independence in 1847. Following the brief Costa Rican Civil War in 1948, it permanently abolished its army in 1949, becoming one of only

7832-412: Was located in a strategic location where the roads from the towns of Rivas, Bagaces, and Nicoya met. The hermitage was used primarily as a place of rest by travelers. The area's giant guanacaste trees provided shade for travelers and livestock, and over time the area became known as Guanacaste (El Poblado de Guanacaste). The settlement itself shares a history with Nicaragua and Costa Rica . In 1812

7921-554: Was the first of the Central American nations to do so. President Óscar Arias Sánchez admitted the action was a response to economic exigency. In response, the PRC built a new, $ 100 million, state-of-the-art football stadium in Parque la Sabana , in the province of San José. Approximately 600 Chinese engineers and laborers took part in this project, and it was inaugurated in March 2011, with

#755244