Population Last Updated: 9/29/2004 4:01 PM
In 2004, the population of Costa Rica was estimated to be 3.96 million. The capital of San Jose and its greater metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Alajuela, Cartago, and Heredia, accounts for over one-half of the country’s people with a population of 2.1 million. Other major cities outside the San Jose area included Puntarenas (102,504) and Limon (89,933). These figures are for the Canton of each city, administrative areas that include the municipality and surrounding areas, rural or urban. Costa Ricans are called “Ticos” both by their Central American neighbors and among themselves.
It is estimated that more than 30,000 private American citizens, most of them retirees, live in Costa Rica, and approximately one half million tourists from the U.S. visit the country every year. Smaller groups of foreign residents include Canadian, British, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Spanish, and other Latin Americans.
Most Costa Ricans are of European rather than mestizo descent, and the country lacks the large indigenous Indian populations that characterize most other Central American countries. Small groups of Indians and Blacks live in Costa Rica, but together they account for less than 10 percent of the population. Descended from West Indian workers who began emigrating to Costa Rica in the late 19th Century, most Blacks live in the Limon Province on the Caribbean coast. Many speak English as their primary language. It is also estimated that 10 to 15 percent of the population is Nicaraguan, of fairly recent arrival and primarily of mestizo origin.
Costa Rica’s culture, like its racial composition, is relatively homogeneous. An old-line Spanish-Catholic tradition persists despite many changes brought about by an influx of people, goods, films, and books from other countries. Values of Latin American culture are evident in the great importance attached to family ties; a rather sedate, ritualized, conventional behavior; a yearly schedule of festivals; and an outwardly male-oriented and male-dominated society.
Every town has its local patron saint whose day is celebrated with a “fiesta”. Carnival in Limon in October, industrial and other fairs throughout the year are particularly interesting.
