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TP General.Indd Before You Go Costa Rica In Profi le RICA PROFILE RICA It is a land of volcanoes and valleys, of lush green forests and barren páramo, of palm-fringed beaches and rocky shores. A land of prowling jaguars, gli ering hummingbirds and electric blue bu erfl ies. TA Nestled between Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica makes up part of the Isthmus of Panama, COS otherwise known as Central America. Combined with its varied topography, its unique location as the land link between North and South America and as the divider of the Pacifi c Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, this small nation is blessed with an unparalleled diversity of wildlife. Costa Rica is home to more organisms per area than any other country on earth. Vigorous seismic activity over time yield the towering volcanoes and jagged mountain ranges that make this small nation famous worldwide. Although it is considered a developing nation, Costa Rica has one of the highest literacy rates in the world and a stable economy supported by electronics, coff ee, bananas and, of course, tourism. Besides its splendid array of wildlife and landscapes, Costa Rica is also known for its neutrality. The government voted to disband the military, instead concentrating funds on education. The people of Costa Rica are friendly, polite and laid-back, a itudes that are refl ected by their pacifi s t stance towards other countries. Although they are proud of their independence and uniqueness, they graciously welcome outside visitors. Costa Rica is the perfect destination for naturalist travelers or ecotourists because of this hospitality as well as its topographical and biological diversity. The nation has offi cially safeguarded a greater percentage of its land than any other country, providing shelter and protection to an incredible variety of exotic plants and animals, many of which are endemic to this land. It is essential to maintain these protected areas so as to ensure the survival of all living creatures. By visiting the country and its national parks and reserves, you are directly contributing to the protection of a host of native wildlife. The diversity of landscapes in Costa Rica means there is something for everyone; from the bustling sprawl of the cities, to the exhilaration of white water rafting, relaxing steaming hot springs, enchanted coral reefs and magical montane cloud forest, all with the opportunity to view rainbow colored macaws, sleepy sloths, endangered sea turtles, alienesque insects and gregarious troops of monkeys along the way. Welcome to Costa Rica. Geography Costa Rica lies between latitudes 11°13’N and 8°N and between 82°33’W and 85°58’W, in the middle of the Tropic of Cancer. Among Costa Rican territory is Isla de Coco, an island of 10 square miles (25 km2) in the Galapagos chain about 300 miles (480 km) southwest of Costa Rica, where Captain Morgan’s treasure is said to be buried. Because it is a tropical country, there are only two seasons (sometimes indistinct), the wet and the RICA PROFILE RICA dry. In some parts of the country the seasonality is more accurately divided into the wet and the we er (see TA Climate). Costa Rica is bordered to the north by Nicaragua and to the south by Panama. Together, the countries of Central America make up the Isthmus of Panama, a narrow ridge of land joining the North and South American 2 COS continents and dividing the Atlantic and Pacifi c Oceans. Although it is only 19,652 square miles (50,900 km ) in area (about the size of West Virginia, Nova Scotia or Switzerland) and no wider than 175 miles (280 km) at any point, Costa Rica is very geographically and biologically diverse. Costa Rica lies on the Ring of Fire, a 9,000-mile (14,500 km) line of tectonic plate boundaries running from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, characterized by earthquakes and volcanoes. The land that is now Costa Rica was underwater ten million years ago. The Cocos plate moved northeast and collided with the Caribbean plate, causing it to uplift (known as subduction). This land continued to be driven upwards, fi rst piercing the ocean’s surface at what is now the Peninsula of Nicoya. This intense geologic activity was accom- panied by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, which added to the land height. For several millennia a string of islands, probably mostly the tallest volca- noes, linked North and South America. About three million years ago, the activity of the subduction zone fi n ally formed a continuous land link between the continents and separated the Pacifi c Ocean from the Caribbean Sea. Four mountain ridges unite to form the highlands dividing the Pacifi c and Caribbean plains: Cordillera de Guanacaste, Cordillera de Tilarán, Cordillera Central and Cordillera de Talamanca (from north to south). These mountain ranges are com- posed of extinct and seven active volcanoes such as Cerro Chirripó, which at 12,526 feet (3,818 m) is the highest peak in the country, Volcán Arenal 5,358 feet (1,633 m), considered by many volcanologists to be the most active volcano in the Western Hemisphere (it is constantly spewing ash, vapor and molten lava) and Volcán Poás, which has a mile wide caldera, the largest collapsed crater in the Western Hemisphere. Even atop Costa Rica’s highest mountains, paleontologists are continually discovering fossils of sea creatures, proof that the Isthmus of Panama was once underwater. Four of the nation’s fi v e largest cities are found in a high plateau in the central highlands (Meseta Central): Alajuela - home of the Juan Santamaría International Airport, Heredia - the university center, Cartago - the former capital, and San José - the current capital and largest city. Nearly two-thirds of the country’s population lives in this area, which lies at an average of 5,000 feet (1,524 m) above sea level. The land plunges down the volcanic slopes northeast into the vast Caribbean plains and to the smooth coastline, which stretches 132 miles (212 km) in length. The lowlands on the Pacifi c side are far more rugged, characterized by rocky streams and cliff s. The huge Peninsula de Nicoya in the north and the smaller Osa Pen- insula in the south make the ragged Pacifi c coastline 631 miles (1,016 km) in length. 2 Environment Costa Rica is famous worldwide for its high species and habitat diversity, which is a ributed to its geologic history and geographical location. As the volcanoes of the boundary between the Cocos and Caribbean Plates lurched skyward, they formed an island chain between North and South America. For many plants and animals, the lands were close enough to allow a species exchange while still allowing marine organisms from the Pacifi c RICA PROFILE RICA Ocean and the Caribbean Sea to interact. About three million years ago, the subduction zone formed a continuous land link, allowing land animals to migrate between the continents, an interaction that is referred to TA as the Great Continental Interchange. Ancient armadillos, porcupines and opossums native to South America made their way up to temperate North America, some colonizing Central America en route. Animals such as COS tree sloths and monkeys, however, never moved north of Mexico. Deer, tapirs, bears, mastodons and cats, like the saber-toothed tiger, migrated into South America, again, some se ling in Central America. The result of this sudden exposure of plants and animals to new environments, niches, prey and competitors was a dramatic increase in species diversity. This eventually lowered and leveled off as nature established a new equilibrium. Some animals became extinct and others thrived. The land rise also resulted in the separation of the oceans, which also may have contributed to speciation through geographical isolation. The volcanoes of Costa Rica are still rapidly (geologically speaking) growing taller, creating new climates and habitats in the process. The land encompasses mangrove swamps, rainforest, montane cloud forest, páramo (sub-alpine grassland) and dry deciduous forest. Because only specially adapted organisms are able to survive at high elevation and in dry climate, the volcanic peaks of the country can be considered ecological “islands” and are crawling with species that do not exist elsewhere. Because Costa Rica lies within the tropics, it receives sunlight directly overhead throughout the year. This fact combined with the unusually high level of rainfall that it receives has resulted in perfect growing conditions for an enormous variety of plants. Throughout most of the country, it is moist enough to allow epiphytes such as orchids to grow. These plants grow on the branches of trees, taking advantage of them only to get closer to the sun and collecting their own nutrients and moisture falling through the air in tight reservoirs. A single tree may support dozens of diff erent species of plants. Animals have evolved to fi l l the many niches provided by the diverse forests. By feeding on a plant that no other animal feeds on, for example, a species is able to survive by avoiding competition. The consequence of all of these factors - the Great Continental Interchange, tropical latitude, high rainfall and varied topography - has led to an unparalleled biodiversity in Costa Rica. In fact, according to the World Resources Institute, 5% of all known species are native to Costa Rica, giving it a higher biodiversity per unit area than any other country on earth. It has: • 12 Holdridge Life Zones (biological habitats defi ned according to their altitude, climate and forest type) of the 36 in the world • Over 850 bird species - a tenth of all known species, far more than
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