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Costa Rica is located in Central America, between Panama and Nicaragua. It is a little larger than Switzerland, with just 50,000 km2 extension. The 10% of the 3.4 million people living in San Jose, and more than half the population lives in the Central Valley, occupying less than 20% of the national territory. This nation is a founding member of the United Nations since 1945. There are several active volcanoes: Irazu, Poás, Rincon de la Vieja and Arenal, the most active of all, with eruptions every 15 minutes. The highest mountain is the Cerro Chirrip which reaches 3,820 m or 12,000 feet high. The coastline extends 1,800 km and has three peninsulas (Osa, Nicoya and Papagayo). Approximately one-sixth of the national territory has been locked in the form of national parks and wildlife reserves-an extension exceeding territory size of Switzerland. The country also has the famous Cocos Island, located some 500 km from the Pacific coast. 80% of the population is of Spanish origin.
The Central Valley, or the plateau surrounding San Jose is located at an altitude of 1,165 m or 3,880 feet. Because of its location and an average annual temperature of 20 degrees almost constant 68 F Co., its climate is regarded as the healthiest on the planet, according to a study by NASA. You can enjoy a wide variety of micro-climates depending on the region and the altitude at which it is: green ridges, rainy and cold, where they have established many dairies, the rainy and dry tropical forests, the Caribbean coast and wet Pacific dry and the cloud forest. You can find almost everything! The highest region that has a hotel, a 3,000 m or 9,000 feet, you can see frost almost every night. Its wide range of climates allows for the existence of multiple forms of animal and plant life: 9,000 species of flowering plants, 1,200 orchid plants, 850 birds, 205 mammals and 376 species of reptiles and amphibians.
