Figure 1.--Coosta Rica has only two seaons, the rainy season and the season, common in the tropics. Here we see sceen from Costa Rica's lush Central Valley, probanly from the 1960s. Note the solid wood wheels on the ox cart. The photograph was taken during a downpour caracteristic of the rainy season. Phtographer: Roger Webster.

Costa Rica is a small Central American country, spanning the Isthmus between the two countries it borders, Panama and Nicaragua. Interior mountains create the country's spine. the Cordillera de Guanacaste in the north near Nicaragua. has only moderate elevators. The Cordillera Central and the Cordillera de Talamanca form the bulk of the interior highlands. The Central Valley in the Highlands are the country's most poductive agriciltural area. The interior highlands was no small matter. Most of the capital cities in Central and South America are located in higher interior elevations. The more tropical lowlands exposed Europeans to tropical diseases. The interior mountains are dominated by Cerro Chirripó (3,819 meters), the country's highest point. Costa Rica has 14 volcnoes, 6 of which have been active in the 20th and early 21st centuries. The largest volcano is Irazú (3,431 m). Volcanoes can wreak huge damage, but they also have positive impact. enrich the soil creating incredibly fertile soil. The most important river is the Térraba (160 km). Thee is also a small lake -- Lake Arenal. The the 10th parallel crosses Costa Rica. Costa Rica is located close to the equator, resulting in a sub-tropical climate, partially moderated by the elevations in the interior mountain uplands. Costa Rica is located close to the equator There are only two seasons. The dry season occurs (December to April). This rainy season sometimes called the green season lasts (May to November). The warmest months are at the end of the dry season (March and April). The coolest are at the beginning of the dry season (December and January). Precipitation occurs year round and here is some rain during the dry season and some dry days during the rainy season. Over a quarter of the country is composed of conservation and natural protected territory. The country's biodiversity has attracted increasing interest in recent years. Despite the fact that the country is small, covering a minuscule part of the earth's surface area, it is the habitat for an estimated 6 percent of the world's biodiversity. Costa Rica has the largest inhabited island in the world. Costa Rica has one of the larger uninhabited islands in the world. The Cocos Island, with a surface of only about 24 kilometers (km), hugely increased Costa Rica's Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Created: 11:32 AM 1/25/2025
Last updated: 11:32 AM 1/25/2025