Costa Rica Information

Costa Rica and its mountains and valleys

Costa Rica is divided by a backbone of volcanoes and mountains, an extension of the large Andes-Sierra Madre chain which runs along the western side of the Americas. Costa Rica has itself four distinct cordilleras or mountain ranges – The ranges of Guanacaste and Tilaran in the north, And the ranges of Central and Talamanca in the south. Costa Rica is part of the so-called Pacific “Rim of Fire” and has seven of the isthmus’s 42 active volcanoes plus dozens of complete dormant or extinct cones. Earth tremors and small quakes shake the country from time to time.

The country’s highest point is Mt. Chirripo (3,797 meters). The capital, San Jose, and the neighboring major cities of Alajuela and Heredie are located in the middle of the Valle Central (Central Valley). Almost two-thirds of the nation’s population lives in this small, fertile valley. The Pacific coastal plain is much narrower than its Caribbean counterpart. Both coasts are lined with white and black sand beach

Costa Rica’s Climate

Costa Rica is a tropical country which contains several mini climatic zones. There is no winter or summer as such but most regions have a rainy season from May to November and a dry season from December to April. Annual rainfall averages 100 inches nationwide with some mountainous regions getting as much as 25 feet on their exposed eastern slopes. Temperature is more a matter of elevation than location with a mean of around 72 degrees in the Central Valley, 82 degrees on the Atlantic coast and 89 degrees on the Pacific coast.