√ Basic information on Costa Rica (Central America)
Costa Rica
National flag of Costa Rica
In Costa Rica you will find one of the most stable countries in Central America.
So if you are coming to wander through endless jungle swamps, or surf the perfect Pacific wave this Ecotourism heaven has got it all.
Costa Rica in numbers/basic information on Costa Rica
- Inhabitants: ~ 4.133.000
- Area of Costa Rica: 51.100 km² (19.730 square miles)
- Spoken languages: Spanish, Mekatelyu, Bribri
- Borders with: Nicaragua, Panama
- Capital: San José
- Seat of the congress/parliament: San José
- Seat of the government: San José
- Head of State and Government Chief: Laura Chinchilla
- Voltage: 120 V / 60 Hz
- Telephone prefix number, Costa Rica phone country code: +506
- Time Zone: GMT/UTC -6 hours
- When you opened this page in Costa Rica it was 07:37 h.
- Currency: Colón (CRC)
Climate
Costa Rica´s year round climate is pleasant with naturally occurring breezes cooling down most of the coastal areas.
Temperatures in the highlands and the mountains are warm by day and brisk at night giving an "eternal spring" feeling. The average annual temperatures range from 31.7°C (89°F) on the coast to 16.7°C (62°F) inland. The rainy, or green, season lasts from May to December with noticeably drier days during the rest of the year.
The country
The “Tico’s” love there homeland and for good reason, the slow-paced life, wonderful snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean, surfing or watching sea turtles on the Pacific, plenty of mystic volcanoes and jungles in between. Costa Rica is with its impressive scenic beauty, consolidated system of protected areas, social and political stability, high educational levels, and efficient infrastructure and services on the world’s great adventure hot spots.
All of this offered in a territory of only 51 thousand square kilometers, surrounded by both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, at a distance from each other of only three to four hours by land or 45 minutes by air.
Tourism
The fact that more than one million tourists visit Costa Rica each year does not happen by chance. Our country, located in Central America, is an isthmus where life seems to have created its roots. Covering only 0.03% of the surface of our planet, Costa Rica has approximately 6% of the world's biodiversity.
Braulio Carrillo National Park
The park, whose name has been dedicated to Braulio Carrillo, the third head of state of Costa Rica (who governed from 1837-42), was established in 1978 and is the most extensive park in the central part of Costa Rica. It includes Barva Volcanoe as well as the mountains Cacho Negro and Zurquí, among others. There are several lakes of volcanic origin surrounded by the cloud forest, the most beautiful one is called Laguna Barva.
The National Park is covered with evergreen forest of great density and botanical complexity. You can find more then 6,000 species of plants in the forest as well as a great diversity of animal life.
Rain Forest Aerial Trams
The Rain Forest Aerial Trams are among the most spectacular and exiting places to visit in Costa Rica. Visitors can choose between the Rain Forest Aerial Tram on the Atlantic, which is located about 50 minutes from San José, and the Rain Forest Aerial Tram on the Pacific Side (on the way to Jacó Beach).
In the Aerial Trams visitors have the opportunity to enjoy a fascinating view over the tropical rain forest; organized tours also include guided walking tours with expert naturalist guides. The park on the Pacific side, furthermore, offers a heliconias gallery, a medicine plants garden and a snake’s exhibition.
The Fortuna of San Carlos - Arenal Volcano
It is extremely attractive a tourist destiny for which they please to go to relax and to rest to a full place of nature and a pretty landscape. In this zone already one count on hotels of first attractive beautiful restaurants and of course his natural ones as the Dam, the Cataract of the Fortuna River, the Lakes and their greater attractive Arenal Volcano.
This region is approximately to 4 hours of the center of San José, in a good road and with many attractiveness of by means; in the zone that this before the Fortune (San Ramon) has several souvenir, restaurants and small 'sodas’ in which delicious typical meals be served to follow with the trip.
In the zone also tourism of adventure like Canopy is offered, suspension bridges, rafting and of more and also an ample range of hotels with thermal waters and long walks, which also can be nocturnal long walks or lava long walks
