Costa Rica
Timeline
A chronology of
key events in
Costa Rica from
the day
Christopher
Columbus set
foot on the
"rich coast" to
last week's
inauguration of
the first woman
president, Laura
Chinchilla.
1502 -
Christopher
Columbus visits
the area, naming
it Costa Rica,
(Rich Coast),
but disease and
resistance by
the local
population delay
the
establishment of
a permanent
settlement for
nearly 60 years.
1540 onwards
- Costa Rica is
part of the
vice-royalty of
New Spain.
1561 -
Spain's Juan de
Cavallon leads
the first
successful
colonizers into
Costa Rica.
1808 -
Coffee is
introduced into
Costa Rica from
Cuba and becomes
the principal
crop.
1821 -
Central America
gains
independence
from Spain. A
dispute ensues
over whether
Costa Rica
should join an
independent
Mexico or a
confederation of
Central American
states.
1823 -
Costa Rica joins
the United
Provinces of
Central America,
which also
embraces El
Salvador,
Guatemala,
Honduras and
Nicaragua.
Independence
1838 -
Costa Rica
becomes fully
independent.
1849-59 -
Under the
leadership of
Juan Rafael
Mora, Costa Rica
takes the lead
in organising
Central American
resistance
against William
Walker, the US
adventurer who
took over
Nicaragua in
1855.
1859 -
Mora ousted in a
bloodless coup.
1870-82 -
Under the
leadership of
Tomas Guardia
Costa Rica
encourages
intensive
foreign
investment in
railways.
1874 - US
businessman
Minor Cooper
Keith introduces
banana
cultivation and
starts the
United Fruit
Company.
1917 -
Frederico Tinoco
ousts the
elected
president,
Alfredo
Gonzalez, but is
himself deposed
two years later.
Socialism and
civil war
1940-44 -
President Rafael
Angel Calderón
Guardia, founder
of the United
Christian
Socialist Party
(PUSC),
introduces
liberal reforms,
including
recognition of
workers' rights
and minimum
wages.
1948 -
Six-week civil
war over a
disputed
presidential
election result.
1949 -
New constitution
gives women and
people of
African descent
the right to
vote; armed
forces abolished
and replaced by
civil guard;
José María
Figueres Ferrer,
co-founder of
Partido
Liberación
Nacional (PLN),
elected
president and
begins ambitious
socialist
program,
including
introducing a
social security
system and
nationalizing
banks.
1958-73 -
Costa Rica
governed by
mainly
conservative
administrations.
1963-64 -
Irazú volcano
erupts, causing
serious damage
to agriculture.
1968 -
Arenal volcano
erupts, causing
many casualties.
1974 -
Daniel Oduber
Quirós (PLN)
elected
president and
pursues
socialist
policies.
Conservatism
and economic
deterioration
1978 -
Rodrigo Carazo,
a conservative,
elected
president amid a
sharp
deterioration in
the economy.
1982 -
Luis Alberto
Monge (PLN)
elected
president and
introduces harsh
austerity
program.
Meanwhile, Costa
Rica comes under
pressure from
the US to weigh
in against the
Sandinistas in
Nicaragua.
1985 -
US-trained
anti-guerrilla
force begins
operating
following
clashes with
Sandinista
troops.
1986 -
Oscar Arias
Sanchéz (PLN)
elected
president on a
neutral
platform.
1987 -
Leaders of
Nicaragua, El
Salvador,
Guatemala and
Honduras sign
peace plan
devised by Oscar
Arias Sanchéz,
who in turn wins
the Nobel Peace
Prize for the
plan.
1990 -
Rafael Angel
Calderón
Fournier (son of
Rafael Angel
Calderón
Guardia), of the
centrist PUSC,
elected
president.
1994 -
José Maria
Figueres Olsen
(son of José
Maria Figueres
Ferrer), (PLN)
elected
president.
1998 -
Miguel Angel
Rodríguez (PUSC)
elected
president.
2000 -
President
Rodríguez and
his Nicaraguan
counterpart
resolve
long-standing
dispute over
navigation along
San Juan river,
which serves as
their border.
2002 April
- Abel Pacheco
of the ruling
Social Christian
Unity Party (PUSC)
wins a
comfortable 58%
of the vote in
the second round
of presidential
elections.
2003 May
- Energy and
telecommunications
workers strike
over President
Pacheco's
privatization
plans; teachers
strike over
problems in
paying their
salaries.
Strikes prompt
three ministers
to resign.
2004 July
- Three Chilean
diplomats are
killed by a
security guard
at their embassy
in San José.
Corruption
2004 October
- Mounting
concern over
corruption as
three former
presidents -
José Maria
Figueres Olsen,
Miguel Angel
Rodriguez and
Rafael Angel
Calderón - are
investigated
over contractor
payments.
2005 January
- National
emergency
declared as days
of heavy rain
lead to serious
flooding along
the Caribbean
coast.
2006
February-March
- Presidential
election ends in
a neck-and-neck
race between
Oscar Arias and
Ottón Solis. Mr
Solís concedes
defeat after a
manual count and
legal
challenges.
2006 October
- Two-day public
workers strike
is held in
protest at
proposed free
trade deal with
the US.
2007 May
- Government
says Costa Rica
on course to
become first
voluntarily
'carbon neutral'
country.
2007 June
- Costa Rica
switches
diplomatic
allegiance from
Taiwan to China
in a bid to
attract Chinese
investment.
2007 October
- National
referendum
narrowly decides
in favour of
ratifying the
Central American
Free Trade
Agreement (Cafta).
Costa Rica
elected as a
non-permanent
member of the UN
Security
Council.
2008 November
- Chinese
President Hu
Jintao makes
highest-level
visit by a
Chinese official
since Costa Rica
ended diplomatic
relations with
Taiwan in 2007.
2009 March
- President
Arias says Costa
Rica to
re-establish
ties with Cuba,
48 years after
they broken off
in 1961.
2009 August
- President
Oscar Arias says
he has swine
flu, making him
the first head
of state known
to have
contracted the
virus.
2009 October
- Former
president Rafael
Angel Calderón
Fournier is
sentenced to
five years in
jail after being
convicted of
corruption.
2010 February
- Costa Rica
elects first
woman president,
Laura
Chinchilla.
2010 May
- Laura
Chinchilla takes
up office as
president.
With notes
from Inside
Costa Rica
archives,
Wikipedia and
the bbc news |
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