PRESENTATION OUTLINE
In 1502, Christopher Columbus visited the area naming it Costa Rica
Costa Rica was sparsely inhabited by indigenous people but came under Spanish rule in the 16th century
Costa Rica was described as "the poorest and most miserable Spanish colony in all America" by a Spanish governor in 1719
On September 15, 1821, after the final Spanish defeat in the Mexican War of Independence, the authorities in Guatemala declared the independence of all of Central America
In 1824, the Costa Rican capital was moved to San José, leading to a brief outburst of violence over rivalry with the old capital, Cartago
In 1838, long after the Federal Republic of Central America ceased to function in practice, Costa Rica formally withdrew and proclaimed itself sovereign
Coffee was first planted in Costa Rica in the early 19th century, and was first shipped to Europe in 1843, soon becoming Costa Rica's first major export
In the 1870s, the Costa Rican government contracted with U.S. businessman Minor C. Keith to build a railroad to the Caribbean port of Limón
The railroad was completed in 1890
In 1948, José Figueres Ferrer led an armed uprising in the wake of a disputed presidential election between the previous president Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia and Otilio Ulate Blanco
With more than 2,000 dead, the resulting 44-day Costa Rican Civil War was the bloodiest event in Costa Rica during the 20th century
In 1949, Costa Rica became the first and one of the few sovereign nations without an standing army
In 2000, Costa Rica and Nicaragua resolved a long-standing dispute over navigation of the San Juan River, which forms their shared border
In 2007, Government says Costa Rica on course to become first voluntarily 'carbon neutral' country
In 2009, the Former president Rafael Angel Calderon was sentenced to five years in jail after being convicted of corruption
In 2010, Costa Rica elected the first woman president, Laura Chinchilla
Costa Rica has become one of the most stable, prosperous, and progressive nations in Latin America
