Costa Rica

Costa Rica is widely recognized for its extraordinary scenic beauty, and its wide diversity of fauna and flora. Costa Rica has long been considered one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Covering only 0.03 percent of the surface of our planet, Costa Rica has approximately 6 percent of the world’s biodiversity. As such, Costa Rica is a nature lover’s paradise, with nearly 1/8 of its land is protected as national parks or reserves. Costa Rica is located between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, in the narrow land bridge between the two American subcontinents. It is a small country, about 50,900 square kilometers, with some 1,215 kilometers (755 miles) of coastline. The climate is ideal, with temperatures between 70º F and 90º F year-round (20º C and 26º C) and the shortest rainy season in the American tropics. In 2005, there were 4 million people that lived in Costa Rica, of which just over 25% resided in the San Jose, the country’s capital. Costa Rica is relatively close to the United States (3 ½ hour flight from Houston and 2 ½ flight from Miami). Costa Rica is referred to as the most stable democracy in Latin America. Thanks in part to Costa Rica’s pleasant climate, political stability, and hospitable people, more than 6% of its population is expatriate, in fact Costa Rica is home to the highest percentage of US expatriates per capita of any country.