What makes Costa Rica unique?
Costa Rica has no standing army, no military at all. It police and coast guard have gotten pretty heavily armed in the last few years but nothing like a standing army. It has a strong middle class – at the moment is taking a real beating- and supposedly more than 90% of the population can read. It has a lower infant mortality rate than the US and a longer lifespan than the US. It has had stable elected governments since 1949. ALl of which makes Costa Rica stand out from the rest of latinamerica.
