About Costa Rica

Costa Rica is located in Central America, up north we find Nicaragua and south – east to Panama. It consists of 7 provinces and is known for its laid back life, friendly population, beaches and mountains. Costa Rican’s which call themselves “ ticos ” are very proud of their own country. They possess one of the lowest crime rates in the world, which makes it a safe place to travel for tourists. 25% of Costa Rica is protected wildlife, and contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity. This country is a perfect example of the importance of preserving the natural resources.

51.100 square kilometers compose the whole country, where you can find the most diverse and dense species in the world, even though it’s such a small country. Costa Rica has a population of approx. 4.13 million habitants. This is Latin America’s most popular tourism destination for vacations, due to its beautiful locations, but also because of the safety and personality of the locals in always being willing to help. A Nobel price of peace was honored to a Oscar Arias as well as the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism which was the republic’s president at the moment.

Costa Rica won the first place on the Happy Planet Index, this is an award that states that the own country provides long, happy and sustainable livings for the population of its own. In 2009 they were voted the greenest country in the world. Also it was placed on #4 in Human Development Index in Latin America and #52 in the world which takes into account the life expectancy, education and income indices. Voted #5 in the world for the Environmental Performance Index and #1 in America, this is a calculation of the environmental performance of a state’s policies. First country to remove the army, first one in America to ban the recreational hunting, and in 2007 they announced that they were going to become the 1st carbon neutral country by 2021.

Costa Rica’s Monteverde cloud forest is the 14th must see place in the world, where you can find a huge variety of different species, and flowers. You can find up to 850 different species of birds in the entire country, which is a tenth of all the species in the world. Costa Rica is also famous for their coffee that is exported to the entire world. The highest point in Costa Rica is Chirripo with 3820 mts, it’s the 5th highest point in all Central America. Costa Rica contains more than 200 volcanoes in which many are still active.