Costa Rica

Pink Parrot used with permission (C)MHarris

The Physical Geography

Costa Rica is a small country just North of Panama. Although it is only about 100 miles wide and 250 miles long it has many different climates. On the East it is bordered by the Caribbean. The Northern Caribbean coast is a hot and humid low land. The South is more mountainous. There are four volcanic mountain ranges with over 200 volcanos in the middle of the country that run from NNW to S. These ranges are as high as 12530 feet. The capital city is San Jose and resides in a central valley at 4000 feet. The North Western coast is hot and dry. It includes a large peninsula called the Nicoya peninsula. This whole region is called the Gaunacaste Region. The South Western coast is very mountainous and Wet. This region includes the Osa peninsula. 17% of this land is in Natural Parks but these are threated by squatters. There are several dozen private reserves showing that money can be made on just exhibiting the land and wildlife to visitors.

The Climate

Costa Rica has a wet season and a dry season. The exact months of these seasons vary with location. The Atlantic side is generally very wet. The Guanacaste Region in the North West is very dry and a lot like Southern Colorado or California in the dry season but much hotter. In San Jose the temperatures can reach the 80s during the day but cool off into the low 60s in the evening. The coastal waters are almost always 74 degrees on both coasts.

The Government

There is no army in Costa Rica. The result is an excellent health and education system and low taxes. There are over 30 hospitals and 116 clinics in Costa Rica. The public water system provides clean drinking water in most cities.

Costa Rica's URLs

This is a list of WWW sites (URLs) with information about Costa Rica. Not all the sites have information in English.

Costa Rica

The Physical Geography

The Climate

The Government

Costa Rica's URLs

General:

Periodicos/Newspapers

Informacion Cultura/Information on the culture of Costa Rica

Informacion Turistica/Tourist Information (mostly English)