Costa Rica

BY: ISHTAR CARNES

Capital City

THE CAPITAL COUNTRY OF COSTA RICA IS SAN JOS

COSTA RICA IS LOCATED IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND BORDERS NICARAGUA TO THE NORTH AND
PANAMA TO THE SOUTH

IT HAS TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE REGIONS, WITH A RAINY SEASON FROM MAY TO
NOVEMBER, AND TYPICALLY COOLER TEMPERATURES IN THE HIGHLANDS

ALSO HAS COASTLINES ON BOTH THE CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN. PLAINS
ALONG THE COAST ARE SEPARATED BY RUGGED INTERIOR MOUNTAINS, INCLUDING OVER 100
VOLCANIC CONES

(WORLD TRADE PRESS)

Primary Language and

Religion

THE PRIMARY LANGUAGE OF COSTA RICA IS SPANISH BUT THEY CAN ALSO SPEAK ENGLISH DUE TO THE LARGE AMOUNTS OF
TOURISTS THAT VISIT

THE PRIMARY RELIGION IS ROMAN CATHOLICISM MAKING UP MORE THAN 76 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION

(WORLD TRADE PRESS)

TouristAttraction
1
-ARENAL VOLCANO: ACTIVE DAILY AND CAN BE QUITE SPECTACULAR AT NIGHT. KNOWN FOR HOT SPRING, ZIP-LINE, RAFTING, AND HIKING.
-CERRO CHIRRIPO VOLCANO: THE HIGHEST PEAK IN THE COUNTRY, RISES TO 3,810 METERS (12,500FT) ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
(WORLDTRADE PRESS)
(WORLD TRADE PRESS)

TouristAttraction
2
ECOTOURISM:A VITALINDUSTRY, CANINCLUDEVIEWING HUMPBACK WHALESIN MARINO
BALLENA NATIONAL PARK
(WORLD TRADE PRESS)

National Cuisine

Gallo pinto:Rice and black beans fried together are regular fare. Gallo pinto is Costa
Ricas national dish

Tamales:Tamales are the standard Christmas fare in Costa Rica. They are generally
mild and starchy, and contain both potatoes and rice, as well as the cornmeal dough.

Patacones:Fried and baked plantains are common appetizers and side dishes in Costa
Rica. For this version, sliced green plantains are fried, flattened, and refried until crisp

(worldtrade press)

Stereotypes byAmericansof
peopleofCosta Rica

Surfer-Land: CostaRica is a placewhere anything

goes and you can really kick back and enjoy yourself.

FriendlyFolk:Costa Ricans are extremelyopen and

friendly people who treat visitors like family.

Tropical Switzerland:Costa Ricans live in a Garden of

Eden and this makes them some of the happiest
people around.

(world trade press)

Superstitions

LaMona:The La Mona Peluda ("The Big Hairy Ape") myth originated from the
province of Puntaneras and concerns a female creature whose appearance is a
cross between a monkey and a woman.La Mona laughs hysterically like a child
to attract the attention of ticos who enter her realm in the forest near the
Nicoya Gulf, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. With just a touch from the forest lady,
male victims lose their minds (world trade press).

La Tulevieja: a short, skinny, hideous-looking woman with the body of a chicken

and large sagging breasts. When this woman was 13 years old she had an
unwanted pregnancy and was fired from her job, greatly angering her parents.
She was so bitter that she deprived her newborn child of her breast milk,
causing him to starve to death. Her parents, overwhelmed by her behavior and
unable to deal with her wayward attitude, exiled her to Puntarenas (a province
of Costa Rica), where she became sick and perished after two weeks. La
Tulevieja wears a tule (straw hat) and is forever destined to travel from house
to house in search of children she can breastfeed (world trade press).

Hand Gestures

The "fig"a gesture that involves forming a fistwith the

thumbprotrudingbetween your index and middle
fingers:consideredveryobscene.

Handshake:usedto demonstratefriendship and solidarity

(worldtradepress)

BusinessCulture(Etiquette and
body language)
Similarities:
- BothCosta Ricans andthose in theUS preferdirect eye contact when conversing
- When attendingdinner parties,Costa Ricans andUS typically bringa gift or dessert
-both men and women shake hands to greet
- you make an impression if you know more than one language
Differences:
- CostaRicans stand closerto each other when talking than in the US, both men and women
touch each other frequently as they are talking. In the US this would be seen as invading
personal space and we usually do not touch each other while talking especially man to woman
or woman to man as this could be seen as -inappropriate or uncomfortable.
- When giving apresentationCosta Ricans like to address everyperson in the room and women
in the business world are seen as equals. In theUSwomen are notalwaysseen equal to men
(worldtrade press)

Business Culture(relationship
building)
Similarities:
-BothCostaRicans and US like toform trustbefore making a
deal
Differences:
-In Costa Ricayou should always ask about the personsfamily
before getting to the point or they will think you are
onlyinterested in their business not in them personally. In the US
it is rude to ask about peoples personal livesunlessyou know
them well.
(worldtradepress)

Business Culture
(Communicationstyles
anddecision making)
Similarities:

- A handshake is seenas a way of expressingfriendship and

partnership
- the morefamiliarsomeone is with the business the more
successthey will havein making a deal
-contracts are often very detailed and once they are signed it is
usually not possible to renegotiate the terms
(worldtrade press)

Business Culture (power

structures in decision making)

Similarities:

-Group harmony is important

Differences:

- Most corporate hierarchies in Costa Ricaare

highlyegalitarian
(world trade press)

Internetpenetration rate and

most popularsocial network sites

N/A

Individualism v.s. Collectivism

Individualismreinforcespeople'srelianceon
self,andencouragesa greater concernwith one'sown
interests, emphasizesthe importanceof individuals
(Richard D, Butcher).

Collectivismreinforcesa greaterrelianceon the

group,and agreater concernfor the welfareof all
concerned, emphasizes the importance of groups such as
the extended family ororganization (itim international).

CostaRicaisa more collectivisticsocietywith a

scoreof15,relationshipsmatter verymuchbut a lotof
time is spenton buildingup trust (itim international).

Largeor small power distance

In a large powerdistance culturesignificant inequalitiesamong

people are both accepted andexpected. small power
distanceculturesplay downthe importance of inequalitiesin
power andwealth (Richard D. Butcher).

CostaRica isa small powerdistanceculture with a score

of35,Costa Rica abolished their army in1948.As they arevery
much focused onequalityand consensus there is alessdistance
betweenblue-collar andwhite-collar workers (itim international).

USAhas ascoreof40and is also

asmallpowerdistanceculture.TheAmericanpremiseof"liberty
andjustice for all".Isevidenceonemphasis on equalrights for
all(itim international).

Strongand weak
uncertaintyavoidance

In societiescharacterizedbystronguncertaintyavoidance,
risk and uncertaintyare avoidedand absolute
truthsareembraced.Those inweakuncertaintyavoidance
societies tendto avoidabsolutetruths anddo not feel
nearlyas threatened by behavior and opinions different from
their own (Richard D. Butcher).

Costa Ricais ahas a stronguncertainty avoidance with a

score of86 (itim international).

USAhas aweak uncertaintyavoidancewithascore

of46.Americans tendto be more tolerantof ideasand
opinionsfrom anyone andallow freedom of expression (itim
international).

Masculinityvs.. Femininity

Masculinecultures attach moreimportancetoroles

associatedwith males, such as assertiveness and
independence. Feminine cultures attach more importance to
roles associated with females (Richard D. Butcher).

CostaRicaisconsidered one of themost

femininesocietiesin LatinAmericawith a score of 21(itim
international).

USAisa masculineculture with a high score

of62.ManyAmerican assessmentsystems are based
onprecisetargetsetting,by whichAmerican employeescan
showhow well a job they did (itim international) .

Current Events

Costa Rica students will benefitfrom

scholarshipprogramwithKoreaUniversity.
http://news.co.cr/costa-rica-students-will-benefit-scho
larship-program-university-korea/52071/

CostaRicafirmlysupports N.Koreasanctions.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/common/vpage-pt.
asp?categorycode=176&newsidx-216155

Citations
ItimInternational(2012).Geert Hofstede: Dimensions.
Retrievedfrom
http://geert-hofstede.com/national-culture.html
Richard D. Butcher. (2005,2010,2004). DiversityConsciousness:
opening our minds to people, cultures, and opportunities. The
UnitedStatesof America:Pearson Education
WorldTrade Press(2016). GlobalRoad Warrior: Costa Rica.
Retrievedfrom

http://www.globalroadwarrior.com.ccbcmd.idm.oclc.org/#mode=co
untry &regionald=34&uri=country-content&nid=65&key=snapshot=o
verview