A brief history of Costa Rica (Rich Coast), which is in between Nicaragua and Panama, at the very southern tip of Central America; right in the tropics, between 9º and 11º degrees north of the equator.

There are only two seasons that we Costa Ricans call summer and winter, but actually they are the dry season and rainy season. The temperature is very much the same throughout the year. So, normally the weather is great. It is tropical and subtropical. It is cold on highlands (65º), hot and humid in the lowlands (90º) However, the central valley has an annual average temperature of (74º) during the daytime and lower at night. Actually, our temperature is defined by the elevation, not so much by summer or winter as in temperate zones.



Costa Rica enjoys one of the longest and most stable democracies in Latin America. We have had for many years a very strong political stability and have no army since 1949. This allows us to use a high percentage of the national budget for health care and education. We also have very high literacy levels and of course, one of the highest life expectancies and a very low infant mortality rate in Latin America.

A peaceful socio-political environment, high education standards, very charming people and a happy society sets us apart. Costa Rica a very interesting and safe place to come for a visit to appreciate and learn about our culture and to enjoy the tremendous variety of ecosystems offered in our country. We have ecosystems which can only be seen in this part of the world; misty cloud forest, dry seasonal forest, wetlands, highlands, rain forest, and so on.

In the last few years ecotourism together with technology have become two major industries in our nation. We're not a banana republic anymore and not only that, ticos (as Costa Ricans are known), are very much into conservation and preservation of our natural beauty.

Actually we are pioneers of ecotourism as Costa Rica has designated almost 30% of the land as protected areas such as national parks (12%), biological stations, private forest reserves and wildlife refuges. As you can see our small nation is putting a lot of effort into conservation. These are good reasons to come into this country.

Costa Rica will impress you with the natural splendor and its beauty. So, give us the opportunity to show you our country and our national parks. We have a lot to offer with the diversity and variety of amazing places to go and things to do.