Costa Rica

Costa Rica Facts Page

Costa Rica is slightly smaller than West Virginia.

In 1502, on his fourth and last voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus made the first European landfall in the area.

Tourism has overtaken bananas as Costa Rica's leading foreign exchange earner. Boasting a wide diversity of eco-climates and settings, Costa Rica is attractive to travelers seeking beaches, tropical forests, active volcanoes, mountain settings, and a wide array of activities. Surfing, canopy zip-lining, hiking, birdwatching, and fishing are some of the most popular draws.

Costa Rica protects 23% of its national territory within the Protected Areas system. It also possesses the greatest density of species in the world.

Costa Rica means “Rich Coast.

Costa Rica is ranked 5th in the world in terms of Environmental Performance Index. In 2007, the Costa Rican government announced plans to become the first carbon neutral country by 2021.

Costa Rica ranks first in the Happy Planet Index (measures how much of the Earth’s resources a nation uses and how long and happy a life their citizens enjoy as a result) and is the greenest country in the world.

There are about 52 species of hummingbirds in Costa Rica, making Costa Rica a true North American hummingbird capitol. The Costa Rican hummingbirds are most often found in the rain forest, as they pollinate flowers in the area where bees cannot travel.

Monkeys are one of the most common mammals in Costa Rica – next to bats. There are about four common species of monkeys in Costa Rica, including the Howler money, Spider money, white-faced capuchin, and the squirrel monkey. Most monkeys live in groups of 10 to 40 with other animals.

Costa Rica hosts more than 5% of the world’s biodiversity even though its landmass only takes up .03% of the planet's surface.

Instead of saying “she gave birth”, Costa Rican’s say “Ella dio a luz” or “She gave light.”

At 7:00 am in the morning every radio station forecast a national anthem and then the most important news and announcements for the day. If somebody dies, they are usually buried the same day (no embalming). The obituaries are run on TV several times a day so everyone can learn if they lost any relatives and make it to the funeral on time

Driving is a challenging undertaking in Costa Rica. Bridges are usually one way, there are no signs and not a lot of street lights. Even if there is a light and it is red, don't assume that every driver will obey and stop. If somebody dies in a traffic accident, there will be a big yellow heart with a crack in it painted on the road. If you see too many of those designs while driving be more careful and drive very cautiously.

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