General Informations About Costa Rica

Official name: (Nombre Oficial): Republic of Costa Rica

Boarders: (Límites):
North: Nicaragua
Southeast: Panama
East: Atlantic Ocean
West: Pacific Ocean

Capital City: (Capital): San José

Currency: (Moneda): Colón

Official language: (Idioma Oficial): Spanish

Territory extension: (Extensión territorial): 51 100 km2

Highest peak: (Montaña más alta): Chirripo Mountain (3820 mts.over sea level)

National flower: (Flor Nacional): Guaria Morada (Cattleya skinneri)

National tree: (Árbol Nacional): Guanacaste (Enterolobiom cyclocarpum)

National bird: (Ave Nacional): Yigüirro (Turdus grayii)

Climate: (Clima):

-Tropical with two seasons: dry (from December to April) and rainny (the rest of the year).

-Tropical con dos estaciones al año: seca de diciembre a abril y lluviosa el resto del año.

Population: (Población): 4,075,863: Men, 2,071,570; women, 2,004,293

4.075.863:, Hombres: 2.071.570, Mujeres: 2.004.293

Living average: (Esperanza de Vida): 79.9 years old for women and 75.2 years old for men (2001).

79. 9 años para las mujeres y 75.6 años para los hombres (2001).

Administrative division: (División administrativa): 7 provinces (San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Puntarenas, Limon, and Guanacaste), 81 cantons, and 463 districts.

7 provincias (San José, Heredia, Guanacaste, Limón, Alajuela, Cartago y Puntarenas) 81 cantones y 463 distritos.

Source: (Fuente): 2000 census, Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (Statistics and Census National Institute)

Censo 2000, Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos.

Our people
In Costa Rica there are 4,075,863 people including immigrants from Nicaragua, Cuba, Colombia, North America, China, and others.

Most part of the population lives in the Central Valley. Most Costa Ricans descend from Spanish immigrants. We are world wide known as "ticos" because we use the term "ico" in many words like "chiquitico" that means very little.

Ticos are known for our hospitality, courtesy, and education. When you talk to them, they can put a hand in your back or give you a smile.

Something peculiar from Costa Ricans is that addresses are given taking as reference well known places like shopping centers or parks, and not streets or avenues like in the rest of the world.

Next is a list of some of the main terms used by ticos when speaking:

Costa Rican Cuisine:
It is very rich and varied; we have a great number of typical dishes eaten all around the country. The main dish is "gallo pinto", a combination of rice and beans spiced with onion, red pepper and cilantro. It can be consumed at any time of the day and it can be served with eggs and sour cream.

Rice with chicken is a combination of these two ingredients with onion, red pepper, cilantro, and other spices. It is served with potato chips or French fries.

The "casado" is a dish that has rice, beans, plantains, salad, and a type of meat.

Olla de carne: it is like a soup of boiled vegetables with meat, onions, red pepper and cilantro. It can be eaten with tortillas or bread.

There are special meals typical of the Caribbean (Limon) like pan bon (a kind of bread with fruits, cinnamon and cloves), patie (a meat pie) and Rice and Beans (rice and beans mixed with coconut milk and oil).

Posol: it is a traditional indigenous soup made of corn. Pork, onion, red pepper, and cilantro can be added.

Tamal: it is made of ground corn and it is filled with pork, rice, red pepper, vegetables. It is wrapped in plantain leaves and boiled. It can be accompanied by coffee and it is typical of Christmas time. Each family has its own recipe.

Agua dulce: it is one of the most common drinks made of "tapa de dulce" extracted from the sugar cane. It is prepared with water.  We also drink coffee, tea, and "guaro", which is the most common alcoholic beverage along with beers.

Climate:
We are located in the intertropical region. It has abundant rain and warm temperatures. We have two seasons during the year: a dry season between December and April and the rainy season between May and November. However, both seasons can weave together.

Temperatures vary according to height in regards to the sea level. In the coast and beaches it oscillates between 21º C and 32º C, while in the highest or cold regions it oscillates between 5º C and 15º C. They can also vary due to the position of the mountains, the narrow territory, and the Trade Winds from the Caribbean.

Flora and Fauna:
Costa Rica has been considered a biological and cultural bridge due to its geographical position. It is a country rich in flora and fauna. We have a 5% of the planet's biodiversity.

This extraordinary beauty favors us being a resource from which we base the sustainable development, and providing economical and social benefits based on the protection and conservation of our natural resources. With 37,000 km of roads, the visitor can access easily to our natural riches.

The conservation policies along the country, have helped in the creation of national parks, biological and forest reserves, as well as wildlife refuges. Around 13000 species of plants, 850 species of birds, 6500 species of butterflies, 163 amphibians, 220 reptiles, and 1600 fishes as well as a great number of mammals such as the jaguar and puma, are protected in those places. This nature and its conservation policies have given Costa Rica international recognition.

Costa Rica offers beautiful beaches along its 1816 km of coasts. Some of them are refuge to many turtles which lay their eggs there such as Tortuguero in the Caribbean, and Playa Grande and Ostional in Guanacaste.

Costa Rica is also known by its flora. It has been classified according to its altitude and quantity of rain.

The humid tropical forest is characteristic of the low, hot and rainy lands ( north of the Caribbean and the South Pacific). Trees are very tall, blocking light entrance. There are also ferns, parasites, and lianas. Tortuguero and Corcovado ara an example of this type of forest.

The dry tropical forest can be found in the North Pacific, where plants are high and the trees lose their leaves during the dry season and flourish little time later. This type of forest is preserved mainly in national parks such as Santa Rosa, Palo Verde or Cabo Verde.

The mixed or cloudy forest, with abundant clouds and fog, is very humid and responsible for the country's hydrographic richness because water filters like brooks and rivers that flow down the mountains. This forest has a great number of plants and trees and beautiful colorful flowers.

In the highest regions (more than 3000 m.) we can find the cold areas with temperatures below zero. There are bushes or small trees. Plants have strong leaves that resist the temperatures.

Geography
Four mountain ranges run across the country: the Guanacaste Volcanic Range, the Tilarán Range, the Central Volcanic Range and the Talamanca Range, where the Chirripó peak is located. The latter is the highest peak in the country, reaching 3 820 meters above the sea level.

The landscape in the mountain regions with active volcanoes like the Poás, Arenal, Turrialba and Rincón de la Vieja, is lovely. Between the ranges there are fertilevalleys and vast plains with imposing rivers.

These rivers flow into the oceans that skirt its coasts, which stretch 225 kilometers on the Caribbean side and 1103 kilometers on the Pacific Ocean side. Along these coasts there are beaches bordered by exuberant vegetation.

Transportation:
Costa Rica is accessible by land, sea, and air. There are two international airports, the Juan Santamaria in Alajuela near San Jose, and the Daniel Oduber in Liberia, Guanacaste. There are other airports that give service to local airlines that travel to almost every tourist place in the country.

There are ports that fulfill the international standards. They are located in Limon in the Caribbean and in Caldera, Puntarenas in the Pacific.

Public transportation is affordable for nationals and tourists. There are buses that take people from town to town. Taxi service is another alternative and the cost depends on the distance, so drivers must have a meter to establish the cost of the service.

Communications;
Costa Rica has a very advanced communications system with telephones and fax machines all over the country. To call or fax to Costa Rica from another part of the world, you have to dial 506 before the number you want to call. And to call from Costa Rica to ano-ther country, you can dial 116 to use an operator or through MIDA system dialing 00 + country code + city code + phone number.

The mail service is very reliable. There are more than a hundred post offices around the country as well as the internet service which is available in most part of the country. National and international newspapers and magazines are sold in the streets or in shopping centers.

Information Source: Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT)