Information On Costa Rica

Whether your looking for fun and adventure, or maybe just a little relaxation, Costa Rica is the place for you! From white water rafting to jungle tours Costa Rica's the best around, offering miles of un-inhabited beach on the Pacific and Caribbean. If your a nature lover then Costa Rica is your ticket, boasting 10% of the worlds population of species in an area about the same size as west Virginia.

Costa Rica has a population of around 3.55 million people. The local people call themselves "Ticos" and have a profound aversion to conflict. The peaceable Costa Rican way is based on compromise and a desire to please, known as "quedar bien" ("to be appealing"), using charm and humor and, often, avoidance. This ambient peace can be seen far back in 1949 when the country declared neutrality and outlawed armed forces. Costa Rica is one of the most stable countries in Central America, thus tourism is rapidly increasing, and foreign investment is always keeping the country in a progressive path towards a better economy. The local currency is collectively known as the Colon, after Christopher Columbus. The rate of the Costa Rican Colon varies but, hovers around 300 colones to the $1 U.S.

Costa Rica is also home to some of the most pristine and untouched places on earth. The Costa Rican government and several private organizations have taken large areas of tropical forest and set them aside as reserves. The Costa Rican government is actually one of the world leaders in an attempt to preserve the rain forest. Costa Rica is home to a wide variety of different species. If you are the adventurous type, you can check out white water rafting, jungle tours, or even a relaxing horse ride on the beach in Puerto Viejo. If you choose to tour the jungle be sure to watch for the vibrant colors of the poison dart frogs, and the occasional three toed sloth asleep high up in the canopy.

Perched among a crescent of mountains, San Jose enjoys an enviable setting in the heart of the Meseta Central at 3,773 feet. In many ways it is an ideal locale. The compact city of around 300,000 enjoys what National Geographic dubed one of the three best climates in the world, with temperatures that hover around 70F daily year-round and rainfall limited mostly to short-lived showers and occasional downpour, May-October. Pleasantly small-scale as Central American capitals go, San Jose clings tentatively to a provincial feel despite sprawling suburbs that now claim 1.3 million residents-one third the nations total.

Refer to The National Geographic Traveler: Costa Rica (2000)