Costa Ricans (self-name costarricenses , costarriqueños , ticos ) are the Latin American people, the main population of Costa Rica . Number - 3.5 million people. (2008, estimate). In Costa Rica - 2.94 million. They also live in other countries, including 25 thousand in the USA .
Believers are Catholics (2.67 million), Negroes and Mulattos are Protestants .
Language - Spanish with local specialties. It differs from other Latin American versions of Spanish in that it has the least Indian vocabulary. But there are a lot of diminutive suffixes like “-ico, -tico”, which is why the Costa Ricans themselves are called “ticos”. Part of the population of Costa Rica ( blacks and mulattoes ) also speak the Lemon dialect of the Jamaican dialect of the West Caribbean Creole language ( in English ).
Origin
80% of the population of Costa Rica are descendants of immigrants from Spain who migrated in the 16-17th centuries, mainly from Galicia , Aragon , Bizkaia , which makes Costa Rica the country with the most European population in Central America. Negroes and mulattoes - the descendants of slaves exported from the Antilles , make up 8%. 10% are mestizos , descendants of whites and Indians , ethnoculturally similar to the white population. Indians 2.5%, Chinese 10 thousand.
Household and life
Most of the population is engaged in agriculture. Part is engaged in industry. Most whites are farmers . Negroes and mulattos are mostly employed, like hired workers on plantations . Crop production prevails in agriculture. The main crops are sugarcane , bananas , and coffee .
In 2015, 76.8% of the population lives in cities [1] . Houses in cities have 1-2 floors. Low storeys are a consequence of earthquakes . Rural houses are built of mud brick , the roof is tiled . Now dominated by another type of house, North American, concrete with a metal roof. But at the beginning of the 20th century. there were many more mud brick houses. Now they are preserved more in the countryside among wealthy peasants. Such a house used to have a patio (courtyard), which housed a stable, kitchen, and garden. Now many houses often have a flower garden, garden, or a grove of coffee trees planted.
Of women’s clothes, low-cut blouses with lace cuffs, a long skirt, and a neck scarf are common. Men have bright shirts, pants, boots, neckerchiefs, straw hats.
National food - corn , bean , palm core , fruits , tortillas (tortillas) dishes. A salad called palmito is usually made from the core of palm trees. Distributed meat soup, locally - olha de carne . Common drinks are coffee , agua dulce (boiled water with brown sugar ), rum , guaro (sugar vodka ).
Crafts - pottery, weaving, weaving. Handicrafts are related to Native American culture. The most developed woodworking.
Culture
Costa Ricans have folklore , legends , folk songs of bombas, dances. National dance - punto, performed to the accompaniment of a guitar and marimba (a type of xylophone ). The most famous of the local composers is Manuel Maria Gutierrez, author of the national anthem (1852). Light Argentinean, Mexican, Cuban music and European classics are also popular in the country.
Holidays and entertainment - weekly festivities in the central squares in the cities (retretas) and out-of-town picnics (malchokos). At picnics, dances, races, cockfights, bullfights are arranged. Unlike the Spanish bullfighting, bulls are not killed, their horns are sawn, and lovers can take part in the battle at will. Christmas carnivals are held .
The largest distribution in Costa Rica is the Roman Catholic Church - 76.3% of the followers of the entire population, evangelists - 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses - 1.3%, other Protestants - 0.7%, other faiths - 4.8 %, non-believers - 3.2%.
96% of the population over 15 years old can read and write.
Literature
- Peoples and religions of the world , ed. V.A. Tishkova, M., 1998.
- Latin America, 2-volume encyclopedic reference book, Ch. Ed. V.V. Volsky, M., 1982.
- The Peoples of America, ed. A.V. Efimova and S.A. Tokareva, M., 1959.