Costa Rica
The Republic of Costa Rica (Spanish: República de Costa Rica) is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica's total area is 51,100 km2 (19,652 square miles) and had an estimated population in 2009 of 4,586,353.
In 2011 the following ethnic groups were reported in Costa Rica: 65.8% White / Castizo; 13.65% Mestizo (people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry); 9.03% Immigrants; 6.72% Mulatto; 2.40% Amerindian; 1.03% Black; 0.21% Asian; and 0.88% other. The majority of whites are primarily of Spaniard ancestry.
Roman Catholicism is the official state religion in Costa Rica. 70.5% of Costa Ricans are Roman Catholics, 44.9% of the population are practicing Catholics, 13.8% are Evangelical Protestants (many of them Pentecostal), 11.3% report that they do not have a religion, and 4.3% belonged to another.
In August 1961 the Conservative Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities (Rosedale Mennonite Missions) sent two missionary couples to establish a Mennonite witness in Costa Rica, eventually establishing the Convención Evangélica Menonita de Costa Rica. A group of Beachy Amish led by minister Sanford Yoder and several families pioneered a settlement in Costa Rica in 1968.
In 2012 the following Anabaptist groups were active in Costa Rica:
| Denominations | Membership in 2009 | Congregations in 2009 | Membership in 2012 | Congregations in 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amish Mennonites | 81 | 3 | ||
| Asociación Convención de Iglesias Menonitas de Costa Rica / Asociación Iglesias Cristianas Menonitas de Costa Rica | 1,470 | 20 | 1,595 | 23 |
| Beachy Amish Church | 264 | 11 | 257 | 10 |
| Conservative (Plain) Mennonites | 45 | 1 | ||
| Independent and Unaffiliated | 50 | 2 | ||
| Total | 1,784 | 33 | 1,978 | 37 |
Bibliography
Mennonite World Conference. "Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Churches Worldwide, 2009: Latin America & The Caribbean." 2010. Web. 28 October 2010. http://www.mwc-cmm.org/en15/files/Members 2009/Latin America & the Caribbean Summary.doc.
Mennonite World Conference. World Directory = Directorio mundial = Répertoire mondial 2012: Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Related Churches = Iglesias Menonitas, de los Hermanos en Cristo y afines = Églises Mennonites, Frères en Christ et Apparentées.Kitchener, ON: Mennonite World Conference, 2012: 20.
Wikipedia. "Costa Rica." 2010. Web. 5 June 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Rica.
| Author(s) | Richard D Thiessen |
|---|---|
| Date Published | June 2013 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Thiessen, Richard D. "Costa Rica." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2013. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Costa_Rica&oldid=79939.
APA style
Thiessen, Richard D. (June 2013). Costa Rica. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Costa_Rica&oldid=79939.
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