Links Page on Costa Rica

Outline

  1. Climate and Topography
  2. Human Characteristics
  3. Way of Life

Climate and Topography

Climate of Costa Rica-This link gives an excellent overview of climatic conditions of Costa Rica. It is brief yet fairly detailed in its description. While it doesn't give any kind of information in the form of temperature grids, it demonstrates that because of Costa Rica's variation in landscape, one or two temperature grids wouldn't do justice in taking into account the various microclimates to be found in Costa Rica.

Topographical Features-This link gives both a topographical map to show the variation in Costa Rica’s topography (which makes it easy to see why it has variable microclimates) and maps showing where the major cities are.  It also gives links to other maps which one might desire if trying to learn more about Costa Rica in more detail.

Costa Rica's National Park System-Costa Rica's national park system is one of its jewels to the world, widely regarded as one of the world's best. This link gives a comprehensive look at each one of Costa Rica's national parks, with vivid pictures. Each overview gives descriptions of the climatological and topographical features, directions on how to get to each park, and an overview of the flora and fauna you can expect to find in each national park, among many other things.

The People of Costa Rica

Characteristics of the People-This link gives a comprehensive overview of what the people of Costa Rica are like, what they believe, how populations of people in different parts of the country differ, and a wealth of other information. It also points out how well-off Costa Rican people (they refer to themselves as ticos) are in comparison to the rest of Latin Americans.

Government-This link talks about the form of government in Costa Rica. It describes how the political processes work, who the major players are, and how politics affect the people.  Basically, the link is a broad overview of all of these things.

History-This link gives a brief but detailed look at Costa Rica's history. It mentions the key individuals in Costa Rica's history and what they did to affect it. The page also shows how Costa Rica's history from the 19th century on is intimately tied to its government.

Way of Life

Culture-In most Latin American countries, art forms culture. Costa Rica is no exception in this regard. This link discusses Costa Rica's art and culture, their intimate connection, and how the relative lack of art can be tied back to both the stability that Costa Rica has enjoyed in comparison to other Latin American countries and the relatively homogeneous nature of its population.

Food and Drink-This link gives a short, concise description of what Costa Ricans eat and drink. As in most other Latin American countries, Costa Ricans base a lot of their diet on rice and beans, which they call gallos pintos (Spanish for "painted rooster"). However, the ticos have a variety of other local flavors and variations in their diet to offer.

Recreation-Costa Ricans, like many other people of Hispanic origin, value leisure and festivity. Costa Rican recreation includes a love of soccer and preservation of the national park system, but their biggest source of joy is their celebration of the holidays. Come see the rich tradition of Costa Rican holidays and the reverence that the ticos have for them.

Submitted by Brad Carlson on 10/15/03.