International IQ

The country I chose to research is Costa Rica. It is a Spanish-speaking country in Central America that is bordered by Nicaragua, Panama, and the Pacific and Caribbean seas. Although at first glance, many would question whether or not the country itself has noticeable black occupants, Afro-Latino culture in Costa Rica Is quite prevalent. Being from the country myself, I can tell you first hand that there is one "province" of Costa Rica called 'Limon' that is primarily occupied by Jamaicans. This makes it hard to explain to others what my heritage is. On one hand, people question how I am from Costa Rica having the dark complexion that I do, as they assume I would have a fairer skin tone. Then when I explain them that I have Jamaican blood in me they ask me what part of Jamaica my family was and I typically have to reply "see what happened is, my Jamaican ancestors moved to Central America to help build the Panama Canal and along the way, some of them ended up staying in Costa Rica." Some people try to say I am really not Jamaican then, but I have no clue on how else to describe my ethnicity. So to put it simply, I have Costa Rican, Nicaraguan, Jamaican, and some other mix of West Indian blood running through my veins. But that wasn't the point at hand, my job is to describe my country. It is a beautiful country with an easy way of life. One example to show you how peaceful it is is the fact that Costa Rica does not even have an army! Due to some legal/international treaty, the country is protected by the armed forces of the United States, and therefore does not train or maintain any form of military. But more on what the assets of Costa Rica are. There are many beautiful beaches situated throughout the country. Although countries like the Dominican Republic boast of having the best tourism, tourism in Costa Rica is actually quite lucrative as well. Another thing that most people don't know is that there is a pretty good chance that every time you grab that cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks, the brew that you have just savored received its top notch flavor from the perfect climate of Costa Rica. One of our biggest exports is in fact coffee. The tropical weather in certain parts of the country prove to be the best breeding grounds for some of the best coffee beans in the world. Costa Rica is also known for its extensive assortment of plants and animals. For such a small country, it is astounding to know that almost ¼ of the country is protected under a national park system. All in all, Costa Rica is a great country, it ranks high on the list of the "Happiest Countries" amongst other things. I am proud to say I hail from such a wonderful place.