15 Things You Didn't Know About Costa Rica
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Welcome to Countries Facts today we're looking at 15 things you didn't know about Costa Rica sir it's time to visit Latin America today we're heading to Costa Rica a tropical paradise like you've never seen before this small country almost the size of Lake Michigan sits at the meeting point of Latin America and Central America it's full of hot-blooded people amazing jungles breathtaking beaches and exotic fruits here you have one side on the Caribbean and another into the Pacific Ocean can it get any better than this hell yeah with only around five million citizens and some medium-sized cities Costa Rica carries the Spanish Aztec legacy in everything and every corner this destination is not meant for cruising the cities Costa Rica is for weddings holidays and surf lovers once you come here you'll never want to leave they live out of coffee plantations tourism football and agriculture if you are new here welcome be sure to subscribe and follow us on instagram and there are so many things about Costa Rica and the port Evita lifestyle that we bet you don't know all of them let's see what we can find out this time.
1 It's not a cheap country although Costa Rica is still a developing country like most other Central American countries they don't have cheap prices at all in fact some things can be even more expensive than in the US for instance cocktails are very expensive groceries are just as expensive as in the u.s. gas is twice as much as the US and some tours can be up to $100 per person you need to plan and budget accordingly so you don't end up spending more than you have on random items most prices are in US dollars because of tourism so make sure to plan in advance because Costa Rica is not cheap like Thailand.
2 It's almost a tax haven country the best thing about some countries is that taxes are very low for its residents that means that if you live there for three months for example you get the same benefits as a local native with that loop being available billionaires all over the world opened accounts in this country Costa Rica is not a 100% tax haven country but a tax friendly country some people refer to them as the Switzerland of Latin America they don't care how much money you make where it comes from or how you made it and they don't expect you to pay taxes after them or file financial reports and that's why rich people keep their money in offshore accounts in countries like Costa Rica and their controversial neighbors Panama.
3 Their currency is named after Christopher Columbus in Costa Rica prices are not as low as you might think yes the country is not that developed and modern but that doesn't mean they don't know the true value and potential of their merch their national currency is called the Cologne after the famous Columbus Christopher Columbus was the first to arrive here and he named the place Costa Rica in the 15th century before the Cologne Costa Rica's currency was a peso and in the colonial period they used cocoa seeds today one u.s. dollar is around the equivalent of 594 cologne.
4 It's one of the most sustainable countries most countries are responsible for the world's climate change and massive pollution pretty much everything we do has a devastating impact on our planet whether it's fast fashion food plastic cars and even agriculture are to blame unlike other countries that don't seem to be very interested in sustainability Costa Rica is among the few key players that care about it by 2020 they plan to be a carbon neutral country and run exclusively on sustainable energy and resources it's amazing how the smallest and poorest countries will be the first to save our planet.
5 The president is the richest man with a net worth of ten point seven billion dollars there aren't so many billionaires in Costa Rica and little millionaires as well it's estimated that around 85 people are millionaires and there are far fewer claiming the billionaire status the richest men in the country just so happens to be President Carlos Alvarado Quezada with a net worth of ten point seven billion dollars.
6 Police caught two tons of cocaine in a boat drug trafficking in Central and Latin America is still a major part of their day-to-day life the biggest drug cartels are getting more and more inventive when it comes to ways to ship their drugs recently police found over two tons of cocaine in a small boat it was packed in small batches each weighing about one kilogram hoping that police wouldn't notice them unfortunately for them the boat was intercepted by the Costa Rican Coast Guard and the cocaine was seized in a year over seventeen tons of drugs are seized by police and that's only in Costa Rica.
7 One person dies each day in Costa Rica we're not trying to portray a bad image of Costa Rica but some things need to be said some countries are safer than others and although Costa Rica is not priscila or Somalia it's not totally safe or the safest country in the world statistics show that around one person dies every day due to crime attacks or natural disasters Costa Rica is wild raw and poor in some regions making it the perfect setup for tourists.
8 Women don't take their husbands name after marriage taking your husband's name after marriage is a pretty common practice all over the world this tradition is very old and highly respected in some regions but in Costa Rica women don't do that instead of taking their husband's last name they take their mother's maiden name you'll never see women here having the same name as their husband their children on the other hand take the father's last name they care more about meaningful relationships rather than traditions and bureaucracy.
9 Medical tourism is very popular in Costa Rica because the government is supplying everyone with health care people in Costa Rica don't fear for their health and neither do their neighboring countries just like in Malaysia and Panama medical tourism is very popular here people come into Costa Rica for dental procedures plastic surgery and dermatology because the prices are significantly lower and it's quite safe of course if everything is done legally and under authorized medical surveillance hence since you're in such a beautiful country your recovery will be quite epic.
10 Mel Gibson owns the most expensive house estimated at 30 million dollars because Costa Rica is a tax friendly country rich people that keep their money here need a mansion suited for their status to live in when they come to visit one of those rich people that owns a mega house in Costa Rica is Mel Gibson his three villas are estimated to be worth 30 million dollars they're located over 500 acres of private jungle with private access to the beach and all the modern facilities he's used to in America and also some local ones his house is even the most expensive house in the country estimated to be worth 30 million dollars.
11 Prostitution is legal and LGBTQ people are also accepted besides medical tourism you can also visit Costa Rica for other reasons prostitution is legal here but only if done in special brothels and respecting all rules many of the activities around it are illegal such as drugs pimps and prostitution rings transsexuals and gay people are also welcome here but to a certain extent because the main religion is Catholicism the UN is constantly trying to help Latin America fight illegal and child prostitution but since in Costa Rica prices are so low it's not going to change anytime soon.
12 They don't have an active army having an army is vital for most countries they're in charge of defending and protecting their citizens and lands if something ever happens like a war an invasion or a coup d'etat Germany for example is not allowed to have an active army anymore after what happened in World War one and to Costa Rica doesn't have an army either they are one of few countries without a standing army they abolished it in 1949 and replaced it with an army of teachers nowadays their literacy rate is at 97% a little bit like make education not war.
13 They have the weirdest ice-cream flavors when you're in a warm place by the beach or wandering the streets and ice cream is the best idea especially in the summer time they make for great picture props and also for cooling down nowadays Costa Rica has a lot of diversity in this department so be ready to try out some good handsome weird ones you can savor goat cheese ice cream chipotle ice cream or sour cream ice cream they can't be that bad but apparently some people really love them there are crazier ice cream flavors out there too such as garlic ice cream or spaghetti and cheese ice cream we can't decide which one will win.
14 The Sun rises and sets at the same hour every day one of the most beautiful things in Costa Rica is seeing the sunrise and the sunset nothing really compares with a beautiful view while you lay on the beach with a coconut water in your hand if you don't ever want to miss a sunset or a sunrise keep in mind that countries that are close to the equator have them every day at the same time all year round this is one of the many perks you get besides the amazing weather.
15 They didn't have any street signs until 2012 one of the most crowded and chaotic traffic centres in the world is in India they have different rules different cars and a larger population how is this related to Costa Rica well they used to drive without street signs up until about six years ago since their population is significantly smaller and City are smaller too they used to drive perfectly without street signs just by pointing their hand out 100 meters before making a turn they don't even use street names up until the 60s they had some street signs then they took them down and reintroduced them back in 2012 after the capital city received 1 million dollars for the project you know a lack sirs some countries never cease to amaze us Central America is a hidden gem stone that more people are starting to discover and fall in love with we've got this video made you guys fall in love with Costa Rica just a little bit right which country from this region do you love the most is it Costa Rica Guatemala Mexico let us know your top choice in the comments below and for sticking with us all the way to the end and being a true a lexer here's your bonus fact number 16 Costa Rica is the happiest country in the world according to Happy Planet Index Costa Rica is the happiest country out of 149 countries they've monitored it's not about money infrastructure and economic value but about equality life expectancy well-being and ecological footsteps along with their puta Vida philosophy it's no wonder they don't need much in life to be happy it's not all about money it's the little things that matter and let's be honest who wouldn't be happy in such an exotic country with so much diversity and coastline for your information Mexico is ranked second Colombia third and Vanuatu in fourth.
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