Costa Rica is a small country on the isthmus of Central America a little smaller than West Virginia. The country shares borders with Nicaragua and Guatemala. Costa Rica is tropical with a dry season from December to April and a wet season from May until November. Because of the mountainous terrain, hundreds of microclimates can be found throughout the country including dry forests, mangroves, wetlands, tropical rain forests, and cool cloud forests at the tops of the volcanoes. The Meseta Central, the central valley is a fertile plain and home to San Jose, Heredia, Alajuela, and Cartago--four of the five largest cities in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica was originally occupied by civilizations which left very little in the way of written records of daily life, but the civilizations were a major trading link between the Meso American civilizations to the north and the Andean civilizations to the south. Christopher Columbus arrived in what is now Costa Rica in September 1502. on his fourth voyage to the new world. In 1506, Spain began to colonize Costa Rica, but it was a long process due to the thick jungle, rugged terrain, and tropical diseases. In 1564, the first permanent settlement was established at Cartago. The conquistadores and disease decimated the native population. The Spanish crown didn't take much interest in Costa Rica because there was no gold or othr mineral wealth. In 1821, Costa Rica declared independence from Spain along with the other countries of Central America. Costa Rica has been a democracy from the beginning. At the end of the 19th century, Costa Rica's agricultural sector flourished, attracting European immigrants. The 1948 civil war over a contested election cost over 2000 lives but resulted in a constitution granting universal suffrage and abolishing the military. The national park system began in teh 1960s and has grown to protect about 11% of Costa Rica's land. Over 25% of Costa Rica's land has been set aside for conservation as national parks, biological reserves, wildlife refuges, monuments, and other protected areas.

Quick Facts

Official Country Name: Republic of Costa Rica

Size: 51,100 km², slightly smaller than West Virginia

Population: 4,134,000

Government: Democratic Republic

Currency: Costa Rica Colon, currently US $1 is about CRC 500

Official Language: Spanish