About Costa Rica
Why Costa Rica?
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 amazing topography with extremely young soils. This creates wonderful and continuous changing landscapes for the ones going across the country.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 Volcanic Mountain Range (That ends with the Arenal Volcano), continues with the Tilaran Cordillera (location of Monteverde), the Central Volcanic Mountain Range (Irazu, Poas, and Turrialba volcanoes and Braulio Carrillo National Park), and finishes with the southern Talamanca Tectonic Mountain Range, which is the highest in the country, getting to 12,500 ft. (3,819 mts.).
While the Pacific coastline is almost 780 miles (1,254 km), the Caribbean is only 132 miles (212 km). And this phenomenon is due to the fact that most all 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, which is mainly for cruises, and Puerto Caldera, that is used for all sorts of imports except oil that is brought into the Caribbean ports. In this area there is a natural harbor in the Moin - Limon area. And there are as well two ports: The Moin, where the oil is brought in, and the Alemán (German Peer) where cruises arrive as well as many other ships.
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, temperature, rainfall and height 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 this ocean is warmer and has more evaporation, forming more permanent clouds and rains year-round than the Pacific. At sea level on either side, the annual average is always above 75°F (24°C). Some of the highest peaks average 54°F (12°C), though temperatures there can fall below freezing.
In Costa Rica the word season lacks the significance that there can be in other latitudes. Since there are no big changes in temperature we can talk actually about two periods, the rainy season (that costarricans call "invierno" -winter-) and the dry season (that is called "verano" summer-). And it really depends where you are in the map to say when do they start and where do they end.
Being in the North Pacific Zone the Dry Season starts in November and goes all the way until June sometimes. If you're in the center part of the country or the South Pacific then it is November to May, although there have been very rainy Decembers. And if you are in the Caribbean well! That is another story In the Caribbean there are two seasons too: The rainy season and the rainiest season. Only kidding! There are actually two dry seasons in the Caribbean, one that goes from the start of March until the end of April and the other one happens in September and October, right at the end of the Green Turtle nesting season. But this is precisely the Caribbean to be so luscious and rich in flora and fauna!
But if you happen to come from December to February you might find a surprising need for a good jacket, because Costa Rica is one of the few tropical countries that get, every now and then some of the north cold winds blowing through the mountains.
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 (the type of rain you wish you had a helmet instead of an umbrella) with impressive lightning and thunder, or a steady rain that usually lasts a couple of hours, or the less common, a continuous light rain for several days (temporal) that usually happens whenever there is a hurricane or similar in the Caribbean Ocean, somewhere.
Even in the rainy season, rain will not fall during the all day, every day. It usually begins early in the 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 are flowering at this time, such as the pink, the white and the yellow puis, the ç, called the flame of the forest too, and the Royal Poinciana.
Costa Rica can brag that it is the country with the highest percentage (31%) of its territory designated as protected areas: Forest Reserves, Biological Reserves, Nature Shelters, and of course, National Parks. Out of this percentage, 26% of it is government owned and 5% is privately owned with projects of Sustainable Development.
Location
Costa Rica is one of the seven small nations that together form 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 big continental masses, and two very different oceans, this junction of land and water makes the area a great bottleneck, rich in bio diversity.Area
51,100 sq km (19,929 square miles)Geographic Division
Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces which are: Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas and San José (Capital City)Here, geography compresses a magnificent 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, 1,200 of orchids, 2,000 kinds of trees, 870 species of birds (only in hummingbirds we find 54 types!) and 200 species of mammals.
Both coastlines of Costa Rica have an abundance of beaches, although the Pacific strands are generally both, more developed and more spacious.
The capital, San Jose, rests roughly in the nation's center, settled within a highland valley.
Flowing down from the central mountains are Costa Rica's many great rivers, including the Reventazon, the Pacuare, the Terraba or the Tempisque.
Funny casualty the two broad peninsulas that hook out into the Pacific, the Nicoya and the Osa mark the Pacific side have their shapes almost identical, the Osa being a smaller rendition of the Nicoya.
Climate
Costa Rica's climate is renowned as an atmospheric luxury. Mild subtropical conditions prevail year-round, and awkward temperature extremes or prolonged periods of gray are practically absent. Temperature varies mainly according to elevation, the higher it is, the cooler it gets.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 110 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 and it is worth to confirm the exchange of the day.Although the U.S. dollars are received everywhere in the country, so unless you're totally getting off the beaten pathway, changing thirty to forty dollars will be more than enough. Traveler checks have to be changed in banks.
