I get questions, I have conversations, and I see glaring errors on travel websites. All of these centered around two very outrageous misconceptions about Costa Rica. If you live in Costa Rica or are in the travel/tourism business, I feel it is imperative that you know these two facts. I even made pretty pictures to help illustrate these truths:
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Costa Rica is not in South America.
Costa Rica is in Central America, which is part of the North American continent (or American Continent). Is it really that hard to Google this information before publishing a website?
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Costa Rica is not a Third World country.
Costa Rica (green) in the Human Development Index graph
The term “Third World” was born in the 1960s and was used to refer to states that did not align with capitalist (led by the USA) or communist states (led by the Soviet Union). After the Cold War ended and developing countries exhibited increased economic competitiveness, the term lost its original meaning. It died with the Cold War, folks.
Welcome to the 21st century where the term “Third World” now refers to the poorest countries in the world in terms of income, health, and education. Costa Rica has it’s problems, but it is not one of the poorest countries in the world. Costa Rica is a blue zone (Nicoya Peninsula), every citizen has access to free education, the literacy rate is 96%, and tourism is the prime industry as opposed to farming. Costa Rica is considered a high developing country and is ranked 62 out of 169 in the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index.
So hopefully I cleared some things up for some people. If not, oh well, pura vida.
short, sweet and to the point!
What?? Costa Rica isn’t in South America?? haha. Jk. I like this post.
Thanks Ben & Christy! You would be amazed at the number of websites that give travel advice for Costa Rica which is a “third world country located in South America”. I’m trying to put a stop to the madness ;P
Hello Erin, I simply love the way you put it! Those two tips say enough.
David
Thanks David 🙂
But you eat burritos and tacos there, right?! haha
S. America for Costa Rica is better than Europe for Chile. And, I get you on the 3rd world issue, my boyfriend even tries to tell me that Chile is 3rd world.. I’m like.. tere are 23 Starbucks in this city.. sorry.. not 3rd world.
Lets just be thankful we are smarter than the average American.
hahaha I got the mex food reaction from people, too. In fact, still do. People think that just because there are beans and rice, there will be Mexican food. It’s interesting how similar yet completely different the food is in Latin America from one country to the next.
side note- I made quesadillas for some of Julio’s family and they LOVED them. Well, who wouldn’t. But it was fun to bring that new experience to them that I borrowed from another Latin American country 🙂
Black bean quesadillas, Erin? 🙂
Very well put! 🙂
A lot of people we know think we live in the desert with camels!
@Herbie, yes, I made black bean quesadillas! And the beans were made from scratch in a pressure cooker – oooo fancy.
@Turkey’s for life, thanks! lol wait a minute, you mean you can get internet out there in the desert on your camel? Amazing! 😉
I get a lot of people who think Costa Rica is Puerto Rico. I find it hilarious and a bit ridiculous.
LOL me, too. People were asking why didn’t Julio just move to the US since Costa Rica is part of the US.
It’s kind of sad – CR is so beautiful and unique, it really pays to take the time to get to know at least a little part of it. It is not just another tropical resort locale.
You say tomato, I say…. yeah anyways, I disagree with you on the 3rd world thing.
CR is indeed a 3rd world country, if you use the definition of being an undeveloped or developing country, which MOST people do. Word meanings and definitions change with popular use, so don’t try to quote me an outdated wiki entry.
Starbucks, sigh. Where do I begin. Having a starbucks is not equivalent to being a “Developed” country.
If your electricity goes out every 30 minutes, making hot water and grinding those beans in your starbucks will be pretty hard to do steadily.
And by the way, being a 3rd world country (with the meaning of not being a Fully Developed Country) is not a bad thing. I’d personally prefer to not have a starbucks in my country. 3rd world IS NOT BAD, its just means you are going to have a different way of life, (the kind that I prefer). Don’t try to change meanings and justify things just because you believe there is a negative connotation with something.
In summary, YES, CR IS A 3RD WORLD COUNTRY, AND THAT IS A GOOD THING FOR THE MOST PART!
Yeah, we do disagree. You are using an antiquated definition of third world, which, to your credit, is technically legit since it is still a part of the definition in the dictionary.
I choose to communicate using contemporary definitions, though, so I’m sticking to my original claim that Costa Rica is not a third world country.
If you do some research beyond wiki, you might change your mind.
I was surprised by how many US-Americans live and own companies in Costa Rica. Lots of restaurant and hotel owners come from the US.
Property is cheap here compared to the US. Even more so 20 years back. And life is more tranquilo.
contemporary definitions FTW! 🙂
We Costa Ricans appreciate your clarifications, but come on! there’s not a continent named North America, that’s just a part of America, along with South, Central and the islands in the Caribbean..
Sara, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. You should read this wiki on continents: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent
It explains how different models of continents are taught in different parts of the world. Most English speaking countries learn that North and South America are separate continents, while most of Latin America learns they are one called America. Which is why I made a point of referring to both in my post:
“…is part of the North American continent (or American Continent).”
Funny that I ran into this article, because I do remember seeing several of the Central American countries lumped together either in North or South America. I’ve seen where Nicaragua/Costa Rica is considered North America, and Panama, considered South. Goodness, these travel sites need to realize that Central America is all countries from Guatelmala to Panama. Simple as that. Haha. Great post!
eeks dividing Central America in half like that is even worse. I don’t understand the logic!
My feeling is if you can’t put toilet paper in the toilet, then it is a 3rd world country to me. Costa Rica has a lot going for it, but not that.