Costa Rica, is the Southest of the five countries which integrate Central America. It bounds with Nicaragua by North, with Panama by South, with the Caribbean Sea by Est and with the Pacific Ocean by West, it has ports in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and there are 153 miles of road between them. It is a tropical country with two well-defined seasons: the dry and the rainny one. Dry season takes the months from December to April and the rainny one from May to November. The temperature barely varies between these seasons, mainly due to the influence of the altitude. Its coasts are warm and wet, the Caribbean Sea has an average temperature of 69 degrees at night and over 86 degrees during the day. The Pacific reamains some degrees hotter. The major part of the Costa Rican territoy is located between 915 and 1830 meters over the sea level.A huge mountain territory is extended almost allover the country. The higher regions are located at the central region, while the low fields, which are more plain and long, are extended at the Northest of the Caribbean Coast and at the Northwest to the Pacific. The chain of mountains forms an independent group which belongs to Central America´s massif. Three chains of mountains are extended from Northwest to Southest, including the Mountains of Talamanca, Central Volcanic and the Mountains of Guanacaste with a fourth (The Central) which crosses the country by its widest part, making a huge cross. The Central Valley is located in this part (where the cities of San José, Heredia and Alajuela are based) and the Valley of Guarco, at the province of Cartago. Two volcanic mountains dominate the northest of Costa Rica. The first one, is Volcanic Mountain of Guanacaste with: Orosi, Miravalles, Tenorio, Rincón de la Vieja and the Volcán de Arenal. The second one is the Volcanic Mountain of Tilarán at Northest, formed by the hills of Abangares, Aguacate and Catedral. The Central Volcanic Mountain is integrated by the volcanos: Poás, Barva, Irazú and Turrialba, which are the most accessibles to visitors. All this volcanos are part of the natural and geological heritage of the country. By South, there are the highest mountains of Costa Rica, Talamanca´s Un-volcanic Mountains. From these, Chirripó Hill, the country´s highest with almost 3.821 meters over the sea level and the Irazú Volcano with 3.432 meters. The Atlantic Coast with the Caribbean littoral region, is extended over almost 225 kilometers and it´s straighter and lisa than ths Pacific´s. It´s divided into two different sections; San Juan river at the border with Nicaragua, and the one which is extended from the city of Limón to Sixaola river in the border with Panama. Limon´s main harbor city, is located in the middle of the Caribbeam coast, pretty well knowm as the center of the Afrocaribbean culture of the country. The most important ports of this area are Limón´s and Moín´s. Uvita Islands are also important. The Pacifica Coast is dry, forming several bays, isles, keys, cliffs and coves, with an exuberant vegetation . The Gulf of Nicoya, Dulce and Bay Coronada deserve to be highlighted. The Pacific Coast is the longest of the Caribe, with 1100 kilometers; it´s very important because there is a huge production of salt, there are a lot of fishing areas and several natural beauties just like its beaches. There are four ports at the Pacific Coast: Caldera, Puntarenas, Quepos and Golfito (are the bigger). There is also the isles of Chira, San Lucas, Coco (considered as Heritage of Mankind) and some other.The country has a long fluvial net, which flows toward the Pacific spring or the Atlantico´s. The main river is San Juan, which is part of the border with Nicaragua. It has fertil lands for cultivation at the Central Plateau and in the Valley of rivers. Bauxite is among its mineral resources . Sharks, turtles and tuna fish can be found in its coasts. Coffee is its main crop and the most important exportation product. A huge ecological and enviromental wealthy can be found in Costa Rica. It represents a 0,03% of the planet´s surface, it has 12 different areas of biodiversity and the 5% of all kinds of life on Earth. Almost the 25% of the national territory is integrated by areas of conservation having National Parks(21), Silvester Life Shelters(9), Biological Reserves(13), Forrest Reserves (12) and Protected Areas (24).That´s why, tourism has been mainly developed around this fact, offering to the visitor landscapes of beaches, volcanos many of them are active with thermal springs and caves, forests, waterfalls, and pre-Columbian settlements which are important to the study of Mesoamerica´s archeology, all these elements are part of the enormous National Parks systems.
Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces which are: San José (capital), Cartago, Heredia, Alajuela, Limón, Guanacaste and Puntarenas. These cities are divided into 81 Cantones and 463 Districts.
It´s located in isthmus Central America between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It bounds with the Caribbean Sea by Est and Northest, and with the Pacific Ocean by West and South; it also bounds with the Republic of Panama by Southest and with Nicaragua by North.
The Pacific´s coast is longer than the Caribbean´s, it reaches about 1100 kilometers from a border to the other and it offers a wide variety od geological features; isles, gulfs, capes, coves, grasslands, gullies and peninsulas. It´s the most populated, and active about trade and tourism. At this littoral region there are: Santa Elena Peninsula, Papagayo Gulf, Nicoya Gulf, Dulce Gulf, Colorado Bay, Osa and Burica Peninsulas, and the islands: Chira, Coco, San Lucas.
Costa Rica has a huge hydrographic network, which is channeled toward the Pacific´s spring or Atlantic´s. It has a lot of rivers due to the existence of mountainous regions and the abundance of precipitations, but, paradoxically, there aren´t many lakes.The country´s rain regimen makes some areas to receive rain the whole year, while others just receive rain during a portion of this period. This, with the weather conditions in both areas, bring about some rivers to have an abundant caudal the whole year, and other´s to be irregular. 34 considerably big hydrographic basins can be seen, which are integrated by some other smaller. The ground configuration doesn´t have borders nor political divisions; some of its basins are only partially located in Costa Rican territory and they are extended to close cuntries, as example Sixaola river, part if which is located in Panamá, and some San Juan river´s tributary toward Nicaragua. The spring which flows into the Pacific covers 53% of the country´s surface and it´s where 17 of the main basins and the largest three are located. This spring´s rivers are originated in the hillside of Guanacaste and Central mountains, this rivers are short, rugged and deep, the larger are navigable for small ships in a considerable section of its course. Its main rivers are: Terraba (5.077 Km2), Tempisque (3.404 Km2), Tárcoles, Pirris or Parrita and Coto Colorado. Other rivers are Bebedero, Aranjuez, Barranca and Jesús María.The Atlantic spring covers a 46% of the national territory and it´s subdivided into two springs: North subspring and Caribbean subspring. North subspring, which located at the Northest region of the country, includes 7 hydrographic basins which flow into Nicaragua´s lake and San Juan river; they flow from there toward the Caribbean Sea. This subspring´s rivers are born from the hillsides of Central, Guanacaste and Tilarán mountains. This zone includes the rivers: San Carlos, Zapote, Sarapiquí, Chirripo, Frío and Curena. Caribe´s Subspring, is located at Southest of the country and it´s integrated by 10 hydrographic basins which flow into the channel of Tortuguero or directly into the Caribbean Sea. This subspring´s rivers are born from the side of the Central and Talamanca mountains; they are wider, fast-flowing rivers, longer and less deeper than the Pacific´s.San Juan, Reventazón, Moín, Tortuguero, Parismina, Pacuare, Matina, Estrella, Bananito, Banano and Sixaola are among the main rivers. The major part of the rivers are over a mountainous relief, which brings about short rivers, just a few of them are navigable mostly for small ships. Nevertheless, some of this rivers are excellent routes to be follow in rafts, kayak or to see the local flora and fauna. As example, there are the rivers located in the Caribbean zone:Reventazón-Parismina and Pacuare, both are great for fishing and practicing Rafting. At the North part of the Caribe we found the system of rivers Colorado and Sarapiquí, great for excursions and sport events.
Costa Rica, in spite of been a country where mountains are predominant, has few lakes. Among the most important it has: Arenal lake, nowadays it´s the most important hydroelectric depot of the country. It´s a huge depot of water surrounded by wavy hill which have grazing land and forests. Rising up over the end of the Est side, there is the conic figure of Arenal Volcano, which regularly eruptes throwing lava rivers and big clouds of ashes. Arenal is especially popular among fishermen and ¨windsurfers¨. Fishermen are atracted by guapote, or rainbow sea bass. Caño Negro, a seasonal lake which isn´t deep is located near to North border. During the second half of the year, Caño Negro becomes into a paradise to observant of birds, when huge groups of ducks, herons and other water birds are gathered. Caño Negro has been declared an important humid terrain for the RAMSAR convention. After the rainy season in December, the lake quickly turns smaller, and on Febrary it completly desappears, and most of water birds fly toward Frío river, the one where Caño Negro flows into. Traveling along this river is usually more interesting than visiting the lake itself.Tortuguero channels, located in the Caribe, flow along the Atlantic coast at north of port Moín toward the comunities of Parismina, Tortuguero, and Barra del Colorado. Most of the travelers head toward the National Park of Tortuguero, which protects an important beach dedicated to the spawning of the marine turtle and wide stretches of rainy forest with lowlands and swampy grounds. A journey for any of the channels stretches is a real adventure in the jungle, offering the opportunity to see animals such as crocodiles, three fingers sloths, golden orioles and herons. It´s also offered a world class quality fishing of tarpón and other species.
Costa Rica represents 0,03% of the planet´s surface, almost a 25% of the national territory is integrated by conservation areas constituted by National Parks, Biosphere Reservoirs, Protected Zones and Shelters. It has an abundant and exuberant flora and fauna. In that wide natural landscape with its several habitats and ecosystems more than 10.000 native plant species live.In 1940, Three fourth parts of the national territory were forest surface; however, in the 90s the forest covered a fourth part of the country. In order to preserve its huge wealthy, authorities have developed, since 1960, the most efective and ambitious ecological system of protection in America. The different Costa Rican forests have reservoirs of ebany, cedar tree, cypress, mahogany tree, brackens, guacimos, silk-cotton trees and oak tree; in the caribbean coast the palm tree grows and in the Pacific´s the mangrove does. There is also a predominance of caducifolios, rainy and cloudy forests; bosques ribereños and swampy. On the other hand, there are herbaceous lakes and coral reefs. There are also more than 1.000 species of orchids.Nowadays, the State tries to rescue and preserve this nature through the creation of politics of sustainable development which promotes an accurate use of natural resources.
Costa Rica is a paradise for ornithologists. Almost 850 different species of birds build their nests there, some of this birds are: quetzal, macaw, goldfinch, eagles; 50 species of hummingbirds, 15 of parrots, and 6 of toucans. In the coast region there are many pelicans and frigate birds, at the shores of lakes and rivers fisherheron and different species of herons.
