Costa Rica - Tourism and Travel

The Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America with coasts on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

It has an area of 19,730 square mile (51,100 square kilometers).

San José is the capital.

Costa Rica has plains along the coasts. Further inland, there are mountains.

In the center of the country, there is a plateau.

Along the Pacific seaboard, from Costa Rica north to Mexico, there is a belt of highly active volcanoes.

The Cordillera Central, a range of volcanic mountains, runs through Costa Rica and into Panama.

Breathtaking lava flows are often produced by Volcán Poás, a volcano in Cordillera Central.

The climate along the coasts is tropical. On the central plateau, the climate is temperate.

4,130,000 people live in Costa Rica. Most of them live on the country's central plateau.

94% of the population is white or a mixture of white and Native American, 3% are black, 1% are Chinese and 1% are Native American.

76% of the people are Roman Catholic.

The official language is Spanish. English Creole, Cabecar and Bribri are also spoken.

Agriculture and tourism form the basis of the economy.

The wildife of Costa Rica is rich and diverse. Ecotourism is very important.

Bananas, coffee and textiles are important exports.

Costa Rica has a presidential system of government.

The official currency is the colón, which equals 100 céntimos.