Which city is the capital of Costa Rica?
And the answer: San José.
Located in Central America between Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica has coastlines on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. San José is its capital and largest city, home to about 2 million people throughout the metropolitan area.
Translating to "The Rich Coast," Costa Rica is a nation that lives up to its name. The nation offers not only vast population of diverse flora and fauna but also a host of nationally administered policies that help protect and maintain the gorgeous natural landscape of the country. Indeed, the Costa Rican government has designated about a quarter of the entire nation to protected national parks, while dropping the deforestation of the region to near zero. Additionally, in 2015, the government pledged to become carbon neutral (the result of a net zero release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere) by 2021. Talk about going green!
Costa Rica comprises less than 1% of the Earth's landmass, yet offers over 5% of the planet's biodiversity. As such, over 500,000 species of plant and animal reside in the region, many of which are only found within its borders. The extensive wildlife population of Costa Rica is largely due to its geographic positioning. Between three and five million years ago, Costa Rica and Panama formed a bridge connecting the North and South American continents. This land bridge allowed the very different flora and fauna of the two continents to mix and thrive. Additionally, neotropical climate created the perfect atmosphere for the flourishing of jungles and other dense forest areas.
As a result of the environmentally conscious actions taken by the government in recent decades, tourism in the nation has skyrocketed. With a nearly 2 billion dollar input from the industry, Costa Rica has become the most visited country in Central America. What's more: Costa Rica is one of the most politically stable countries in Latin America. Following their civil war in 1948, the Costa Rican government disbanded their entire military force and reallocated the funds to education and health services. Today, the nation has one of the highest education and literacy rates in Latin America.
Check out the video below to learn more about this slice of paradise.
