Costa Rica is made up of tropical coastal plains, mountainous areas and a temperate central plateau where the majority of the population is located, and where I also live! Just over a quarter of its land area is protected by the system of National Parks and Reserves and includes islands and beaches, rainforests and dry, active volcanoes, hot springs, caves, river canyons and waterfalls.
Despite covering only 0.03 percent of the earth's surface, an area smaller than Lake Michigan, Costa Rica is home to almost 6 percent of the world's biodiversity! For example, Costa Rica is home to 750,000 of the world’s insects, including 20,000 different kinds of spiders...definitely not a place for the faint of heart!
The tropical atmosphere here in Costa Rica is extremely useful for survival, as many different crops can be cultivated in the varying terrains of the coast, valleys and mountains following the natural wet and dry seasons. The abundance of fish, birds, insects and mammals was also key to the survival of early tribes and, later, Europeans! Today, the abundant sun and wind is used to help power the country in a sustainable fashion and the natural beauty fuels the local ecotourism businesses.
