ABOUT COSTA RICA

:: CENTRAL VALLEY ::

The central zone is the heart of Costa Rica. San José the capital and other important cities are part of this region. The Central Valley is known for having some of the most important museums in the country...

:: NORTH AREA ::

This area has became famous around the world for its beautiful pristine beaches, fascinating National Parks and great variety of activities...

:: NORTHERN PLAINS ::

The attraction of the Northern Mountains is the Arenal Volcano. In Fortuna (the town outside of the Arenal Volcano) you can enjoy hikes to the Volcano, fishing and windsurfing in Arenal Lake, hiking to the Fortuna Waterfall, mountain biking, wildlife tours...

:: CARIBBEAN AREA ::

Almost half of the Caribbean coast is protected by a series of national parks and wild life refuges, comprising palm-lined beaches, colorful coral reef, rivers and tropical forests...

:: CENTRAL PACIFIC ::

The Central Pacific region comprises an area of transition between North Pacific which has a tropical dry forest and the wet and rain forest of the South Pacific zone...

:: SOUTH PACIFIC ::

The Peninsula de Osa is the only place in our country blessed with the arrival of whales and their incredible process of giving birth to their whale calves in our warm waters...

A small and blessed country located in Central America, this green territory is just 51,100 km, approximately half the size of the state of Kentucky, or slightly larger than Switzerland. Costa Rica shares a border with Nicaragua to the North and Panama to the South, and to the east the Caribbean Sea and to the west the warm and exotic Pacific Ocean.

The wonderful tropical weather is awaiting you in Costa Rica, where there are two seasons, the summer or dry season from December to April, and from May through November, the green season. The average temperature in the Central valley is 17°C, while on the beaches it ranges between 21°C to 27°C. In the national territory the tourists can enjoy a variety of microclimates. You can be tanning on the beach in the morning and walking in the rain forest that same afternoon.

The population of Costa Rica is approximately 4,300,000. While the official language in Costa Rica is Spanish, English is spoken in most of the tourist centers and many Costa Ricans have learned English as a second language. This is one of the reasons why some international companies have operations in this country. Most of the Costa Rican citizens practice Catholicism, but others faiths are practiced.

Costa Rica is recognized internationally for defending democracy of Peace. in 1948 the army was abolished and the money set aside for the military has been invested in education, health, and basic services for Costa Ricans.

PURA VIDA!!! That´s the way Ticos (Costa Ricans) greet each other. The people of this country are very friendly and pleasant. Costa Ricans enjoy their freedom. They are excited to share their country with visitors because they are proud of their country.

For many years agriculture was the base of the Costa Rican economy with products like coffee (known as the Golden Grain), bananas, sugar cane among others as the most profitable. However, the economy has changed, with tourism, high technology (INTEL, CENAT - a high technology center directed by the astronaut Franklin Chang Díaz), and exportation of non traditional products as flowers as the country’s largest income.