4. Costa Rica's Climate Costa Rica is a tropical country which contains several distinct climatic zones. There is no winter or summer as such and 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 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.

5. Government Costa Rica is a democratic republic. Under the 1949 constitution, all citizens are guaranteed equality before the law, the right to own property, the right of petititon and assembly, freedom of speech and the right of habeas corpus. The constitution also divides the government into independent executive, legislative and judicial branches. The executive branch is composed of the president, two vice presidents and a cabinet. The legislature is the National Assembly, composed of 57 members (diputados) elected by proportional representation. National elections are held every four years, on the first Sunday of February. Under a constitutional amendment enacted in 1969, a president may serve only one four-year term during his lifetime. Diputados also are elected for four years and may serve a second term four years after the first ends. The largest political party is the National Liberation Party (PLN). Its main rival is the more conservative Social Christian Unity Party.

6. Wildlife of Costa Rica….. Three-toed sloth red-eyed frog white face monkey Iguanas

7. Costa Ricas Major exports…. Coffee Plantations

8. The Capital, San Jose San Jose is located in the central valley of Costa Rica, surrounded by mountains on all sides. Half of all Costa Ricans live in the central valley.

9. The people of Costa Rica

10. Activities to enjoy in Costa Rica

11. More activities….

12. Geography of Costa Rica The country is divided by a backbone of volcanoes and mountains, an extension of the Andes-Sierra Madre chain which runs along the western side of the Americas. Costa Rica has four distinct cordilleras or mountain ranges -- Guanacaste and Tilaran in the north, Central and Talamanca in the south. Costa Rica is part of the Pacific "Rim of Fire" and has seven of the isthmus's 42 active volcanoes plus dozens of dormant or extinct cones. Earth tremors and small quakes shake the country from time to time. The last major quake hit on April 22, 1991. Centered on the Caribbean side southeast of San Jose, it measured 7.4 on the Richter scale. The country's highest point is Mt. Chirripo (3,797 meters). The capital, San Jose, and the neighboring major cities of Alajuela and Heredie lies in the middle of the Meseta Central (Central Valley). Almost two-thirds of the nation's population live 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 beaches. Arenal Volcano

13. Rainforests BeachesThe geographical features are very diverse.

14. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cs.html http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/central_america/costa_rica/ http://www.costaricaexpeditions.com/index_gcr.html http://www.costarica.com/ http://www.infocostarica.com/ http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/html/costaricaclimate.html http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/photo_gallery.htm http://lotus.phys.nwu.edu/~vmartin/CostaRica/cr1.html