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Costa Rica, the complete destination

 

POPULATION:                                4.000.000 INHABITANTS APPROXIMATELY

Territorial extension:                        51,900 km2

Capital:                                              San José

Official language:                              Spanish

Currency:                                          The Columbus (Colon)

Official religion:                                Catholic (freedom of religion)

Political system:                                 Democratic

Electricity:                                          110 volts

National Bird:                                    Turus grayi (yiguirro)

National flower:                               Cattleya skinneri (Violet Guaria)

 

¨The best of Costa Rica is its people¨, states a popular promotional slogan, a phrase that is indeed true as visitors discover the warm hospitality of the Ticos, the nickname by which the country’s inhabitants are widely known.

 

While traveling through the Costa Rican countryside it is always possible to find helpful people ready to offer a friendly gesture, as well as provide the necessary help for orientation or whatever is needed at the moment.

 

Costa Rica is a peaceful society – the national army was banned by the Constitution over fifty years ago.  Its Democratic system provides for presidential elections every four years; however the law currently bans reelection.  Costa Rica has gained international recognition for its educational system assuring a very high literacy rate, an achievement very few countries in Latin America can claim.

 

It is located only ten degrees (north latitude) from Ecuador, in the Central American Isthmus.  Its territory, with a maximum width of 280 kms. In the northwest, 170 km, in the center and 120 km. In the southeast, it has a total surface of 51.900 km2.

 

This earth piece that hardly represents 0.3% of the total surface of the planet, stays 5% of the world biodiversity, it has more species of birds than the United States and more variety of butterflies that the whole African continent, facts for which this Central American nation, has been won a justified international recognition.  In its diverse habitats and ecosystems cohabit 13 thousand species of plants, 2 thousand species of night butterflies and 4.500 days, 163 species of amphibians, 220 of reptiles, 1,600 of fresh and salt water fishes, and at least 850 species of birds.

 

In this wide natural landscape, Costa Rica also has diverse types of forest like the caducifolios, swamps, pluvial forest, herbaceous lagoons, cloudy forests, moors, yolillales, groves, coral reefs, riverside forests and marshy forest. Besides its friendly people and democratic system, over 25% of the country’s territory is protected by law, assuring strict procedures for preservation of the natural environment.  Dozens of national parks and protected areas are scattered around the country, providing proper habitats for the conservation of a wide variety of floral and faunal species.

 

Covered by the warm and transparent waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, Costa Rica limits to the north with Nicaragua and to the south with Panama and it is distributed geographically in seven provinces:  San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago in the Central Valley, Puntarenas and Guanacaste in the Pacific and Limon in the Atlantic.  Depending on the area, the temperatures of the country register average of 24, 9 centigrade degrees in the low parts, 16, 3 centigrade degrees in the high parts and 20-centigrade degrees in the Central Valley.

 

In terms of infrastructure, Costa Rica offers a very functional highway and secondary road network connecting the entire country.  It only takes two and half hours to travel by land from San Jose to Limon on the Caribbean coast and no more than ninety minutes to travel from San Jose to the nearest beach on the Pacific coast.

 

Traveling around is a relaxing experience if contemplation of nature is the desired activity.  Most of the main vacation areas possess an airstrip.  In some cases an airport is located in a nearby community and an established ground transportation system is used to provide access.

 

For leisure or business, Costa Rica has a lot to offer.  The tourist infrastructure has consistently improved in recent years.  The ingredients combine perfectly for Costa Rica to be considered the destination in Central America:  beautiful nature, excellent tourist services and very warm people.  Come and visit Costa Rica, you won’t regret it.

 

Last modified on Wednesday, 29 June 2011 02:38
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