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Basic Facts:
Area: 51,100 Km²
Population: 4,133,884 (July 2007 estimate)
Capital: San Jose
Government: Constitutional Republic
President: Oscar Arias
Official Language: Spanish
Currency: Costa Rican Colon
Location:
Costa Rica is located in Central America, between Nicaragua, to the north, and Panama, to the south. In total we have 912 miles of coastline that face both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Between both distinct coastlines lay 20,480 square miles of mountainous terrain, filled by nine volcanoes, and succulent wilderness. Costa Rica offers 6% of the world's biodiversity, and 21% of the country’s land is protected, ensuring that it remains a natural sanctuary.
Getting here:
San José is the capital of Costa Rica, and it is easily accessible from many the surrounding provinces. Flights from numerous international airports from the United States to Costa Rica, including direct flights, arrive on a daily basis here, and range anywhere from $300-$800 depending on the season and city of departure. The nearest departure city is Miami, Florida, with a flight of merely two and half hours.
A visa is not necessary to travel into the country from the United States, and tourists may legally stay in the country for up to three months. After those three months, you must leave the country for 72 hours before re-entering, and can once again stay for another three months and so on. For people enjoying extended stays in Costa Rica, residency options are available.
Boundaries:
Provinces
Costa Rica is divided into 7 climatically and geographically distinctive provinces: San Jose, Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Puntarenas and Limon.
San José: is the capital and the country’s most populated city. Located in the Central Valley, the capital is vibrant, yet not too dangerous or intimidating as other Central American cities. It is surrounded by beautiful towering green mountains and several downtown parks, providing a serene green oasis among the stressful city life. Nightlife is exciting and international restaurants are abundant. A variety of museums, including the 100 year-old National Theater and other national theater companies make San José a cultural capital as well.
Alajuela: stretches from the Central Mountain Range to the Northern Plains, presenting a extraordinary diversity of dazzling landscapes. In this province you can find two of the most solicited active volcanoes in the country: Volcan Poas and Volcan Arenal. The main crater of the Poas Volcano, is a mile in diameter, and is surrounded by lakes of molten sulfur, thought to be the only examples of their kind in the world. Like Poas, Arenal Volcano regularly amazes visitors, yet this one for its constant tremors, tiny eruptions, and frequent ash and lava spurts. Relaxing in the thermal waters at the Tabacon Hot Springs, just at the bottom of the volcano, is the perfect way to end a day of jungle exploration. In Alajuela you may also find the artisan center of Sarchi, home to Costa Rica's famous hand-painted oxcarts and many other folkloric crafts.
Cartago: this province carries a colonial atmosphere and cannot escape the lunar-like landscape of the Irazu Volcano, overshadowing the city that emerges at its base. Irazu is the country's volcano of greatest height and it is the main attraction of this historic province, which was the country’s capital until 1823. In this province you may also find the enormous Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles, to which on a yearly basis many Costa Ricans pilgrimage to asking for miracles from its statue La Negrita or the Black Madonna that supposedly has healing powers. There is also Guayabo National Park, on the city’s outskirts, which exhibits excavations of important pre-Columbian structures.
Heredia: this province is the setting for numerous natural adventures, given its elevated mountains, thick tropical forests, stunning waterfalls, and powerful rivers. Here you can find the rugged mountains of Braulio Carrillo National Park, characterized by broad forests, deep cutting rivers, abrupt canyons and innumerable waterfalls. Nature is its main highlight, so much that you are free to take a relaxing cable car ride through the forests’ canopy, hike rugged forest trails, or dare to ride white water rapids.
Guanacaste: this province is named after the large umbrella-like trees found throughout its territory. It is characterized by vast and grassy topography, filled with national parks and unforgettable beaches. From the boiling mud pots of Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, to the sunny beaches of the Pacific coast, this area of the country offers much to the adventurous tourist and sun worshipper. Amazing scuba diving with abundant ocean life is unique; this area is world renown for its astonishing fishing. There are also the Santa Rosa and Guanacaste National Parks, which are vital protected areas for this dry Pacific climatic zone. Santa Rosa is a significant historic site that protects relic structures dating from the colonial age and is emblematic to one of Costa Rica’s struggles against colonialism. You can also find in this rich area, the seasonal lake of Palo Verde National Park, home to a large portion of the waterfowl and wading bird population that is found in Central America.
Limon: This is our crystal clear Caribbean Sea province, with 130 miles of sandy beaches and coconut palms. Here you find: Barra del Colorado, which offers world-class tarpon and snook fishing; Tortuguero National Park, one of the most important nesting sites in the western Caribbean for the green sea turtle; Cahuita National Parl and Manzanillo are beaches that offer excellent scuba diving throughout the year. This area is highly influenced by the laid-back Afro-Caribbean environment, making this region famous for its typical dishes and European influence.
Economy
Costa Rica is non military country, having dissolved its army in 1949. Through a democracy, it holds certain socialist qualities such as government funded healthcare and education. The country spends 32% of its yearly budget on social healthcare and we have a literacy rate of 96.5% and 18.5% of residents pursue higher education, making the country an attractive investing location. The currency is the Colon, which its current exchange rate for every U.S. 517 for every U.S. dollar.
Costa Rica has several governmental, private, international and national banks that offer great financing and acquisition plans for any kind of asset. Recently, electronics, pharmaceuticals, financial outsourcing, software development and ecotourism have become the prime industries in Costa Rica's economy. Many global high-tech corporations have already begun developing in the area exporting goods; among these are: chip manufacturer Intel and pharmaceutical company Glaxo Smith Kline and consumer product company Procter & Gamble. Trade with South East Asia and Russia has boomed during 2004 and 2005, and the country is expected to obtain an Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) membership by 2007. (The country became an observer in 2004).
For the year 2005 the country’s exports increased 12.8% and the number of visiting tourists increased a 19%, reaching 1.5 million people. On October 16, 2006, a new currency exchange system was introduced, allowing the value of the Costa Rican colón to float between two bands as done previously by Chile. The idea is that by doing so the Central Bank will be able to tackle inflation better, and discourage the use of US dollars.
Weather
There are two main seasons in Costa Rica: the dry and the rainy season. The dry season extends from December to May with slightly shorter days, however, since Costa Rica is a tropical country; there is always a slight chance of rain! The "green" rainy season offers slightly cooler temperatures, and extends from June to November. The temperature varies between 60º and 100º, depending on the region you choose to reside. The west coast - the Guanacaste and Puntarenas provinces are the hottest and driest, while the other provinces have a much more moderate climate.
As Costa Rica is only 9° above the equator, it enjoys intense sun exposure, but quickly gets quite dark after sunset, usually anytime between five and six pm. Being so close to the equator prevents long dusks and dawns, and creates astonishing sunsets.
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