1. Costa Rica By: Claire Flannery, Deirdre Gang, Sophia Timban, Liz Hartshorne, Kane Feudtner, Preston Southwick, and Sean Sweeny Challenge Spanish “B” Day

2. Population  4,195,914 people

3. Capital and Government  Capital is San Jose  The government is a democratic republic  The president is Laura Chinchilla Miranda

4. Currency  El colon is the Costa Rican currency  $1 US dollar=$553.100 Costa Rican el Colons

5. Language/Dialects  Speak Spanish  “Pura vida”- directly translated to “pure life”  Became popular from 1956 Mexican movie “Pura Vida”  Can be used to: say thank you or you’re welcome, show appreciation (for a person, object or situation), to say good-bye, or to greet someone  Now it is the unofficial motto of costa rica

6. GEOGRAPHY AND MAJOR REGIONS By: Kane Feudtner

7. Major Cities  Tamarindo  Drake Bay  San Jose

8. Major Regions  Nicoya Peninsula  Northern Zone  Central Valley  Caribbean  Central Pacific  Southern Pacific

9. Geography of Costa Rica  Costa Rica was first explored by Christopher Columbus.  Costa Rica is bordered by Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the north.  The overall geography of the land is coastal plain separated by mountains.  It is slightly smaller than West Virginia.

10. IMPORTANT PLACES & TOURIST ATTRACTIONS Volcán Arenla Pacific Coast Tropical Rainforest By: Claire Flannery

11. SPORTS Some of the sports that can be practiced are tennis, running, sportfishing, trekking, boxing, motocross, swimming, baseball, basketball, diving, snorkeling, and of course surfing. By far, the most popular sport in Costa Rica is soccer. To watch the Costa Rica national men’s soccer team, you can visit Estadio Nacional in San Jose West for a thrilling game on the field! Luis Gabelo Conejo was the most famous Costa Rican soccer player from the FIFA world cup held in Italy in 1990. He was also given the recognition of best goalkeeper at the World Cup, and is currently ranked as one of the 50 best goal keepers in the history of soccer. SoccerSportfishing Luis Gabelo Conejo, Soccer Player

12. COSTA RICAN CUISINE General Facts  Costa Rican cuisine is known for being flavorful, yet fairly mild, with high reliance on fresh fruit and vegetables.  Rice and black beans are a staple of most traditional Costa Rican meals, often served three times a day  Costa Rican food incorporates several staples of Latin American cuisine, yet differentiates itself by being more healthier

13. COSTA RICAN BREAKFAST Breakfast in Costa Rica  The most common dish served for breakfast in Costa Rica is Gallo Pinto  Gallo Pinto is rice mixed with beans, scrambled eggs, fried plantains, natilla (sour cream) and tortillas Gallo Pinto is usually mixed together

14. COSTA RICAN LUNCH Lunch in Costa Rica  Casados are the most common dish to have for lunch in Costa Rica.  Casados is rice mixed with beans, served with meat or fish, salad, fried plantains, white cheese, and corn tortilla.  Casado is alike but different then Gallo Pinto. Gallo Pinto is mixed together, and Casados are served separately. Casados are usually served separately on one plate

15. COSTA RICAN DINNER Dinner in Costa Rica  For dinner, there is no typical dinner dish, but one very common dinner dish is Arroz con Pollo  Arroz con Pollo is rice served with chicken

16. COSTA RICAN DESSERT Dessert in Costa Rica  One typical dessert in Costa Rica is Arroz con leche  Arroz con leche is rice cooked in milk with cinnamon and other ingredients  Another typical dessert in Costa Rica is tres leche  Tres leche is cake baked with evaporated, condensed, and regular milk  Dessert is usually accompanied with coffee

17. IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN COSTA RICA

18. Important People  Óscar Arias Sánchez (Politician)  José Figueres (Politician)  Claudia Poll (Athletic)  Francisco Zúñiga (Artist)

19. Óscar Arias Sánchez

20. José Figueres

21. Claudia Poll

22. Francisco Zúñiga