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Five things to know about Costa Rica
The Straits Times
|February 03, 2026
A favourite tourist destination for its stunning beaches and rich natural beauty, Costa Rica has recently seen its tranquillity shattered by the impact of drug trafficking.
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Here are five things to know about the small Central American country of 5.2 million inhabitants, which went to the polls on Feb 1 to elect a new president and lawmakers.
NO MILITARY
Despite its location at the heart of a violent and conflict-ridden region, Costa Rica has long clung on to a stable democracy since its only civil war, which lasted 44 days in 1948.
That year, it abolished its military a rarity in Latin America.
In the 1980s, when several other Central American countries were mired in civil wars, neutral Costa Rica acted as peace broker, earning then President Oscar Arias Sanchez the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987.
In recent years, the country has seen an increase in organised crime. Drug trafficking has infiltrated even into spheres of the state, tarnishing Costa Rica's image with high-profile corruption cases.
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