Costa Rica

Throughout its history, Costa Rica had devoted the lion’s share of its resources to two specific areas: education and health. For this reason it has an extensive infrastructure given entirely over to preventive and curative medicine. Both private and state efforts converge on this matter and the responsibility for health care falls for the most part on the Costa Rica social security and welfare system, an autonomous state institution which, together with the Ministry of Health, looks after all inhabitants of the republic. The country has modern bio-medical equipment as well as professional medical and paramedical technicians of the highest standing and with great experience, all of which provides Costa Rica with an enviable position in health matters. The country has its own medical schools which are internationally recognized for their quality – a guarantee for the training and availability of proper human resources for the growing needs of the nation.

Costa Rica boasts various museums, the most important of which is the National Museum with its great variety and wealth of collections.

This museum stands in the center of the capital, and the building itself is an important historical piece. Its spacious rooms exhibit valuable examples of our pre-Colombian culture and colonial cultures as well as examples from the first century of life as a republic.

Also located in the capital are the Jade Museum, the Gold Museum, Children Museum, and the Costa Rica Art Museum, whose pieces are of incalculable historical and artistic value.

This is the traditional headquarters of the Costa Rican Ministry for Foreign Affairs. In previous times it was also temporary seat of the National Congress and the Presidency of the Republic when, due to repair work on their respective seats, these two institutions needed temporary accommodations in a place which was adequate for their tasks.

The earthquake which destroyed the former capital of the country, Cartago, also destroyed the building housing the Central American court of Justice, also located in the ex-capital. Then in 1912, the American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated the necessary funds for the construction of a new building, this time in the city of San José which was built under the supervision of a brother –in-law of the philanthropist. When the functions of this Court ended the building was given over to the Costa Rica authorities for its tasks, with the consent of the remaining Central American countries.