Some info about Costa Rica

Location

The Republic of Costa Rica is located in Central America, 10 degrees North of the Equator.  It is part of an important natural bridge that joins North and South America.  Costa Rica borders with Nicaragua to the North and Panama to the South, and is flanked by the Caribbean Sea to the East and the Pacific Ocean to the West.

Costa Rica boasts a landmass of about 51,000 square kilometers (20,000 square miles), which is about the same size as West Virginia in U.S., Nova Scotia in Canada or slightly larger than Switzerland.

Language

The official language is Spanish, although many people speak English as a second language.

Political system

Costa Rica is considered the longest-standing democracy in Latin America.  There are three branches of government:  the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial.  The President and the members of the Legislative Assembly are elected for 4-year periods.  Presidential re-election is now possible and the voting age is 18 years old.  The country has no standing army since the civil war in 1948.

Religion

There is freedom of worship, although most people practice the Catholic religion.

Time Zone

Costa Rica is six hours (-6) behind GMT – Greenwich Main Time.  It does not observe daylight saving measures.  The sun sets at about 5.30pm and rises again at about 5.30am, pretty much all year round.

Climate

The average temperature is 21ºC (70ºF) in the highlands and 27ºC (85ºF) in the coasts, and there are only two seasons:

-          The rainy season:  from May to November, it rains in the afternoon but mornings are usually bright and sunny

-          The dry season:  from December to April, normally not much rain at all

The people

Ticos, as Costa Ricans are commonly known, are kind and hospitable, and they will even go out of their way to assist any visitor.  You will find them polite and well educated.  Ticos are quick to greet you with a smile, and you will no doubt enjoy their friendliness and spontaneity.