Two girls sitting in a tree
	© CIENTEC

Two girls play up in a tree. Magaly Camacho Zúñiga, 12 years old, J. Ricardo Zúñiga School, Puntarenas.

Costa Rica is a country in Central America with a highly diversified biomass, topography, climate and cultural mosaic in its limited area of 51,900 km2. Its population of approximately 3.5 million inhabitants is largely the result of intermarriage between Amerindians, Europeans (mainly from Spain), Africans and Asians. More than 50% of the population is concentrated in the Central Valley, where the capital, San José, and the other major urban centres are located.

The official language is Spanish but among the indigenous population (1%) some native languages (bribri, cabécar, boruca, maleku and guaymie) are still spoken, and a "patois" is also widely spoken among people of Caribbean origin. This mixture of ethnic origins and cultural traditions makes Costa Rica a multicultural, multilingual country, with a rich variety of artistic and social expressions and productive activities. Peace, education and the welfare of children have always been central concerns in the country's long-standing heritage of democracy.

In this exhibition young people take the lead as the protagonists of a Festival and a Photography Project, in which they have expressed themselves and depicted their social and physical environment, revealing the many different facets of Costa Rican identity.

This exhibition was held in conjunction with the Children's Festival of Popular Culture, sponsored by the Children's Museum, another contribution from Costa Rica.