Word on the street this is the first McDonalds outside the USA (opened 40 years ago)
Again the question- Why Costa Rica?
The US has left Costa Rica alone to rule itself compared to its neighbors like Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama and El Salvador. This is generally due the fact Costa Rica was the last colonized area by the Spanish. They had no gold or riches to exploit. Even the population was of limited slave value. Also, Costa Rica has no oil, another commodity that would have brought control by U.S. imperialism if it had. Hence the name Coast of Riches (Costa Rica) was a mistake.
But today, we can define riches differently. With one the most diverse ecological areas in the world the riches are in the animal and plant life, which make up its pristine rainforests and major source of income (EcoTourism). What we assign value changes over time.
Politically, Costa Rica was never a Communist threat to the US (If you can believe any of these small Central American nations were ever a threat to the US). They have a democratic government with generally large voter participation (more than us in the US show up to vote). Their life expectancy is quite high, comparable to the most developed nations on the planet. Their literacy rate is also one of the top in the region.
Yesterday we met with two distinguished speakers: Dr. Pedro Leon, Environmental Scientist and advisor to former Costa Rican President Arias. Also, the current Minister of Education Leonardo Garnier. They gave us a valuable talk on the environmental and educational challenges of Costa Rica.
Comment/Question below for extra-credit.
If America's economy was environmental friendly like Costa Rica's I think that we would not have so much debt. If instead of looking for resources like oil, we found sources of energy that are environmental friendly, our economy would definitely prosper.
ReplyDeleteI think if we would follow Costa Rica's example by making most things Eco-friendly for the enviornment and not polluting the air,also if we have more rainforests and plant more trees in the right places we would be in better conditions and all would reduce their ecological footprint.
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