Costa Rica

Costa Rica ( literally meaning "rich coast" in Spanish) is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua, Panama, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Accounts differ as to whether the name la costa rica  was first applied by Christopher Columbus and reported the presence of vast quantities of gold jewelry among the natives or by the conquistador Gil Gonzalez Davila, who landed on the west coast in 1522, met with the natives, and appropriated some of their gold.

During most of the colonial period, Costa Rica was the southernmost province of Guatemala, which was an autonomous entity within the Spanish Empire. Like the rest of Central America, Costa Rica never fought for independence from Spain. On September 15, 1821, after the final Spanish defeat in the Mexican War of Independence, the authorities in Guatemala declared the independence of all of Central America. That date is still celebrated as Independence Day in Costa Rica.

 It is the only Latin American country included in thelist of the world's 22 older democracies. Costa Rica has consistently been among the top Latin American countries in the Human Development Index. Costa Rica was also cited by the United Nations in 2010 as one of the countries that have attained much higher human development than other countries at the same income levels

Erick was the one responsible for me having this breath-taking view over Manuel Antonio National Park. And, it's a new country in the collection! 

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