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Costa Rica – United States relations have been historically close; nevertheless there were instances in history where the US and Costa Rica disagreed. One such example might be the case of Freebooter William Walker. Nevertheless, considering that Costa Rica generally supports the U.S. in international fora, especially in the areas of democracy and human rights, modern day relations are very strong. According to the 2012 U.S. Global Leadership Report, 41% of Costa Ricans approve of U.S. leadership, with 15% disapproving and 44% uncertain.〔(U.S. Global Leadership Project Report - 2012 ) ''Gallup''〕 ==History== Costa Rica and The United States have maintained formal diplomatic relations since 1851. The United States is Costa Rica's most important trading partner.〔(), see Economy tab, Export Partners and Import Partners〕 The two countries share growing concerns for the environment and want to preserve Costa Rica's tropical resources and prevent environmental degradation. In 2007, the United States reduced Costa Rica's debt in exchange for protection and conservation of Costa Rican forests through a debt for nature swap under the auspices of the Tropical Forest Conservation Act. This is the largest such agreement of its kind to date. This deal between both governments generated 50 million dollars which were devoted to conservation projects. Through provision of more than $100 million in assistance, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supported Costa Rican efforts to stabilize its economy and broaden and accelerate economic growth through policy reforms and trade liberalization. Assistance initiatives in the 1990s concentrated on democratic policies, modernizing the administration of justice, and sustainable development. Once the country had graduated from most forms of U.S. assistance, the USAID Mission in Costa Rica closed in 1996. However, USAID completed a $9 million project in 2000-01 to support refugees of Hurricane Mitch residing in Costa Rica.〔(), see US-CR relations 3rd paragraph.〕 More than 3,370 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Costa Rica since the program was established in 1963. Currently, 128 volunteers serve there. Volunteers work in the areas of youth development, community development, business and English education. They are trained and work in Spanish.〔(), see last paragraph〕 As reported by the National Census of Costa Rica of 2011, 4.1% more American citizens live in Costa Rica with regards to the number calculated in 2000. There are 15,898 American citizens living in Costa Rica, as found by the census, compared to the 9,511 that lived in that nation in the year 2000. During the first trimester of 2011, 55% of people that visited Costa Rica came from the United States.〔(), in spanish, see Gráfico 1 (Graphic 1)〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Costa Rica–United States relations」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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