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Costa Rica

History of Country:  Before the Spanish's invasion, five groups of Indians - Chorotega, Carib, Boruca, Corobici, and Nahua - lived in Costa Rica.  Christopher Columbus reached the territory on September 18, 1502, but the indigenous residents fiercely resisted his party's attempts to take over.  It was not until 1561 that Juan de Cavallon succeeded in colonizing the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, establishing a permanent settlement in Cartago in 1563.  The number of indigenous people decreased tremendously due to continued tribal warfare, diseases, and starvation by the Spanish.  Many of the remaining Indians became Christians, and were allowed to remain in their own villages or move into the Hispanic settlements, where they quickly fit into the Mestizo population through intermarriage.  Costa Rica declared itself independent from Spain in 1821 and became part of Mexican Empire of Augustin de Iturbide from 1822 to 1823.  It then was a part of the Central American Federation until 1832 and proclaimed itself a separate republic in 1857.

Coffee was introduced in the late 18th century and became the country's primary source of foreign exchange.  It was highly promoted and free land was offered to those who agreed to plant coffee.  In 1891, a railroad was built from the Meseta Central to the Caribbean coast.  This contributed greatly to Costa Rica's economic development.  Banana plantations quickly sprouted up alongside the railroad. 

In 1949, the ninth constitution was drawn up, abolishing the military.  Costa Rica is one of the few countries in the world to have eliminated its military.  Unlike many neighboring countries, it has not had as much political and social conflict and has the highest literacy rate.