COSTA RICA ( República de Costa Rica )

Costa Rica  literally "Rich Coast", officially the Republic of Costa Rica (Spanish: República de Costa Rica), is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, and Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around 5 million in a land area of 51,060 square kilometers (19,714 square miles). An estimated 333,980 people live in the capital and largest city, San José, the capital city. The sovereign state is a unitary presidential constitutional republic.

 It is known for its long-standing and stable democracy, and for its highly educated workforce, most of whom speak English. The country spends roughly 6.9% of its budget (2016) on education, compared to a global average of 4.4%. On December 1, 1948, Costa Rica abolished its military force. In 1949, the abolition of the military was introduced in Article 12 of the Costa Rican Constitution. The budget previously dedicated to the military is now dedicated to providing health care services and education. According to DW, "Costa Rica is known for its stable democracy, progressive social policies, such as free, compulsory public education, high social well-being, and emphasis on environmental protection.Costa Rica  was identified by the NEF as the greenest country in the world in 2009. Costa Rica plans to become a carbon-neutral country by 2021. By 2019, 99.62% of its electricity was generated from green sources particularly hydro, wind, geothermal and solar.

Costa Rica borders the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Costa Rica also borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. The highest point in the country is Cerro Chirripó, at 3,819 metres (12,530 ft). The highest volcano in the country is the Irazú Volcano (3,431 m or 11,257 ft) and the largest lake is Lake Arenal. There are 14 known volcanoes in Costa Rica, and six of them have been active in the last 75 years.

Costa Rica has produced its own stamps since 1863. The first issue of stamps was printed by the American Bank Note Co., and consisted of values "Medio Real" (Blue), "Dos Reales" (Red), "Cuatro Reales" (Green) and "Un Peso" (Orange). In 1883, following the change in currency from Reales to the new Pesos and Centavos, the issue of 1863 was surcharged with new values for postal use: 1 Centavos, 2 Centavos, 5 Centavos (all over the Medio Real stamp), 10 Centavos (over Dos Reales) and 20 Centavos (over Cuatro Reales). The 5, 10 and 20 Centavos were also surcharged "U.P.U."

Costa Rican stamps were issued overprinted "Guanacaste" in 1885-89 following war with Nicaragua over the sovereignty of Guanacaste. The first issue in the new Colón currency was dated 1900 and put into circulation in 1901. It consists of ten stamps with values ranging from 1 Céntimo up to 10 Colones. The Colón currency had been introduced in 1896, but stamps with the old currency were still in use, and continued to be used after 1901 for several years.

 The cover posted on August 29, 2013 and I received on September 25, 2013