From wildlife and geography to food and drinks, these fascinating details about Costa Rica are assured to shock you!
Welcome to the land of ‘pura vida’. Costa Rica is a rustic recognized for peace, wildlife and unimaginable adventures. It additionally occurs to be one among my favorite international locations on the planet to journey to. I completely adore the combination of landscapes. One minute you’re street tripping previous energetic volcanoes, the subsequent you’re stress-free on a Caribbean seaside, or trekking by way of a rainforest seeing monkeys, toucans and sloths. I additionally suppose Costa Ricans, or Ticos as they’re referred to, are a few of the happiest, friendliest and most useful I’ve met on my travels.
I’ve visited Costa Rica twice already and I’m already planning a repeat journey. It truly is a magical nation. I’ve realized so much concerning the nation on my previous couple of journeys, however there have been actually a couple of gaps in my information. For that purpose I made a decision to seek out out extra and pop collectively a definitive record of fascinating details about Costa Rica. These cowl every part from tallest volcanoes to quirky details about sloths.
In the event you’re planning a go to quickly, undoubtedly have a learn of those Costa Rica details earlier than you journey. They’ll get you excited for what you’ll be seeing in your vacation. Little doubt you’ll be taught a couple of new items of trivia when you’re there too!
34 Fascinating Info about Costa Rica
Normal details about Costa Rica
Do you know the identify Costa Rica interprets actually from Spanish as ‘rich coast’. Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering the nation all the best way again in 1502. So why did he suppose it was worthy of its wealthy title? As a result of he believed it was stuffed with valuable metals.
As of April 2021, the inhabitants of Costa Rica was 5,094,118 individuals. It’s essentially the most visited nation in Central America, with round 3 million guests yearly. In 2019, 1.3 million of these vacationers have been from the US. Simply over 500,000 travelled from Europe, with the highest international locations being Germany (80,000) and the UK (78,000).
Once you’re travelling in Costa Rica you’re assured to listen to the phrases Ticos and Ticas. That is what Costa Ricans seek advice from themselves as, and is commonly used as a nickname by different nationalities for these from the nation too.
Procuring in Costa Rica? Don’t forgot to hold some colón (₡) – Costa Rica’s nationwide foreign money. It has been used within the nation since 1897. 1 Colón is split into 100 Céntimos. You’ll discover USD $ are extensively accepted too.
Earlier than your journey you would possibly wish to brush up in your Spanish. In any case, it’s the official language of Costa Rica. Nonetheless, with tourism enjoying such an enormous half within the nation’s economic system, many individuals converse English too.
There’s one phrase you’ll hear wherever you go in Costa Rica. ‘Pura Vida’. It interprets because the pure life, however is a lot greater than a saying. It’s a greeting for whats up, how are you and goodbye, plus a lifestyle that’s calm, content material and peaceable.
One of the crucial fascinating details about Costa Rica is that it doesn’t have a military. The Costa Rican military was abolished again in 1949 following a 44-day civil struggle by which greater than 2,000 individuals died. Immediately it is called a impartial, peaceable nation.
Have you ever heard of Blue Zones earlier than? They’re areas the place individuals stay longer and more healthy lives than different locations on the planet. To place this in perspective, there are solely 5 on the planet, and 1 is Nicoya in Costa Rica. Researchers found that the majority inhabitants stay to a minimum of the age of 90, and plenty of go 100 years of age. Actually, Nicoya is house to the best variety of centenarians on the planet.
Costa Rica is striving to turn out to be one among a handful of carbon impartial international locations, and already generates virtually 98% of its vitality by way of renewable sources. It’s now pledged to attain zero web emissions by 2050, that means it might produce no extra emissions than it may possibly offset.
The flag of the nation accommodates blue, white and pink stripes. The darkish blue is for the sky, idealism and alternatives. The white stripes symbolize peace, knowledge and happiness. In the meantime, the pink on the Costa Rican flag stands for the blood of the individuals defending the nation in addition to the heat of the individuals.
The flag additionally has a defend on it, which accommodates 3 volcanoes, 2 ships on water (representing the Pacific and Caribbean coasts), and seven stars (representing every of Costa Rica’s provinces).
Geography details about Costa Rica
Costa Rica covers an space of 51,100km². To get the dimensions, that’s an analogous dimension to West Virginia within the US, Slovakia in Europe and the Dominican Republic within the Caribbean.
Questioning how the nation is cut up up? Costa Rica is split into 7 provinces, inside that are 82 cantons, that are then divided into 488 districts (every with its personal 5-digit submit code). The 7 provinces are: San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Guanacaste, Puntarenas and Limon. San Jose is essentially the most extremely populated province, adopted by Alajuela within the north. The regulation states that new cantons could solely be created if they’ve a minimum of one p.c of the republic’s whole inhabitants.
For a comparatively small nation, Costa Rica has an extended and spectacular shoreline. There are 800 miles of lush coast in whole, spanning the Pacific and Caribbean. Love seashores? Properly you’re in luck as there are over 300 to select from!
Curiously, Costa Rica has extra ocean than land. It has an enormous 574,725km²of ocean and solely 51,100km² of land!
Costa Rica has loads of superb landscapes to discover and pure wonders to see, together with waterfalls, volcanoes, lakes and mountains. Mount Chirripó is the best mountain in Costa Rica, with an elevation of three,821 m (12,536 ft).
You’re assured to see a couple of volcanoes on any journey to Costa Rica, and a few of them are significantly spectacular! There are over 100 volcanic formations, 60 dormant or extinct volcanoes and 6 energetic volcanoes Irazú, Turrialba, Tenorio, Rincón de la Vieja, Poás and Arenal (though Arenal is regarded as in a resting part now). Irazú, positioned within the Central Highlands is the tallest at a top of three,432 m (1,260 ft).
In the meantime, Poas Volcano, regarded as over 11 million years outdated, has a inexperienced acid crater lake and the second widest crater on the planet (virtually 1 mile).
In the event you go to Arenal volcano, you’ll additionally get the possibility to see the biggest lake within the nation. Lake Arenal is 85 sq. km (33 sq. miles) and in some elements is as deep as 60m (200 ft).
Costa Rica is famed for wildlife and biodiversity, so it’s no marvel there have been large strikes to guard the lands. In whole there at the moment are 30 nationwide parks, 58 wildlife refuges and 32 protected zones within the nation, with roughly 25% of the nation’s whole land now protected in opposition to growth.
Wildlife details about Costa Rica
One of the crucial well-known details about Costa Rica is that the nation covers simply 0.03% of the earth’s floor, but accommodates a whopping 5% of the world’s biodiversity. A few of the greatest locations to see the nation’s most fascinating creatures are in Corcovado Nationwide Park and Manuel Antonio Nationwide Park. Guide a tour with a neighborhood information and also you’ll be taught all concerning the superb wildlife.
Costa Rica is house to greater than 500,000 species of animals and vegetation, though keep in mind that round 300,000 are bugs! Whereas the nation’s local weather and ecosystems are a giant purpose for this, it’s additionally prone to be due to the nation’s place in between North and South America.
The nation is house to 206 species of amphibians, which embody 146 totally different species of frogs and toads. Essentially the most well-known is the red-eyed tree frog, which you have a tendency to seek out within the rainforests.
One of many creatures you is perhaps fortunate sufficient to see in Costa Rica is a turtle. 5 of the world’s 7 species of sea turtles nest on the nation’s seashores, with Tortuguero Nationwide Park on the Caribbean Coast and Ostional and Nancit Seashores on the Pacific Coast being the important thing spots to see them.
You is perhaps stunned by simply what number of arrive in a day. On the seaside in Ostional Nationwide Wildlife Refuge, as many as 100,000 Olive Ridley turtles have reached the shore in someday, laying round 10 million eggs. Occasions like this are generally known as arribada which interprets as ‘mass arrival’.
Costa Rica has two nationwide animals, however surprisingly they’re not sloths, monkeys, jaguars, whales or frogs! The nationwide land animal is definitely the white-tailed deer, which was chosen due to its traits that symbolise Costa Ricans. These deer are recognized for energy, peace, vitality, fertility, and prosperity. They’re additionally fairly cute!
Extra just lately, the manatee was declared because the nationwide marine mammal in Costa Rica. These peaceable and shy sea cows are on the endangered species record, and it’s thought there could also be fewer than 100 in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is house to 922 species of chicken, with the clay-coloured thrush (generally known as yigüirro) the nationwide chicken of the nation.
Sloths are one of the well-liked animals to see in Costa Rica. These lazy creatures sleep for between 15 and 18 hours a day and have the bottom metabolic price of any mammal. Actually, it may possibly take them as much as 30 days to digest a leaf!
Costa Rica has a lot of different nationwide species too. There’s Guanacaste, the nation’s nationwide tree, and delightful purple orchid, guaria morada, the nation’s nationwide flower.
There are roughly 343 hummingbird species on the planet and 52 of them name Costa Rica house! Do you know they’ve the quickest coronary heart price of any chicken, beating as much as 1,200 instances per minute!
Food and drinks details about Costa Rica
In the event you’ve visited Costa Rica, little doubt you’ve eaten a couple of plates of gallo pinto. You’ll see this tasty dish of spiced rice and beans at breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s the nationwide dish for a purpose! There’s a dispute over whether or not it originated in CR or Nicaragua, however it’s stated the origins are Afro-Caribbean.
The identify interprets as ‘spotted rooster’ as there’s a legend {that a} farmer invited locals to a feast for his noticed rooster. When much more individuals turned up than anticipated, he served up an enormous batch of rice and beans, and thus the legendary dish was created.
Costa Rica is a wealthy nation with regards to pure components, with bananas, sugar cane, espresso, chocolate and pineapples all produced on the land. There are banana plantations dotted throughout the landscapes of Costa Rica, so it gained’t come as a giant shock to listen to that the nation is the fourth largest exporter of bananas on the planet. Nearly 7% of the world’s bananas come from the nation!
Espresso is large enterprise in Costa Rica too and the nation is thought for its prime quality arabica espresso. Within the 1800s, the federal government incentivised native farmers by providing free land to ensure that them to develop espresso vegetation. You won’t at all times drink the most effective espresso whereas in Costa Rica although as a whopping 90% is exported.
I hope you’ve loved studying all about Costa Rica with me right this moment! It’s such a assorted and fascinating nation, it’s no marvel there’s a lot to become familiar with. In the event you’re planning your journey, don’t miss my guides: 10 Day Itinerary For Costa Rica and What To Pack For Costa Rica.
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