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Costa Rica

Tilaran in the north, Central and Talamanca in the south—that, together, run like a rugged backbone from northwest to southeast through the land- scape. The cordilleras divide the country into three land regions: the Central Highlands, the Caribbean Lowlands, and the Pacific Coastal Strip. The Central Highlands consist of two large areas of fertile farmland— the Meseta Central (Central Plateau) and the Valle del General (Valley of the General). Both are surrounded by the steep sides of the cordilleras . The Meseta Central is the country’s heartland, where about 60 percent of Costa Ricans live. The Meseta Central’s rich volcanic soil and favorable climate also make it the country’s chief coffee-growing region. The Valle del General lies to the southeast, an agricultural region of hills and plains. White- and black-sand beaches edge Costa Rica’s second and third regions, the Caribbean Lowlands and the Pacific Coastal Strip. On the east coast, thick bands of swampy tropical jungle twist through the Caribbean Lowlands. On the west coast, mountains come closer to the ocean than on the Caribbean side, sometimes creating a coastal plain just a few miles wide with spectacular beaches. The Pacific Coastal Strip is deeply indented with multiple bays, inlets, and two large gulfs: the Gulf of Nicoya in the north and Golfo Dulce in the south. The climate of the Pacific Coastal Strip is ideal for growing bananas. Off the Pacific coast, in the Gulf of Nicoya, are most of Costa Rica’s islands. Their total land area is only about 40 square miles. The largest is 17-mile-square Chira at the upper end of the gulf, the only one with elec- tricity, medical services, and schools to support a permanent population of 2,000. Most of Chira’s residents fish or farm for a living. Costa Rica’s