Costa Rica:
Costa Rica has a privileged geographical location in the region. It limits with Nicaragua to the North and Panama to the South, to the West it borders with the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic to the East.
It spans over 51100 sq.km [19730 sq.miles] with a population of 4.5 million inhabitants.
Costa Rica is one of the most consolidated and solid democracies of the Americas. It is a highly recognized peace and tranquility destination, abolishing its military forces on December 1st 1948 and perpetuating this act by including it in its constitution in 1949. This act alone has allowed the country to increase its investment in education – and achieving a literacy rate of 94.9% - and its fight against poverty. This has allowed the country to have one of the best educational systems in Latin America according to the World Economic Forum.
It is ranked 3rd worldwide in the Environmental Performance Index, ranked 1st in Latin America in the Tourist Competitiveness Index and 42nd worldwide. Its Human Development Index is ranked as the 6th best in Latin America. Besides being declared as the happiest country in the world in 2009.