Costa Rica trivia: 47 questions and answers

Rich coast. Costa Rica means rich coast. By some accounts the name comes from the gold jewellery Columbus saw local people wearing in 1502. 'Pure life' is 'pura vida', the country's favourite phrase.

Nicaragua and Panama. Nicaragua and Panama are Costa Rica's only land neighbours: Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the southeast.

Christopher Columbus. Christopher Columbus anchored near today's Limón in September 1502, on his fourth and last voyage. Cortés conquered Mexico, Pizarro conquered Peru, and Magellan's expedition sailed around the world.

Cartago. Cartago, founded in 1563, was the capital until 1823, when the republicans of San José and Alajuela won the Battle of Ochomogo and the capital moved to San José.

False. False. Costa Rica never had to fight Spain. On 15 September 1821, the authorities in Guatemala declared the independence of all of Central America, and Costa Rica still celebrates that day.

Juan Santamaría. Juan Santamaría died on 11 April 1856 setting fire to the stronghold of William Walker's men at Rivas. The country's main airport is named after him.

True. True. José Figueres abolished the army on 1 December 1948, and Article 12 of the 1949 constitution abolished it as a permanent institution.

The Nobel Peace Prize. Óscar Arias received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his plan to end the wars in Central America through negotiation.

With a tax on coffee. The theatre was paid for with a tax on coffee, the country's main export at the time. It opened on 21 October 1897.

Spotted rooster. Gallo pinto means spotted rooster, from the speckled look of rice and beans fried together. 'Married man' is casado, the lunch plate.

Lunch. The casado is the traditional lunch: rice and beans side by side with meat or fish, salad and often fried plantain. Gallo pinto is the usual breakfast.

False. False. In a casado the rice and beans sit side by side on the plate. Frying them together makes gallo pinto.

Chicharrón and frijoles. Chifrijo takes its name from chicharrón and frijoles: crispy fried pork and beans. It also has rice, a fresh tomato salsa and fried tortilla chips.

Coconut milk. Caribbean rice and beans is cooked in coconut milk, usually with red beans, and served with fish and fried plantain.

A cloth coffee filter on a wooden stand. A chorreador is a cloth coffee filter on a wooden stand: hot water is poured over the grounds in a small cloth bag and drips into the cup. Be careful: a chorreada, with an a, is a sweet corn pancake.

Salsa Lizano. Salsa Lizano was created in Costa Rica in 1920 and is used in gallo pinto, tamales and much more. Tabasco is from the United States, Sriracha from Thailand, and soy sauce from East Asia.

False. False. Lime changes the taste and texture of the fish, but it is still raw fish. Pregnant women, older people and anyone with a weak immune system should choose a cooked dish.

Liberia. Liberia is called 'la ciudad blanca', the white city, after the white gravel once used on its roads and its whitewashed colonial houses.

Alajuela. Juan Santamaría was born in Alajuela in 1831. A bronze statue of him stands in the city, and the nearby international airport carries his name.

Santa Rosa National Park. Santa Rosa National Park is part of the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Manuel Antonio, Poás and the National Theatre are not on the list.

Arenal. Arenal erupted in 1968 and stayed active until 2010. Chirripó is the highest mountain, not an active volcano.

Faust. The theatre opened on 21 October 1897 with a performance of Faust.

True. True. Its pH can fall almost to zero, and only specially adapted bacteria can live in it.

Irazú. Irazú, at about 3,432 m near Cartago, is the highest active volcano in Costa Rica. On a rare clear day you can see both oceans from the top.

False. False. Manuel Antonio is one of the smaller parks by land area, but it is one of the most visited national parks in the country.

About 5 percent. About 5 percent of the world's biodiversity lives in Costa Rica, a huge share for such a small country.

The clay-colored thrush. The national bird is the clay-colored thrush, the plain brown yigüirro. Its song is said to announce the start of the rainy season.

True. True. In 2019 the figure was 99.62 percent, mostly from water power, and the country ran only on renewable electricity for 300 days in a row.

Coffee. The oxcarts carried coffee from the highlands down to the port on the Pacific. Costa Rica was known in colonial times for its lack of gold and silver. In 2005 UNESCO recognised its oxherding and oxcart traditions.

About 550 km. Cocos Island lies about 550 km southwest of the mainland, a boat trip of 36 to 48 hours.

False. False. The stone spheres were made by pre-Columbian peoples of the Diquís region, long before the Spanish colony. Their settlements became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

Nicoya. In 2006 researchers named the Nicoya area a Blue Zone, although later studies have questioned how special it really is.

A small, simple local restaurant. A soda is a small, simple local restaurant or snack shop, the best place for a cheap casado. Bottled soft drinks are called refrescos.

A Costa Rican person. Tico (tica for a woman) is a Costa Rican person. The name comes from the Costa Rican habit of making words small with the ending -ico, as in momentico.

Summer. Verano literally means summer. The rainy season from May to November is called invierno, winter, even though it is warm.

An oxcart. A carreta is an oxcart. Brightly painted carretas are a national symbol, and the town of Sarchí is famous for making them.

True. True. Usted is the most common word for 'you' in Costa Rica, even between close friends, and Costa Ricans tend to use it with foreigners.

Pura vida. Pura vida means pure life. Costa Ricans use it as a greeting, a goodbye, a thank-you and as the answer to 'How are you?'

Mucho gusto. Mucho gusto means pleased to meet you. Con permiso is for squeezing past someone, and La cuenta, por favor asks for the bill.

True. True. Pura vida works as a hello, and as an answer to 'How are you?' it means that all is very well.

Sparkling water. Agua con gas, literally water with gas, is sparkling water. Coconut water from a green coconut is called agua de pipa.

911. The emergency number in Costa Rica is 911, for ambulance, fire and police. 999 is used in the UK, 000 in Australia and 111 in New Zealand.

True. True. Restaurant and hotel prices usually include 13 percent tax and a 10 percent service charge, so there is no need for a large extra tip.

Red. Official taxis are red, with a triangular sticker and a plastic box on the roof. At the airport, the official taxis are orange.

May to November. The rainy season, called invierno, runs from May to November. The dry season, verano, runs from December to April.

False. False. The Caribbean side has no well-defined dry season: rain falls there in every month, with only short, slightly drier spells.

Rip currents. Rip currents are very common, and many beaches have no lifeguards. Dozens of people drown each year, about a third of them tourists, so ask locals about conditions before you swim.