San Jos�, Costa Rica (original) (raw)

San Jos� is the capital and largest city of the nation of Costa Rica. It is also the capital of San Jos� province.

San Jos� is located in the center of the country at 10.0� N, 84.2� W; it is in a mountain plateau at an elevation of about 1,170 meters (some 4,000 feet) above sea level. In 1997 the city had an estimated population of 329,154 people: the latter half of the 20th century was a period of rapid growth for the city, considering that in 1950 its population was a mere 86,900.

History

San Jos� was a small village of little importance until 1824. In that year, Costa Rica's first elected head of state, liberal Juan Mora Fern�ndez, decided to move the government of Costa Rica from the old Spanish colonial capital of Cartago and make a fresh start with a new city. This was a time of much optimism in the newly independent nation of Central America, of which Costa Rica was at that time a state (see: History of Central America). The new capital of San Jos� grew rapidly. Because of its late 18th century origin, San Jos� has little of the Spanish colonial architecture common in most other Latin American capitals.

The University of Costa Rica was established here in 1843.

San Jos� also serves as the headquarters of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.