Evening star., 1921-03-16
Costa Rica Is a Good Example
OfCount1y of 'Little Landers

Costa Rica, mentioned in press dis
patches as involved with Panama in
the latest Central American boundary
dispute. is described in the follow
ing bulletin issued from the head
quarters of the National Geographic
Society:
Costa Rica constitutes one Of the
best demonstrations to be found
among the republics of the new world
that country's development may be
strikingly affected by geography and
economics. Most OF the other Latin
American countries were built up on
the basis of the labor of large num-
bers of natives. and with this assist
ance they have utilized considerable
areas Costa Rica has had to depend
since colonial times largely on the
labor of it's colonists of European
descent. and the development of the
country has been in a restricted ter
ritory In most of the other Latin
American countries there has been
marked admixture of the blood of
the Spanish settlers with that of the
native Indians. but since the few
Indians IN the part of Costa Rica
settled by the Spaniar@s were prac-
tically exterminated at an early date.
! the population of that republic has
remained predominantly European.
Borderlandx Nearly Deserted.
"Because of these fundamental
| economic differences, and because also
of geographical isolation for long
| period. Costa Rica differs in many
ways from its neighbors. The re-
! public is more than twice the size
of Belgium and approximately equal
in area to West Virginia. but prac-
! tically the government is that of the
people, concentrated on a mountain
! fringed plateau in the center of the
| country. not much over fifty miles
square. The great majority of the
! half million inhabitants live on this
| small plateau. Next in Importance
are the sections which. added to this
| central area, would make a narrow
band across the country from Atlantic
| to Pacific. Even this belt of greatest
| population constitutes hardly quar-
| ter of the area of Costa Rica. The
regions bordering Nicaragua on the
northwest and Panama on the south
| for the few Indians living there.
| "The central platea, which is the
! heart of Costa Rica, has a rich soil
and a climate described as that of
perpetual spring. 1t is from 1000
to 1000 feet above sea level. When
selves in this promising country they
could not live in cities and receive
the tribute of many workers, but
found it necessary to do their own
work. Their situation was not un-
like that of the North America n
pioneers of the middle west. AS a
result the Costa Ricans acquired
habits of industry that have stuck
with them until today.
Lacks Huge Estates.
Costa Rica has always been a
country of little landers' as con-
trasted with the countries of huge
estates about it. The early colonists
had a most difficult time making a
living in their isolated position. They
were cut off from commercial inter
course with the Atlantic by the low
land jungles to the northeast, and
less effectually by mountains and up
land plains from the Pacific. They
had no products sufficiently valuable
to export even If commercial chan
nels had been available. 1t was
! necessary to live almost wholly or
| their own products. They became
| poverty stricken; and the name Costa
Rica. which means rich coast came
to be regarded as joke.
''The introduction Of coffee early In
| the nineteenth century had much to dc
| with bettering tho country's prosperity
A cart road from the plateau to a Pa
cif1c port was constructed in 1S4s and
coffee exports grew steadily. The CEN
trail plateau became more and more
densely populated and now almost every
SQUARE foot of II il devoted to small