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General Info	Why Costa Rica	Costa Rica People
Costa Rica History	Costa Rica Government	Costa Rica Map
Costa Rica Ecoturism	Costa Rica Nature	Costa Rica Demographics
Famous Costa Rican	Costa Rica Culture	Costa Rica Football Team
Costa Rica Religions	Costa Rica Educations	Costa Rica Health

General Info

Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica (Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica, IPA: republica ðe 'kosta 'rika]), is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army.

Courtesy of : Costa Rica Info

Costa Rica 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.

Costa Rica Area

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

Costa Rica Geographic Division

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

Costa Rica Climate

Tropical, average temperature around 27º C / 80º F.

Costa Rica Time

GMT / UTC minus 6 hours

Costa Rica 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 Jóse, and resorts throughout the country have employees who also speak english.

Costa Rica Electricity

110V, 60 Hz

Costa Rica Currency & Exchange rate

The Colón (¢1,00) is the national currency of Costa Rica. The exchange rate against the US dollar can vary day by day, but as of April 2004, it is ¢426 colones per dollar.

Costa Rica Credit Cards

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

Costa Rica 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.

Costa Rica Departure Tax

As of March 2004 it is $ 26.

Costa Rica Visa Requirements

Visitors from the following countries are allowed to stay for 90 days without a visa: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, United States and all European countries except from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czech Republics, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Visitors from these countries are allowed to stay for 30 days without a visa: Australia, Belice, China, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, The Philippines and Venezuela.

Costa Rica Suggested items to bring

Pants, Shorts, T-shirts, Hiking Shoes, Socks and extra socks, Bathing suit, Sandals, Waterproof sunscreen, sunglasses, Light-weight hat, Day Pack, Light rain jacket, Flashlight, Insect Repellent, Umbrella, Casual Attire for nights, Binoculars, Camera and film.

Geography

Costa Rica is located on the Central American isthmus, 10° North of the equator and 84° West of the Prime Meridian. It borders both the Caribbean Sea (to the east) and the North Pacific Ocean (to the west), with a total of 1,290 kilometres (802 mi) of coastline (212 km / 132 mi on the Caribbean coast and 1,016 km / 631 mi on the Pacific).

Costa Rica also borders Nicaragua to the north (309 km / 192 mi of border) and Panama to the south-southeast (639 km / 397 mi of border). In total, Costa Rica comprises 51,100 square kilometers (19,730 sq. mi) plus 589.000 square kilometers of territorial waters.

The highest point in the country is Cerro Chirripó, with 3,810 metres (12,500 ft), and is the fifth highest peak in Central America. The highest volcano in the country is the Irazú Volcano (3,431 m or 11,257 ft). The largest lake in Costa Rica is Lake Arenal.

Costa Rica also comprises several islands. Cocos Island stands out because of its distance from continental landmass (24 km² or 9.25 sq mi, 500 km or 310 mi from Puntarenas coast), but Calero Island is the biggest island of the country (151.6 km² or 58.5 sq mi).

Costa Rica protects over 25% of its national territory within national parks. It also possess the greatest density of species in the world.