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Costa Rica - Tierra Tica Costa Rica is Central America's jewel. It's an oasis of calm among its turbulent neighbors and an ecotourism heaven, making it one of the best places to experience the tropics with minimal impact. It's also mostly coastline, which means great surfing, beaches galore and a climate built for laziness If you've seen one too many macaws, you can swim or relax on one of Costa Rica's beaches. The Pacific coast has a pleasing mixture of luxury resorts and deserted beaches. Golfito is on the southern Pacific coast, tucked in a small bay off Golfo Dulce and is an important port and jumping-off point for the region's fantastic beaches. Heading northeast from the town, the coast features numerous remote coves, with jungle-lodge accommodations and virgin rain forest backdrop. The Costa Rica government has been concentrating on its parks and wildlife for well over forty years now, and the dedication has payed off in the quality and quantity of biological reserves and well-preserved ecosystems. Parque Nacional Santa Rosa is the oldest and one of the best developed national parks in Costa RicaTwo other environmental highlights include Rincón de la Vieja, northeast of Liberia in northwestern Costa Rica, and Parque Nacional Corcovado. The former is a volcanic wonderland of cones, craters, lagoons, boiling mud pools, sulphur springs, hot springs that visitors can bathe in, and a park that can be explored on foot or horse. Costa Rica is noted more for its natural beauty and friendly people than for its culture. The overwhelming European influence erased almost all indigenous culture, and because Costa Rica was a country of subsistence agriculturalists until the middle of the 19th century, cultural activity has only begun to blossom in the last 100 years. Ticos are pretty homogeneous racially and culturally speaking, since only 1% of their population is considered to be Indian, and the other Black and Chinese minorities aren't very numerous. A traveler going through Latin America will notice the Ticos's relative "whiteness" when compared to the people of other places. Ticos also have a very high level of education, and the literacy rate is 96%. Thus, Costa Ricans define themselves as unique and different from their neighboring countries. Full country name: Republic of Costa Rica Area: 51,100 sq km Population: 4.1 million People: 96% Spanish descent, 2% African descent, 1% indigenous, 1% Chinese Language: Spanish GDP: US$32 billion GDP per capita: US$8,300 Major Industries: Tourism, electronics, coffee, bananas, sugar, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products Major Trading Partners: USA, Germany, Italy, Japan, Guatemala, Mexico For more information please visit: Costa Rica Tourism	Learn with Spanish Arriba! Country of the month May Ecuador April Chile March Perú February España January México