Costa Cruises

San Jose – Capital of Costa Rica

Posted by CostaRica | Costa Rica General | Posted on December 5th, 2009

Before 1824, when San Jose was declared the capital of Costa Rica, it was a small rustic village in the central part of the country. The capital of the state at that time was the city of Cartago, founded by the Spaniards at the beginning of colonization.

Juan Mora Hernandez, the first legitimately elected leader to take over the authority, has transferred the government to San Jose and the city began to develop.

Nowadays, the capital of Costa Rica is the largest city in the country, the center of economic and political life. This is a modern city located in the central part of the country, with numerous hotels, well developed trade and the entertainment industry. The population according to the latest census was 347000 people. For such a small country like Costa Rica, this is a tangible indicator. Also, the city is the central transport hub, lying in the center of all the arteries of the country, serving as an interchange locations of all visitors arriving by international airlines.

Climatic indicators of San Jose, by virtue of its position relative to sea level, are more moderate than in the entire country. Thus, the average temperature is around 25C and remaines stable within this range throughout the year.

Because of the unstable seismic situation, the city’s architecture is different with its low-rise buildings. Despite some congestion of tourists, there is always what to see and do in San Jose. There are a lot of sights and monuments of historical heritage here. Here are just some of them.

National Park
This is a green island in the middle of city streets. Surrounded by shade and coolness here is a marble monument to the defenders of the fatherland in 1856 from the foreign invaders.

Metropolitan Park
Being far away from major urban sites, the park is home to sports (tennis courts, swimming pools, football, basketball, baseball, bicycle), as well as public recreation. It has places for picnics. There is an artificial lake.

Area of Culture
This place is located in the center of the capital. In addition to numerous architectural monuments that surround it, on weekends souvenirs and handicrafts are sold here. This is an excellent opportunity for tourists to buy gifts for themselves and their loved ones. In addition, the connoisseurs of painting and sculpture can get to know the work of local artists and buy something for their home collection.