Fun Facts About Costa Rica: Did You Know?

Costa Rica, a tranquil little country in Central America, has all the ingredients for exotic adventure travel: mighty rivers, lush rainforests and jungles, volcanoes, and steamy hot springs. This country’s landscapes have the topographical variations of an entire continent – in miniature – with pristine Pacific beaches, Caribbean coastal banana plantations, acres and acres of coffee trees, incredible National Parks, hot tropical jungles, frosty cloud forests, volcanoes (at least three of them active), canals, rivers, and three mountain ranges.

Amid the wonders of Costa Rica’s forests you can spot Red-Eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) climbing along a vine.

The choices of adventures in Costa Rica are nearly limitless and so if that description doesn’t want to make you visit this isthmus connecting North and South America, maybe these 10 fun facts about Costa Rica will!:

#1: Costa Rica occupies only .03% of the landmass of the earth, but it contains 5% of its biodiversity!

#2: The average life expectancy of Costa Ricans is 77, which is one of the highest in the world.

#3: Laura Chinchilla Miranda is a female politician who was president from 2010 to 2014.

#4: More than 25% of the land in Costa Rica is protected national parks and reserves.

From volcanoes to rain forests, Costa Rica’s National Parks are a feast of biodiversity and ecosystems.

#5: Costa Rica is working at becoming a completely carbon neutral country.

#6: There are over 900 species of birds and 200 species of mammals in Costa Rica, nearly equal to the species in all of North America.

With a population of butterflies that surpasses that of Africa…

#7: Costa Rica is the only country in Latin America without a standing militia and serves as a regional model of socioeconomic and political stability.

#8: Costa Ricans call themselves “Ticos” (males) and “Ticas” (females).

#9: This little country has an almost 98% literacy rate.

#10: Costa Rican women do not take their husbands’ last name when they get married. They keep their maiden name for life along with their mother’s maiden name.

We hope you’ll consider coming with us to Costa Rica in August 2017!