After equalizing with Switzerland last Sunday, the 17th, the next opponent of the Brazilian National Team is the Costa Rican team, a Central American country with just under 5 million inhabitants. This is the fifth time the team has qualified to play the World Cup - previous appearances took place in 1990, 2002, 2006 and 2014 - and the Costa Ricans have never won matches against Brazil, a trend that Brazilians will certainly hope will be. Keep.

But until the game happens - next Friday, the 22nd at 9 am - how about getting to know our opponents a little better through this selection of random curiosities about Costa Rica? Check out:

1 The Costa Rican national animal is the white-tailed deer - Odocoileus virginianus - a creature that can be found from southern Canada to northern Brazil.

2 - Did you know that Costa Rica has no Armed Forces - just a limited military force?

3 - Costa Rica became the first country in Latin America to ban hunting as a sport in 2012.

(Dirt Orcas)

4 - Intel owns a microprocessor factory in Costa Rica - and it alone accounts for nearly 5% of the country's GDP.

5 - In 2010, Nicaragua accidentally invaded Costa Rica. The reason? A mistake on Google Maps!

6 - In Costa Rica there is a huge sanctuary for stray dogs called “Zaguates Territory” where visitors can walk and hike in the company of animals.

(South America Travel Guide)

7 - Did you know that all Catholic churches in Costa Rica were built so that they face west?

8 - Coffee is a serious issue for Costa Ricans, so that to become a professional taster there, it is necessary to complete five years of studies so that the "tasters" are considered qualified to differentiate all the aromas and nuances of the drink.

(World Travel Guide)

Costa Rica is home to a quarter of all hummingbird species in the world. Incidentally, the country is home to lush biodiversity, with over 1, 200 species of orchids, over 34, 000 species of insects, 130 species of freshwater fish, over 160 amphibians, over 200 mammals, 850 of birds, and over a thousand species of butterflies.

Interestingly, there is a “country” within Costa Rica! Although it is not officially recognized by the local government or the United Nations, it has a name - Republic of Airrecú -, flag, national anthem, an estimated 5, 000 population, and was founded in 1995.

(Traveler Marriott / Getty Images)

11 - Costa Ricans call each other Ticos (for boys) and Ticos (for girls).

12 - Costa Rica has nearly 1, 300 kilometers of coastline, with beaches in the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, and over 25% of the national territory corresponds to nature reserves, parks and sanctuaries.

Arena Volcano (CIA)

13 - There are over 120 volcanic formations in Costa Rica, and seven of them are active. Incidentally, the Arenal volcano is among the 10 most active in the world, and Poas has the second largest crater on the planet, more than 1.5 kilometers in diameter.

14 - Costa Rica has a total area of ​​51.1 thousand square kilometers and is divided into seven provinces, called San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limón.

15 - The official language in Costa Rica is Spanish, but a good portion of the bilingual population - English being the second most common language in the country, due to the large number of tourists that Costa Ricans receive.

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