It is home to 3,980 people, with approximately 2 million living in the surrounding metropolitan area.

It is one of the few countries in Central America that has maintained a stable democratic government
for many years and is known for its highly educated workforce [5]. The education budget accounts
for approximately 6.9% of the national budget (2016), compared to a global average of 4.4% [6].
Once heavily dependent on agriculture, Costa Rica now has a diversified economy, including
finance, services for foreign companies, pharmaceuticals and ecotourism. Many foreign-owned
manufacturing and service companies have established operations in Costa Rica's Free Trade Zones
(FTZs), benefiting from investment and tax incentives

Costa Rica was inhabited by indigenous peoples until it came under Spanish rule in the 16th century.
It then became independent as part of the First Mexican Empire and remained a peripheral colony of
the empire until 1847, when it became part of the Federal Republic of Central America and officially
declared independence in

It has consistently performed well in the Human Development Index (HDI), ranking 62nd in the
world and 5th in Latin America as of 2020. It has been cited by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) as achieving much higher human development than other countries at the same
income level and has a better record on human development and inequality than the regional median.
It also performs well in comparisons of the state of democracy, press freedom and subjective well-
being. It is the seventh happiest country in the press freedom ranking, 37th in the World Freedom
Index and 12th in the World Happiness Report.