Travel

Costa Rica (Spanish. Costa Rica or Republica de Costa Rica. pronounced [re?pu?lika ?e ?kosta ?rika] ) is a small country in Central America bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east.

Costa Rica is officially known as the Republic of Costa Rica

Since the late 1980's Costa Rica became a popular nature travel destination, and its main competitive advantage is its well-established system of national parks and protected areas, covering around 23.4% of the country's land area, the largest in the world as a percentage of the country's territory, and home to a rich variety of flora and fauna, in a country that has only 0.03% of the world's landmass, but that is estimated to contain 5% of the world's biodiversity. The country also has plenty of world renowned beaches, both in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, within short travel distances between both coasts both by air and land, and also several active volcanoes that can be visited with safety.

By the early 1990s, Costa Rica became known as the poster child of ecotourism. According to the Costa Rican Tourism Board. 46% of international tourists visiting the country in 2015 engaged in activities related to ecotourism, including trekking, flora, fauna, and bird watching, and visits to rural communities. However, most visitors look for adventure activities, which Costa Rica offers as well. Costa Rica was included by Ethical Traveler magazine in the 2015 and the 2015 list of The Developing World's 10 Best Ethical Destinations .

Costa Rica historically managed to stay away from the political turmoil and violence from which neighbouring nations still suffer. The nation constitutionally abolished its army permanently in the 1940s. It has also managed to be the only Latin American country included in the list of the world's 22 oldest democracies, paying homage to its stance as a peaceful and politically stable nation. Costa Rica has also consistently been among the top Latin American countries in the Human Development Index, and is cited by the UNDP as one of the countries that has attained much higher human development than other countries at the same income levels.

Costa Rica is ranked third in the world and first among the Americas in terms of the 2015 Environmental Performance Index. And the New Economics Foundation (NEF) ranked Costa Rica as the happiest nation in the world, both in 2015 and in 2015. This same organization (NEF) ranked Costa Rica as the "greenest" country in the world.

This nation has bewilderingly diverse culture, climates, flora, fauna, and landscapes. From rain forests, to dry tropical and temperate forests, to volcanoes, to Caribbean and Pacific beaches, to high mountains, and marshy lowlands.

Costa Rica constitutionally and permanently abolished its army in 1949.

Costa Rica is located on the Central American isthmus. lying between latitudes 8° and 12°N. and longitudes 82° and 86°W. It has a total of 1,290 kilometres (800 mi) of coastline, 212km (132 mi) on the Caribbean coast and 1,016km (631 mi) on the Pacific.

Costa Rica also borders Nicaragua to the north (309km or 192 mi of border) and Panama to the south-southeast (639km or 397 mi of border). In total, Costa Rica comprises 51,100 square kilometres (19,700 sq mi) plus 589 square kilometres (227 sq mi) of territorial waters.

The highest point in the country is Cerro Chirripo. at 3,819 metres (12,530 ft); it is the fifth highest peak in Central America. The highest volcano in the country is the Irazu Volcano (3,431m or 11,257 ft). The largest lake in Costa Rica is Lake Arenal .

Costa Rica also comprises several islands. Cocos Island (24 square kilometres / 9.3 square miles) stands out because of its distance from the continental landmass, 480km (300 mi) from Puntarenas. but Calero Island is the largest island of the country (151.6 square kilometres / 58.5 square miles).

Near 25% of Costa Rica's national territory is protected by SINAC (the National System of Conservation Areas ), which oversees all of the country's protected areas.

Celeste River, located at Tenorio Volcano National Park. is among the most popular destinations by both foreign and domestic tourists