The fact that more than one million tourists visit Costa Rica each year does not happen by chance. This small country, located in Central America offers visitors miles of beautiful beaches, world class services and accomodations, and incredible bio-diversity, including tropical rain forests, dense cloud forests, waterfalls, hotsprings and active volcanoes. Covering only 0.03% of the surface of our planet, Costa Rica has approximately 6% of the world's bio-diversity, and its people are committed to keeping it that way, with roughly 25% of the country devoted to national parks and natural sanctuaries.

In addition to its natural resources Costa Rica holds another asset that makes it the richest bio-deversified country in the world, its people.  Ticos, as Costa Ricans are commonly known, are famous for being hospitable, polite, well educated and are quite happy to live up to their reputation.  Ticos have made their country Central America's jewel.  They value their peaceful and democratic ways, evident in the absence of an army, which in turn allows for better funding for education and infra-structure.

Whether you are looking for fun and adventure, wonderous and incredible natural beauty, or a relaxing, luxurious vacation, Costa Rica is the premier spot for travelers from all over the world.

Costa Rica is the same as US Central Standard Time (GMT -6), but does not observe daylight savings time.

Location

Costa Rica is one of the small nations that together comprise the isthmus of Central America. The country's borders are defined by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. Because it is between two continents, and two oceans, this convergence of land and water makes the region a great bottleneck, rich in ecological diversity.

Area

51,100 sq km (19,929 square miles)

Geographic Division

Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces (States) which are: Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas, & San José (Capital City).

Here, geography constricts a breathtaking amount of plant and animal life within a modest 19,563 square miles (50,900 sq. km), an area comparable in size to Denmark or West Virginia. Within this diminutive nation is found an astonishing five percent of the world's bio-diversity, including more than 800 species of ferns, 1,000 of orchids, 2,000 kinds of trees, and 200 species of mammals.

Both coastlines of Costa Rica have an abundance of beaches, though the Pacific strands are generally both less developed and less spacious. Between the coasts, the interior of the country is shaped by four cordilleras, or mountain ranges, which run from north to south. The capital, San Jose, rests roughly in the nation's center, settled within a highland valley. Cascading down to the Caribbean from the central mountains are Costa Rica's many great rivers, including the Reventazon. The Pacific side is marked by two broad peninsulas that hook out into the Pacific, the Nicoya and the Osa. It is a geographic curiosity that their shapes are almost identical, the Osa being a smaller rendition of the Nicoya.

Weather

Costa Rica is a tropical country and experiences only two seasons: wet and dry. The dry season is generally between late December and April, and the wet season lasts the rest of the year. The Caribbean coast tends to be wet all year. Temperatures vary little between seasons, the average is 24 degrees Celsius, and the main influence on temperature is altitude. The coasts are very hot and humid, with the Caribbean averaging 21 degrees Celsius at night and over 30 degrees Celsius during the day, the Pacific is a few degrees warmer.

Costa Rica's climate is renowned as an atmospheric treat. Mild subtropical conditions prevail year-round, and uncomfortable temperature extremes and prolonged periods of gray are practically nonexistent. Temperature varies mainly according to elevation, the higher the cooler. The brunt of the rainy season lasts from May through November, while a brief dry spell pays a visit from February to April. Costa Rica's rain falls mainly on the Caribbean coast, giving the Pacific a much more arid climate.

Even though Costa Rica is a small country, it has a great biological and habitat diversity due to the convergence of two hemispheres, two oceans, and its varying geography. This creates wonderful changing views for travelers. There is a chain of mountains that forms a back- bone down the length of Costa Rica. They start in the north with the Guanacaste "Cordillera" (mountain range), continues with the Tilaran Cordillera (location of Monteverde and Arenal), the Central Cordillera (Irazu, Poas, Braulio Carrillo), and finishes with the southern Talamanca Cordillera (which is the highest in the country).While the Pacific coastline is almost 780 miles (1,254 km), the Caribbean is only 132 miles (212 km). Hilly peninsulas are settled in the Pacific coast.

There are two large gulfs, and many small coves and bays. Two major commercial ports are located in the Pacific: Puntarenas and Puerto Caldera. On the Caribbean, there is a natural harbor in the Moin - Limon area. It is the largest area of lowland plains (about one-fifth of Costa Rica), which stretches back from the northern coastline almost to Limon.Costa Rica lies in the tropics between 8 and 11 degrees north of the equator. You might expect moderate temperatures, but the rugged mountain chain's effect on factors such as wind, and rain, creating many microclimates.

Most people are surprised to learn that frost and ice can occur on some of the loftier peaks, such as Chirripo. Temperatures are somewhat higher on the Pacific side than on the Caribbean at the same elevation because there are more clouds on the Caribbean watershed year-round than on the Pacific. At sea level on either side, the annual average temperature is always above 75°F (24°C). Some of the highest peaks average 54°F (12°C), though temperatures there can fall below freezing.There is no spring, or fall seasons in Costa Rica. The seasons are called verano (summer) and invierno (winter).They are just a dry season ( December until April) and a rainy season ( May until November). Temperature has more variations from night to day than from verano to invierno. Difference in daily temperatures averages 14°F to 18°F (8°C to 10°C). From November to January, cold breezes from the north funnel through the mountains of North America causing a small drop in temperature. This is one of the few countries in the world in which polar air gets this close to the equator. The warmest months are March, April, and May, and the wettest months are September and October. Rainfall amounts vary from less than 59 inches (1500mm) to more than 190 inches (4800mm) during these months. The country's average rainfall pattern is in the range of 79 to 158 inches (2,000 to 4,000 mm). Precipitation can come in the form of a tropical downpour with impressive lightning and thunder (aguacero), steady rain, or less common, a continuous light rain for several days (temporal).Even in the rainy season, rain will not fall during the entire day, every day. It usually begins in early afternoon in the Central Valley and other highland areas, but later in the afternoon in the Pacific lowlands. Each season has its own beauty and unique characteristics. In wetter times the flora is profuse, with a vibrant life that gets into the soul. In the dry season the background is perfect for orchids, bougainvilleas, reina de la noche (queen of the night), as well as for colorful trees that flower only then.Costa Rica can boast that it is the country with the highest percentage (25%) of its territory designated as protected areas: Forest Reserves, Biological Reserves, Nature Shelters, and of course, National Parks. These are another of the good reasons why many Europeans and North Americans, rather than coming to travel, have made this land their home, being nowadays around 1% of the Costa Rican population.

Time

Costa Rica is the same as U.S. Central Standard Time, but does not observe daylight savings time.

Language

The most widely spoken language in Costa Rica is Spanish (97% of the population); although there are other native languages used mostly within the indigenous reserves. Many businesses, in and around San Jose, and resorts throughout the country have employees who also speak English.

Electricity

It is 100 volts. Plugs are two pronged without the grounding prong.

Currency & Exchange Rate

The Colon (¢1.00) is the national currency of Costa Rica. The exchange rate against the US dollar can vary day by day.

Credit Cards

Automated Teller Machines (ATM's) can be easily found in most populated areas of Costa Rica. Most international credit cards are accepted throughout the country: Visa, Master Card, American Express,Diners Club

Tipping

Most restaurants will include a 10% service charge at the bill. Taxi drivers generally do not receive a tip. If you are satisfied with the service you receive, hotel maids, tour guides and drivers would appreciate a tip.

Culture

Costa Rican culture is in many ways a reflection of its racial mix. The predominant influence has long been European, which is reflected in everything from the official language - Spanish - to the architecture of the country's churches and other historic buildings. The indigenous influence is less apparent, but can be found in everything from the tortillas that are served with a typical Costa Rican meal, to the handmade ceramics sold at roadside stands. A more recent cultural influence is that of the United States, which can be noted in everything from the movies showing at San Jose's theaters to the fast food chains that line some of the capital's streets.

An important aspect of Costa Rica's cultural heritage is their love of peace and democracy. Ticos like to point out that their nation is the exception in Latin America, where military dictatorships long dominated politics.

They can boast of having more than one hundred years of democratic tradition and almost half a century without an army. The army was abolished in 1948, and the money the country saves by not having a military is invested in improving the standard of living for Costa Ricans, which has fostered the social harmony that makes it such a pleasant place to visit.

Goverment

Costa Rica is a democratically elected Republic, and it is one of the oldest democracies in the Americas.  There are three branches of government: the Executive, which consists of the president, two vice presidents and advisors, the Legislative Assembly, with 57 individually elected deputies, and the Judicial Branch, which consists of civil, criminal, appeal and constitutional courts. The President and members of the Legislative Assembly are elected for four-year terms and the president can't run for re-election.

The two main parties are the National Liberation Party (PLN) and the Social Christian Union Party (PUSC).

Business & Economy

Banks and Money

The official currency of Costa Rica is the colon, but US dollars are widely accepted.  The exchange rate is currently around 440 colones for one US dollar, and it goes up about 0.20 colones every day, so it's best to hang on to your dollars. US dollars and traveler's checks can be exchanged in banks and hotels all over the country.  Major credit cards are widely accepted, and cash advances can be obtained in San Jose.

There is an ample selection of state and private banks in San Jose, and at least one major bank in every large town.  In addition there is a growing network of ATM's and there are various ways to wire money to and from abroad.

Business Hours

Government offices are generally open from 8 am to 4 pm, while banks close anytime between 3:00 and 6:00 pm, depending on the locale.  Most shops are open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, while some open at 8:00 am and others close at 7:00 pm and most grocery stores close at 8:00 pm.  Some shops also close for lunch, between noon and 1:00 or 2:00 pm.

Economy

You don't have to drive very far in Costa Rica -- past the coffee, pastures, bananas and other crops -- to deduce that agriculture is the basis of its economy. Coffee has historically been the country's most important crop, and Costa Rica continues to produce some of the best coffee in the world, but in recent years less traditional crops have been playing an increasingly important economic role. The banana is the second most important export crop, with vast plantations covering parts of the Caribbean lowlands, but there is also significant land dedicated to to such things as pineapples, sugar, oranges, rice, cattle, hardwoods and ornamental plants.

Though agriculture remains the basis of the national economy, tourism has earned more than any single export crop during the last few years, and the tourism industry continues to grow, providing new employment opportunities, and stimulating the conservation of the bio-diversity that foreigners want to see.

Holidays

Though government offices and most banks close for national holidays, this causes no inconvenience to travelers, since they can change money or travelers checks in their hotel. Do not change money on the street. There are, however, days when hardly anything will be open, such as Christmas, New Year and often two or three days preceding it, and during Holy Week from Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

Some holidays can be attractive for travellers, such as the week between the days following Christmas, when there are parades in San Jose. During the week of the Annexation of Guanacaste, July 25, the main towns in the northwest province of Guanacaste are overflowing with revelry and folklore. Carnival, which is celebrated in the Caribbean port of Limon during the week of October 12, is another colorful affair.

Infra-Structure

Communications

Costa Rica has one of the most advanced telecommunications systems in Latin America, with telephones and fax machines all over the country, and an increasing number of businesses on line. To call or fax Costa Rica, dial the country code 506 before the number. There is also reliable mail service in the country, and an ample selection of courier services in San Jose. Most large hotels in the San Jose area have cable television, which has US and European stations. Newspapers and magazines from North America and several European nations are sold in many shops and hotels in and around the capital.

Transportation

It's easy to get around in Costa Rica, and if you stick with public transport, travelling within the country can be quite inexpensive. There is bus service to just about every town and city, and buses that serve main tourist destinations are of high quality. Taxis are also plentiful and inexpensive, and in San Jose they are required to use meters for most trips. The standard charge for a taxi between the international airport and downtown San Jose is $12 US. The quickest way to get around is to fly, and several domestic airlines offer daily flights to most of the popular tourist destinations.

There are also plenty of car rental agencies, most of which rent four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Costa Rica People

Costa Rica has four million inhabitants. About half of them live around San Jose, in the Central Valley. Costa Ricans (ticos) come predominately from the mixture of European and indigenous heritage. Their physical characteristics remind one of the Spanish heritage, but a fair number show varied native features. Less than one percent of the population is full fledged Indian; most of them live in reservations around the

Talamanca Mountains

The Caribbean region has a large percentage of African descendants, especially along the coast. Many of these individual's grandparents came from Jamaica to work on the construction of the railroad. Some Europeans have also settled in the Atlantic, fascinated by the easy-going life style. Foreigners are around 1% of the total population. Lastly, there is also a minority with Chinese heritage spread around the country.

Education

The Costa Rican Constitution states that elementary school is free and obligatory. Around 70% of secondary education is provided by public high schools, the other 30% is provided by accredited private schools. Many national and international universities offer a variety of degrees in different majors: some even specialize in agriculture, international relations or in the environment. There are also some schools that offer a North-American or European style education from pre-kindergarten through high school.

Education & Health

The Costa Rican government has long dedicated a significant portion of the national budget to the minds and bodies of its citizens; a policy that has resulted in a healthy and educated populace. The country has a literacy rate and average life expectancy that are much closer to those of Western European nations than most Latin American countries. Costa Rica has had a socialized medical system for nearly half a century, and while schools and clinics are found throughout the country, the Central Valley has several public universities and dozens of private universities.

What this means for travelers is that they will be dealing with educated people, and don't have to worry about most of the diseases they would expect to encounter in a tropical country.

Tap water is safe to drink in most of the country, but bottled beverages are recommended in rural areas. For those few travelers that do become sick or injured while in Costa Rica, there are hospitals and private clinics in San Jose that offer a level of care comparable to what they would expect at home, and for considerably less money.

Medical Services

Costa Rica's socialized medical system has been extremely successful at keeping the diseases that plague most tropical country's in check, through a system of education and preventive medicine. Costa Ricans consequently enjoy a life expectancy comparable to that of North Americans. Such health consciousness is one of the reasons that visitors feel so comfortable in Costa Rica.

If you do happen to need medical attention, first rate care is available at any of Costa Rica's public hospitals and private clinics. You can even pay with your credit card at private clinics in San Jose. Medical care is actually surprisingly inexpensive in Costa Rica, which has spurred a minor but growing trend of medical tourism. Foreigners who require medical treatment that their insurance won't cover often head to Costa Rica for treatment, where the cost is less than half of what they would pay at home. At least a dozen plastic surgeons in San Jose regularly treat foreign patients.

Emergency lines

When travelling to Costa Rica or any other destination, make sure to always have on hand a list of emergency telephone numbers, and always inquire about the health system and any other useful inofrmation related to your health and safety.

In case of emergency, dial 911 from any telephone in the central valley (San Jose, Cartago, Heredia, Alajuela). while this service is not complete in the provinces of Guanacaste, Limon and Puntarenas, it will re-direct your call to the nearest hospital or police station. The service offers a bilingual operator 24 hours a day.

Costa Rica History

The first European explorer to encounter Costa Rica, Christopher Columbus, came on September 18, 1502. He was making his fourth and final voyage to the New World.

A crowd of local Carib Indians greeted his crew warmly as he was setting anchor off shore. Later, the Spaniard, Gil Gonzalez Davila named the country Costa Rica, or Rich Coast, impressed by the golden bands that natives were wearing in their noses and ears.

Thousands of years before the arrival of Columbus, civilization existed in Costa Rica. Evidence of human occupation dates 10,000 years back. Perfectly spherical granite bolas (balls) found near the west coast are among the cultural mysteries left by the pre-Columbian inhabitants. Some are small as a baseball ranging in size to that of a Volkswagen bus. Parque Nacional Guayabo has ruins of an ancient city with aqueducts and some marvelously gold and jade work of about 1000 years ago has been found in the southwest. Evidence of the Olmec and Nahuatl Mexican civilizations influence are found in archeological sites in the central highlands and Guanacaste.

By the time that Columbus arrived, there were four major native tribes: the Caribs (east coast), the Chibchas, Borucas, and Diquis (southwest). None of these peoples survived long as land owners, after the arrival of Spanish colonialism. Some died due to the smallpox brought by the Spanish, some worked as slaves, and some ran away to the highest mountains, where their descendants live until this day making a small 1% of the Costa Rican population.

Having few indigenous labor forces, the Spaniards brought in African slaves to work in the Carib bean coast. Seventy thousand of their lineage lives in Costa Rica nowadays. Recent studies suggest that the 97% of the country's population - which call themselves ticos - come from the mestizaje, which is the mixture of races among the Spaniards and the indigenous that remained in the Central Valley.

During the colonial period, Costa Rica was a tough and unpopular place to reside with few easily exploited resources and lack of labor force. The Spanish were much more interested in living in Peru or Mexico, where vast amounts of silver and gold were being obtained by thousands of indigenous slaves. Thus, the first unfortunate settlers were left largely to their own means in this country. The first successful colonial city was established in 1562, when Juan Vasquez de Coronado founded Cartago,that later became the first capital city.

As well as the rest of America, Costa Rica followed the example of Mexico when it rebelled against Spain in the year 1821. Two years later, there was a civil war in the Central Valley between four neighboring cities. Two of them, Heredia and Cartago pursued to become part of Mexico, and the other two, San Jose and Alajuela wanted complete independence. After the last defeated Heredia and Cartago, sovereignty was established.

In 1824, Juan Mora Fernandez was elected the first head of state. He made land reforms at the same time that an elite class of powerful coffee barons was growing. The barons later overthrew the first Costa Rican president, Jose Maria Castro, and Juan Rafael Mora succeeded him. Under Mora's leadership, the Costa Rican people repulsed a would-be conqueror, the North American William Walker. Walker was a disgruntled southerner who thought that Central America should be annexed to the United States as a slave state. With a piecemeal army of about 50 men, Walker invaded Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica, being almost defeated. Finally, he proceeded against Honduras, where he was executed.

Military rule has headed the country from time to time, but it has not been extremely violent like in the rest of Central America. In 1870, for instance, General Tomas Guardia made some of the country's most progressive reforms in taxation, education, and military policy.

In 1948, Dr. Rafael Angel Calderon and the United Social Christian Party refused to relinquish power after losing the presidential election. Then, the Costa Rican civil war erupted. An exile, named Jose Maria (Don Pepe) Figueres Ferrer, defeat Calderon in about a month, proving later to be one of Costa Rica's most influential leaders. He headed the Founding Junta of the Second Republic of Costa Rica. Even one of his sons, Jose Maria Figueres, was president of the country during the years 1994-1998.Historical facts during and a little after the civil war are not totally clear, due to the social instability of this period. Under Ferrer's leadership, important reforms were made. Women and blacks gained the vote, banks were nationalized, the communist party was banned, and presidential term-limits were established. Ferrer was immensely popular, creating a political legacy that lives today.

In 1987, Oscar Arias Sanchez,the Costa Rican president, garnered world recognition as he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was able to get all five Central American presidents to sign his peace plan that proposed the ending of the internal conflicts between governments and local insurrection forces. Because of this initiative, Nicaragua is now experiencing relative stability, ending its civil war between the Sandinistas and the Contras.

In February 1998 the Social Christian Unity Party's Miguel Angel Rodriguez won the presidency with exactly 50% of the vote. A conservative businessman who made the economy his priority, he went on to privatize state companies and encourage foreign investments in an effort to create jobs.

By the time the February 2002 elections rolled around, however, ticos were mumbling about a lack of government transparency and shady deals between political mates. These grass-roots misgivings resulted in a 'no win' election and pollsters returned to the ballot box in April 2002. Rodriguez's successor, Abel Pacheco of the conservative Social Christian Unity Party, was elected to step-up to the president's ring. The government period is for 4 years and re election is not possible.

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