The first thing that sticks out to most Americans when observing the countries of Costa Rica and Nicaragua is how great of vacation destination these countries are. However, these countries are much more than simple tourist destinations and each possess rich histories. Originally colonized by the Spanish, both these neighboring countries gained independence in 1821 and have grown tremendously over the past 2 centuries (cite). Being situated right next to each other the growth these two countries have experienced over the years has been remarkably similar and oftimes interrelated. It is this similarity and interrelation that makes these two countries fascinating to compare and contrast because despite how similar these countries are they do
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The country was first explored by Christopher Columbus on his fourth voyage to the Americas while in search of the legendary golden city, Zorabaro (Creedman). It was Columbus on this voyage whom deemed the area “the Rich Coast” which is where Costa Rica draws it’s name from (Creedman). After Columbus’s exploration, Costa Rica was the site of six failed colonies before Cartago, the nation's first successful colony, was established by Jaun Vasquez de Coranado and integrated into the larger Kingdom of Guatemala (Watkins). During the period in which Costa Rica was colonized the by Spain territory produced very little exports. This was partially due to the poor transportation which consisted of minimal roads linking colonies to the coast and no roads linking the territory to Nicaragua (Watkins). What little exports the poor farmers of Costa Rica did produce were mainly cacao beans, tobacco, and mules (Watkins). Yet despite a lack of wealth colony did experience a lot of growth and by the time it gained independence the country had 4 major towns in Cartago, Heredia, Alajuela, and the country's current capital San Jose …show more content…
Though Costa Rica was largely unconcerned with this they gained independence by default when the larger Kingdom of Guatemala declared independence in 1821 (Watkins). After having gained independence from spain the spent as a state of the United Provinces of Central America before gaining full independence and sovereignty in 1838 after the federation dissolved (The World Factbook: COSTA RICA). After gaining independence the country was ruled by coffee barons until they ran into financial trouble after a war with Nicaragua and its American Dictator William Walker (Watkins). After the war the coffee Barons lost power and in 1871 a new constitution was implemented that promoted modernization (Watkins). The country then underwent a modernization period in which mandatory public education and the creation of railroads was promoted. It was in this period that the United Fruit company was established as the railroads also promoted the creation a large banana export industry (Watkins). For a long time after the drafting of the 1871 Costa Rica experienced a period of political stability (Watkins). This however changed in 1948 when a civil war broke out between the communist and anti-communist social democratic parties within the state (Watkins). When the civil war ended
The country was first explored by Christopher Columbus on his fourth voyage to the Americas while in search of the legendary golden city, Zorabaro (Creedman). It was Columbus on this voyage whom deemed the area “the Rich Coast” which is where Costa Rica draws it’s name from (Creedman). After Columbus’s exploration, Costa Rica was the site of six failed colonies before Cartago, the nation's first successful colony, was established by Jaun Vasquez de Coranado and integrated into the larger Kingdom of Guatemala (Watkins). During the period in which Costa Rica was colonized the by Spain territory produced very little exports. This was partially due to the poor transportation which consisted of minimal roads linking colonies to the coast and no roads linking the territory to Nicaragua (Watkins). What little exports the poor farmers of Costa Rica did produce were mainly cacao beans, tobacco, and mules (Watkins). Yet despite a lack of wealth colony did experience a lot of growth and by the time it gained independence the country had 4 major towns in Cartago, Heredia, Alajuela, and the country's current capital San Jose …show more content…
Though Costa Rica was largely unconcerned with this they gained independence by default when the larger Kingdom of Guatemala declared independence in 1821 (Watkins). After having gained independence from spain the spent as a state of the United Provinces of Central America before gaining full independence and sovereignty in 1838 after the federation dissolved (The World Factbook: COSTA RICA). After gaining independence the country was ruled by coffee barons until they ran into financial trouble after a war with Nicaragua and its American Dictator William Walker (Watkins). After the war the coffee Barons lost power and in 1871 a new constitution was implemented that promoted modernization (Watkins). The country then underwent a modernization period in which mandatory public education and the creation of railroads was promoted. It was in this period that the United Fruit company was established as the railroads also promoted the creation a large banana export industry (Watkins). For a long time after the drafting of the 1871 Costa Rica experienced a period of political stability (Watkins). This however changed in 1948 when a civil war broke out between the communist and anti-communist social democratic parties within the state (Watkins). When the civil war ended