General Information
Costa Rica is located within the geographical coordinates of 8° and 11 ° 15' north latitude and 82° and 85° west longitude. Including its insular area, has an extension of 51,100 km² (50,660 km² of land and 440 km² water). Bordered on the north by Nicaragua with which it shares 309 km of border and on the south by Panama with which it shares 639 km, on the east by the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean to the west. With a total length of 1290 km in coasts: 212 km on the Caribbean coast and 1 016 km in the Pacific coast. From its origins as a territory Isthmian, has been biological bridge where coexist species of flora and fauna belonging to neoartico, the neotropics and some others on the region of the West Indies. Because of this biodiversity, are located areas of life, which include coastal landscapes from localized at the level of the sea to landscapes of wasteland on the 3,000 m of altitude.
Wheather
Is characterized by a dry season and a rainy season well defined. The dry season extends from December till March. April is a month of transition. The driest month is March and warm. The start depends on the latitudinal location, since it starts first in the northwest of the slope and last in the southeast. The opposite happens with the beginning of the rainy season. This period is from May to October, November was a month of transition. Presents a relative decrease in the amount of rain during the months of July and August (Veranillo) when intensifies the power of the Trade Winds Blow. The rainiest months are September and October due mainly to the influence of the cyclonic systems, the monsoon winds from the equatorial Pacific Ocean and the sea breezes, which are responsible for the heavy rains when uniting their effect to the orographic barriers.
Currency
Map
The currency of Costa Rica is the colon (CRC), call as well, obviously, by the Genoese navigator. There are banknotes of 500, 1000, 5000 and 10 000 colones and coins of 5, 10, 20, 25, 50 and 100 colones. The oldest coins are large and silvery while the new are small and golden; these color differences could be confused with the newly arrived traveller. Pay with us dollars in Costa Rica is not a problem. Costa Rica had plan to print new banknotes in 2010, with two new values of 20 000 and 50 000 colones. In the mid-priced hotels and high and in the restaurants there is a direct tax of 13.39 %; in addition, hotels charge a tourist tax of 3 %. When leaving the country, the whole world pays an output rate of 26 US$ in us dollars, colones or credit card at the airport San Jose's Juan Santamaria.
Geography
Costa Rica is a very mountainous country and the greater part of the territory is comprised of elevations of between 900 and 1800 meters above sea level. There are three major mountain systems: the Volcanic Mountain Range of Guanacaste, the Sierra Minera de Tilarán, the Central Volcanic Mountain Range and the Talamanca Mountain Range, there are also four secondary mountain systems: rangelands of Nicoya located in the province of Guanacaste; Coastal Row named thus because of its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, this runs through the province of Puntarenas in parallel; finally in the Pacific South we have the Sierra de Osa, a series of mountains that extend to Panama. In the center of the country is the great Central Valley, a kind of plateau characterized by its fertility and abundance of water sources, surrounded by mountains and volcanoes.
Citizens of the following countries are allowed to be 90 days in the country without a visa: Argentina, Chile, Spain, USA, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and most of the countries of western Europe. Citizens of Bolivia, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, and Venezuela may be 30 days without a visa. Nationals of other countries need a visa in an embassy or consulate of Costa Rica. You can find updated information on visas at the Embassy belonging to each country of origin.
Extension of the visa: Get a visa extension beyond the 30 or 90 days initial takes time and effort. It is best to stay out of the country, wait 72 hours and come back. To request the extension you have to go to the Immigration Office (2220-0355) in San Jose, in front of channel 6, 4 km north of La Sabana Park. As requirements change frequently, it is advisable to book several working days for the paperwork.
Ticket out of the country to allow entry into Costa Rica immigration officers need to see a ticket outlet. Sometimes, in the airport, is not verified this requirement, but the people who arrive by land they must predict which may require it. If the traveler is directed to Panama, Nicaragua and other countries of Central or South America you may need a ticket outlet or one mileage toward these destinations before the permit entry into the country or even on the airplane. It would be right to take a quick look at the web pages of the embassies to find out if the destination countries require a ticket outlet.