Costa Rica is unquestionably one of the most popular vacation destinations around the world. It is certainly one of the most exotic places to visit as it offers travelers an astounding varied topography. From hot sandy beaches to wild cloud forests and active volcanoes, this beautiful country attracts over two million visitors every year.
Costa Rica is located on the Central American isthmus, bordering both the Caribbean Sea (to the east) and the Pacific Ocean (to the west). It also borders Nicaragua (to the north) and Panama (to the southeast).
Its capital city San José is the largest in Costa Rica and operates as the main entry point into the country, served by Juan Santamaría International Airport and followed by the Daniel Oduber Quiros Airport located in the city of Liberia, Guanacaste.
Costa Rica Guides offers elaborate country and regional maps divided in 7 different categories:
- Climate map: provides general information about the weather and precipitation of the country.
- Resource or economic map: shows the type of natural resources or economic activities in the area.
- Physical map: illustrates the mountains, volcanoes, rivers, lakes and beaches throughout Costa Rica.
- Political map: indicates provinces, national boundaries and the country’s capital and major cities.
- Road map: features main highways and roads, airports, railroad tracks, cities and points of interest in each region. You will also find distances and driving times to the main attractions.
- Provinces map: provides information of provinces, limits, roads and attractions.
- Touristic areas: These maps show detailed information about specific that visitors may require for planning their vacation.
Explore our maps and get to know this naturally scenic country in a more detailed way. They will be of great use to you when planning your Costa Rica vacation.
Costa Rica Map
Other Maps
Physical Geography of Costa Rica
The nation's terrain is coastal plain separated by rugged mountains, the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera de Talamanca, which form the spine of the country and separate the Pacific and Caribbean watersheds. Costa Rica claims an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles (370 km) and a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles (22 km).
The spine of the country produces many major river systems. Rivers draining into the Caribbean include:
- Rio Colorado
- Rio Pacuare
- Rio Parismina
- Rio Reventazon
- Rio Sixaola
Rivers draining into the Lake Nicaragua or the San Juan River (whose waters eventually drains into the Caribbean) include:
- Rio Sapoá
- Rio Frío
- Rio San Carlos
- Rio Sarapiquí
Rivers draining into the Pacific Ocean include:
- Rio Abangares
- Rio Guacimal
- Rio Sierpe
- Rio Tempisque
- Rio Terraba
In the eastern half of the country, the Rio San Juan forms the northern border with Nicaragua.
Mountain ranges
Cordillera de Tilarán
The Tilaran Range is part of the Continental Divide east of Lake Arenal and the nearby active volcano Arenal, and running into the Cordillera Central range further east. It is located in the Abangares district of the province of Guanacaste.
At the edge of the range is the Monteverde cloud forest preserve, a major ecotourism destination.
Cordillera Central
The Central Range continues the Continental Divide east of Cordillera de Tilarán. It has four large volcanoes: Poás, Barva, Irazú and Turrialba. The highest peak is Irazú at 3,432 m.
Cordillera de Guanacaste
The Guanacaste Range is in northern Costa Rica near the border with Nicaragua. The range as forms part of the southern region of the Continental Divide, with the highest peak is the extinct stratovolcano Miravalles at 2,028 m. Peaks include:
Miravalles Volcano (2,028 metres)
Orosí Volcano (1,659 metres)
Rincón de la Vieja Volcano (1,916 metres)
Cordillera de Talamanca
Much of the Talamanca Range is included in the La Amistad International Park, which also is shared between the two countries.
Cerros de Escazú
The Cerros de Escazú It borders the Central Valley to the south and is considered the northernmost portion of the Cordillera de Talamanca.
Climate and ecology
The country has a tropical and subtropical climate and is part of the Neotropic ecozone. It is part of many ecoregions, including Costa Rican seasonal moist forests, Bocas del Toro-San Bastimentos Island-San Blas mangroves, Mosquitia-Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast mangroves, Southern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves, Central American dry forests, and Talamancan montane forests. An inlet from the Pacific the Gulf of Nicoya contains several small islands, the largest of these being Chira Island with a population of around four thousand.
Costa Rica's dry season in most places is from December to April, while the rainy season is from May to November. On the Caribbean coast, however, December is by far the wettest month. The highlands areas are always cooler. The lowest elevation level in the country is the Pacific Ocean at sea level, the highest point is Cerro Chirripó, a volcanic mountain with an elevation of 3,810 m (part of Chirripó National Park). On a clear day, it is possible to see both the Caribbean and the Pacific from the peak.
Protected Areas
See also: National Parks of Costa Rica and List of Conservation Areas of Costa Rica
The country is noted for its national park system, administered by SINAC (Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion, or "National System of Conservation Areas"). This agency oversees the 26 national park, and more than 160 protected areas in Costa Rica. The other types of protected areas in Costa Rica are National Wildlife Refuges, Biological Reserves, Protection Zones, and Absolute Nature Reserves. Together the protected areas comprise over one-fourth of Costa Rican territory.
Tortuguero National Park
The creation of the Tortuguero National Park in 1970 gave much needed protection to one of the region's most important and unique natural resources: a 22-km. stretch of shoreline that serves as the principal nesting site throughout the western half of the Caribbean Sea for the Atlantic Green Sea Turtle. Watching these great reptiles emerge from the tropical sea and haul their 100+ kg. bodies ashore to lay their eggs under cover of darkness is truly a memorable spectacle. The nesting season for the green turtles extends from July to October.
International Law
Costa Rica is party to many environmental treaties, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on Environmental Modification, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Montreal Protocol, the Ramsar Convention, the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, the Desertification Convention, the Endangered Species Convention, the Basel Convention, the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Convention on Marine Dumping, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. It has signed but not ratifed the Convention on Marine Life Conservation and the Kyoto Protocol.
Central America gained independence from Spain on September 15, 1820
Natural resources:
Hydropower from Lake Arenal, the largest lake in Costa Rica.
Natural hazards: occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season; active volcanoes (See Climate of Costa Rica).
Environment - current issues: deforestation, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching; soil erosion; water pollution (rivers); fisheries protection; solid waste management
source: wikipedia
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