Costa Rica invariably takes the name ‘the Switzerland of Central America’. It is not an unduly large country with a stable democracy, a healthy economy based mainly on the tourism industry and it has no army (but an extensive police force).
However, in Costa Rica, bio-diversity is a great asset. An exponent of that is sustainable forest management and exploitation. It has many national parks for which it has managed to gain quite a lot of international financing. Of all the Central American countries, it has the most tourists, mainly from the US and Canada, but also from Europe.
President Oscar Arias enjoys worldwide respect. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to end civil wars in several Central American countries.
Culturally speaking, Costa Rica is a young country. The ties with Flanders are mainly via the Flemish NGOs working on the ground. Costa Rica is keen to trade with Europe and especially with Flanders.