Costa Rica: Good to know

 There are some things you probably don't know about Costa Rica, if so, keep reading and we'll tell you some of them.

Ticos

The Costa Ricans call themselves with pride "Ticos" (men) or "Ticas" (women). This applies to Costa Ricans of all ages.

Family names

The wife is not taking over the husband's family name after the wedding, both will keep their two last names. Children at birth will take over the two first family names of each of their parents respectively - the first last name will be the first one of the father followed by the first last name of the mother.

National anthem

The Costa Ricans love their country, therefore most radio stations are playing the national anthem at 7 o'clock in the morning. Earlier it was mandatory for all radio stations to play it, and all public schools to sing it.

Pura Vida

"¡Pura Vida!" (pure life) is used by Ticos to answer on a "¿Cómo está?" (How are you?) with "fine", excellent". Furthermore, it's used as a "hello", "good day!" or even to ask how you are.

Size

Costa Rica's territory is a little bit bigger than the territory of Switzerland. It's a small country, but Costa Rica has over 1'200km of coastline to offer. Video introduction to a natural paradise - Costa Rica

Biodiversity

Costa Rica's territory is 0.03% of the planet's surface but it hosts an unbelievable 5% of the world's biodiversity. Some numbers for you; worldwide there are 9'800 species of birds, 950 of those you can find in Costa Rica, amphibian & reptile species 250 and 200 different species of mammals.

Soda

We're not talking about the drink, sodas are small local fast-food restaurants. Even if they're not always looking welcoming from the outside, they are a good option to eat well for less money.

How do you know if a soda serves delicious food? Easy, you just eat wherever you see a lot of Ticos eating.

No army

Since 1948 Costa Rica is a country with no standing army.

Traffic calming

As in Europe, here there are swells on the road that force you to drive slower. The sometimes yellow-coloured obstacles are called "muertos" (= "dead" in English. This is because you'll feel like you're passing over a dead person.

Machete

It's not a big deal if you see somebody walking in the streets with a machete. Don't worry! This is a simple tool used by farmers to cut banana trees or to work on coffee plantations. This is a common scenario in rural areas.

Eco-Tourism

25% of Costa Rica (incl. some water areas; for example the Marino Ballena National Park) are protected. On a worldwide scale, the country is one of the most cherished destinations for eco-tourism.

Life expectation

Costa Rica has one of the highest life expectations worldwide. Could it be because of the "Pura Vida" lifestyle? The Nicoya Peninsula is one good example, it has a high concentration of people who are 100 years and older, therefore, it's one of the seven "blue zones" in the world.

Rojo

A "rojo" means a "red one" in English and it's used to describe a 1'000 colones banknote that is red-coloured. If you ever hear that something costs "cinco rojos" it means it costs 5'000 colones.

Learn more about money in Costa Rica here.

Addresses

Addresses here are written a little bit different. Although some years ago signs were set by every townhall, people still use the traditional addresses, for example:

500 meters north and 100 meters east from the old theatre, San José

or

5 cuadras north and 1 cuadra east from the old theatre, San José (Cuadras are blocks of 100 meters)

Don't worry, hotels are easily found and sometimes even offer GPS data.

Taxi

The taximeter is lovingly called "María". Always check if the María is on and if not ask the driver to turn it on.