History
Costa Rica and The United States have maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1851.
The United States is Costa Rica's most important trading partner. The two countries share growing concerns for the environment and want to preserve Costa Rica's important tropical resources and prevent environmental degradation. In 2007, the United States reduced Costa Rica's debt in exchange for protection and conservation of Costa Rican forests through a debt for nature swap under the auspices of the Tropical Forest Conservation Act. This is the largest such agreement of its kind to date. This deal between both governments generated 50 million dollars which were destined to conservation projects.
Through provision of more than $1 hundred million in assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supported Costa Rican efforts to stabilize its economy and broaden and accelerate economic growth through policy reforms and trade liberalization. Assistance initiatives in the 1990s concentrated on democratic policies, modernizing the administration of justice, and sustainable development. Once the country had graduated from most forms of U.S. assistance, the USAID Mission in Costa Rica closed in 1996. However, USAID completed a $9 million dollar project in 2000-01 to support refugees of Hurricane Mitch residing in Costa Rica.
More than 3,370 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Costa Rica since the program was established in 1963. Currently, 128 volunteers serve there. Volunteers work in the areas of youth development, community development, business and English education. They are trained and work in Spanish.
As reported by the National Census of Costa Rica of 2011, 4.1% more American citizens live in Costa Rica with regards to the number calculated in 2000. There are 15,898 American citizens living in Costa Rica, as revealed by the census, compared to the 9,511 that lived in that nation in the year 2000.
During the first trimester of 2011, 55% of people that visited Costa Rica came from the United States.
Read more about this topic: Costa Rica–United States Relations
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