18 сентября 1502 года Христофор Колумб открыл Коста-Рику

Navigating the seas in search of South Asia for the fourth time, the sea explorer landed on an unknown island that day. The locals were decorated with gold jewelry, which made Columbus suspect that the island had rich gold deposits. He named it the Gold Coast without having a clue about the size of his error – gold was brought here from Peru. Over time, the island was no longer referred to as the Gold Coast but remained the Rich Coast. Its modern-day name, Costa Rica, means the Rich Coast in Spanish.