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Some amazing facts about Costa Rica
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Although Costa Rica covers only 0.03% of the earth's surface, this tiny country holds more than 5% of all life forms. It actively guards this incredible biodiversity in protected areas covering more than one-quarter of its land. It is no wonder, then, that Costa Rica is considered a model for conservation and draws nature lovers from all around the world. But there are many other attributes, from its friendly, peace-loving culture and people, to its relatively stable economy and its many historical secrets, that make the nation a fascinating place to visit. Below we've listed just a few "amazing
facts" about this country.
Costa Rica's dense tropical rain forests contain an estimated 2,000 species
of plants and trees, 75% of which remain unknown and unstudied. Discover More About Costa Rica. Enter Here Coastal Riches – Costa Rica! In Spanish, Costa Rica means “rich coast.” Costa Rica is rich in many ways. You’ll find it between Panama and Nicaragua in Central America. When you think of Costa Rica, you think of banana and coffee plantations, colorful wildlife and birds, diverse beach, rainforest & mountain countryside! Do you love coffee? I do. When I go to Costa Rica I really indulge my coffee vice. I like to tour the plantations and sample the local roasts. Go read http://www.sweetmarias.com/coffee.central.costarica.html where there is a wonderful review of Costa Rican coffee. They say it is mild, clean and balanced. I agree. This reviewer says there are around 130,000 coffee farms in Costa Rica of various sizes. They say that the coffee is very similar from one farm to another. I also love bananas. Most Americans do. I definitely prefer the organic ones. Bananas are the second most important industry in Costa Rica, second to the tourism (not the coffee). Bananas have been exported from Costa Rica since the late 1800’s. Most likely the banana trees were brought in from Asia by the Spanish. Costa Rica is also known for a rich variety of colorful animals and birds. Imagine seeing macaws, parrots and toucans that are not in a zoo! Spoonbills, blue herons and cormorants also live in Costa Rica. Then there are the spider monkeys and otters, and don’t forget the crocodiles! That’s plenty of variety right there and there are way too many others to list. Green Turtle Research Station is in Costa Rica. They are trying to preserve the turtles that are in danger of extinction. Volcanoes abound in Costa Rica, too. Arenal Volcano stands a mile high. It’s young. As volcanoes go, it’s only about 3000 years old. Between 1968 and 1998 it erupted several times. That’s more excitement than I’d want on my vacation! Get information about volcanoes at http://sio.ucsd.edu/volcano/. Check out Caravan Tours 10-day all-inclusive packages starting around $1,000. They’re online at http://www.caravantours.com/Tours/discover-costa-rica.html. Their tours include all sorts of various Costa Rican attractions. Sometimes you even get to visit children’s classes in the schools if they’re in session. In 1998, Kath Adams founded Empowerment International to help educate young children in Costa Rica so they would not have to live on the streets. Empowerment International also provides emergency medical care when funding is available. Check their site at www.empowermentinternational.org to see how you can be helpful. Costa Rica is a fabulous vacation spot. It would be great to give something back to its children so we can visit it for many years to come! Discover More About Costa Rica. Enter Here
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More than 10% of Costa Rica's territory is under the protection of the
National Parks Department for parks and preserves.