Costa Rica has escaped from the kinds of social-economic problems that plague the rest of the region. It has a long-standing tradition of democracy and its previous President, Oscar Arias, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his achievement in finding peaceful resolutions to area conflicts. However, the current economic crisis has created stress on the country's social fabric. There is an increasing crime rate, more children are abandoned, there is more deforestation and the standard of living for the average Costa Rican has lowered. All of these problems have resulted in the formation of organizations and government actions which attempt to address the issues. In many cases, it is possible for Global College students to get involved with, contribute to, and learn from these projects.

Latin America is a land of contrasts. It includes all the lands of the Western Hemisphere other than the United States and Canada. Beginning at the Rio Grande River on the Northern border of Mexico, its southernmost point is the barren land of Tierra del Fuego only a few miles from the South Pole. Latin America makes up about 10 percent of the world's inhabited continental territory, with approximately eight million square miles in area. It is divided by mountains, crisscrossed by huge river basins and bordered by high plateaus along its coasts. Rainforests still exist in a large portion of the region and there are tropical beaches as well as arid deserts such as those in Chile.

The countries of Latin America share a cultural and historical heritage. Their traditional customs are those of the Indigenous civilizations combined with the cultures of the Europeans who colonized the land. The varied present day cultures also reflect the impact of the United States' foreign policies. The economies of the countries depend to a large extent on the exportation of agricultural products such as sugar, bananas, coffee, beef and cotton. These economies generally tend to be based on land tenure, creating great imbalances in the distribution of wealth, creating the potential for political unrest.

Global College - Costa Rica Center
Apartado 8496-1000
San José, Costa Rica
Telephone: (011) - (506)-2260-6672
Fax: (011) - (506)-2260-9656
E-mail: globalcollegecostarica@gmail.com
Website: www.liu.edu/globalcollege

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