Costa Rica is a Central American
success story: since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence
have marred its democratic development. Although still a largely agricultural
country, it has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism
sectors. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is
widespread.
Costa Rica is part of Central America,
bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua
and Panama.
Its climate is tropical and
subtropical, with a dry season (December to April) and rainy season (May to
November); cooler in highlands. Temperatures are fairly invariable throughout
the year.
Costa Rica is characterized by a
mountain range going across the country from South-East to North-West, parallel
with its coast line. It has four volcanoes, two of them active, that rise near
the capital of San Jose in the center of the country. One of the volcanoes,
Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65.
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