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Student Guide

GEOGRAPHY

Costa Rica is part of the isthmus forming a bridge between North and South America; therefore, housing geographical and climatic conditions that allow flora and fauna from the two continents to co-exist in one place, creating an amazing bio-diversity.

It has a land area of 51,100 km², the second smallest country in Central America, after El Salvador. Is it only 300 km across its widest point, but it would take fifteen hours in perfect conditions to drive from the Nicaraguan to the Panamanian border on the Inter-american Highway.

Its coastline lies on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The Caribbean Coast is riddled with white and black sand beaches sometimes uninterrupted for large stretches or marked by colorful coral reefs. Is is shrouded with lush tropical rainforests and a spectacular marine life. The Pacific side is over twice the length of its counter – part due to the nature of the borders and the dominant presence of two large peninsulas, the Nicoya and the Osa. The climate is much drier and the land not as rugged. Its beaches are vast with size and beauty, providing a paradise for relaxation.

There are four major mountain ranges running the length of the country, making up a backbone for Costa Rica. The Cordillera de Guanacaste extends south from Nicaragua and consists of active and recently active volcanoes, such as the Arenal and the Rincon de la Vieja. The Cordillera de Tilarán, following the Guanacaste Range, is very inaccessible and is made up of an older group of volcanic mountains. The Cordillera Central stands formidably towering over the Central Valley, and contains two active and two potentially active volcanoes.

These volcanoes have given the Valley rich and fertile soil. The Talamanca Range, which extends into Panama, is the oldest and southernmost of the four. It contains Mount Chirripó with an altitude of 3,820 meters, the highest point in southern Central America.

The country is divided into seven provinces: San José, Cartago, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, Guanacaste and Limón. The most populated of these, and also housing the capital, is San José. It is found in the Meseta Central (Central Valley), along with portions of Cartago, Alajuela, and Heredia; two-thirds of the country’s people live here.