In the last couple of years many of you heard about Costa Rica from the news, travel magazines or friends who visited this country. Why Costa Rica got so popular all of sudden? I think the main reason is that we got tired of big resorts, all inclusive vacations and are looking for something more than just to hang out at the beach in Maui or Cancun. We are also looking for this affordable tropical paradise spot where we could have our own palm tree and a small cabana, near secluded beach. Where we can spend our free time with the family and friends and evenutaly retire. Place where people are friendly, where friends are easy to find, where the foods are organic and where we let our kids and grandkids play without worrying that something bad will happen to them. Since Hawaii and Mexico got too expensive and overcrowded we found this new place which is only about 3 hours from southern states of the U.S.
Here are some quick facts about Costa Rica.
- The country is relatively small and is situated between Nicaragua, Panama, and the Caribbean and Pacific oceans.
- It is a country of peace and democracy with an exemplary environmental protection policy.
- Over 25% of the country has been designated as a national park and since 1948, Costa Rica has legislated measures to insure this paradise remains untouched.
- The capital and largest city is San Jose. Other major cities include Puntarenas and Limon.
- The population of the country is estimated at nearly 4.5 million.
- Over 20,000 American citizens reside in the country.
- Of the more than one million tourists who visit the country annually, more than 600,000 are American citizens.
- The climate is mild in the central highlands, and tropical and subtropical in the coastal areas.
- The government is a democratic republic with over 60 years of uninterrupted democracy. It is one of the most stable countries in Latin America.
- The literacy rate is 95%, one of the highest in Latin America.
- The primary language is Spanish, with a southwestern Caribbean Creole dialect of English spoken in some parts.
- Costa Rica protects over 25% of its national territory within national parks. It also posses the greatest density of species in the world. While it has only about 0.1% of the world’s land mass, it contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity.
- The unit of currency is the colon (CRC).
- Costa Rica has the same time zone as the central part of the United States.
- The country has not experienced a hurricane in over 100 years and, therefore, is a natural haven for boaters.
- A valid passport is required to enter Costa Rica.
- All major credit cards are accepted by businesses in the country.
- Electrical outlets are 110 V with standard U.S. 2-prong plugs.
- You do not need to be a citizen of Costa Rica to buy and sell Costa Rican real estate.
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