Costa Rican People

Costa Rican People

Costa Ricans, (costarricenses in Spanish) also called ticos are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in Central America called Costa Rica. Costa Ricans are predominantly criollos, castizos and mestizos, but their country is consider a multiethnic society, which means that it is home to people of many different ethnic backgrounds. As a result, modern-day Costa Ricans do not consider their nationality as an ethnicity but as a citizenship with various ethnicities. Costa Rica has four small minority groups: Mulattos, Blacks, Amerindians and Asians.

According to the 2011 Census, Costa Rica has a population of 4,301,712 people. The population growth rate between 2005 and 2010 was estimated to be 1.5% annually, with a birth rate of 17.8 live births per 1,000 inhabitants and a mortality rate of 4.1 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants.

Costa Rica was the point where the Mesoamerican and South American native cultures met. The northwest of the country, the Nicoya peninsula, was the southernmost point of Nahuatl cultural influence when the Spanish conquerors (conquistadores) came in the 16th century. The central and southern portions of the country had Chibcha influences. The Atlantic coast, meanwhile, was populated with Jamaican immigrant workers during the 19th century. The country has received immigration from Europe, Africa, Asia, Americas, Middle East etc.