Place details
Place nameCosta Rica
Other namesRepública de Costa Rica, Republic of Costa Rica, CRI, CR, ISO188, CS00, Nueva Cartago, Costa Rican
Latitude10
Longitude-84
SourceThesaurus of Geographic Names
Overview
Inhabited by small, independent tribes of Boruca, Carib, Chorotega, Corobici & Nahua when Columbus landed in 1502; after many battles with native peoples, conquered by Spain in 1563; part of Nicaraguan intendency in 18th cen.; part of Mexican Empire 1821; official language is Spanish, though a Jamaican dialect of English is also spoken in some places.