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Costa Rica - Sports and recreation: As elsewhere in Central America, football (soccer) is the Costa Rican national pastime, and there are dozens of local and provincial teams. The sport was introduced to the country by English settlers in the early 20th century, and succeeding generations have refined an aggressive style of play that has repeatedly earned Costa Rica's national team the Central American Soccer Union (Unión Centroamericana de Futbol; UNCAF) Nations Cup as the champions of Central America.

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At Lincoln School, Drama is offered as an elective for high school students from grade 9-12. The drama program is designed to expose students to the basics of acting and producing work in the theater.

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Kids learn about the Geography of Costa Rica. The history, capital, flag, climate, terrain, people, economy, and population.

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Geography, people, culture, economy...

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Relief

Two mountain chains together run almost the entire length of Costa Rica. These are, in the north, the Cordillera Volcánica, noted for its volcanic activity, as the name implies, and, in the south, the Cordillera de Talamanca. The Cordillera Volcánica may be divided into three ranges, from northwest to southeast: the Cordillera de Guanacaste, the Cordillera de Tilarán, and the Cordillera Central. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983, the Cordillera de Talamanca is a massive granite batholith, quite different geologically from the volcanically active northern ranges. Costa Rica's highest point, Mount Chirripó (12,530 feet [3,819 metres]), is in the Talamanca system. Two of the highest peaks in the Cordillera Volcánica, Irazú (11,260 feet [3,432 metres]) and Poás (8,871 feet [2,704 metres]), have paved roads reaching to the rims of their active craters. These volcanoes, overlooking the Valle Central, pose a serious natural hazard, as do earthquakes for most of the country. Arenal Volcano (5,358 feet [1,633 metres]), about 56 miles (90 km) northwest of San José, is the country's youngest stratovolcano. Its last major eruption, in 1968, destroyed two villages, and the volcano continued to spew lava and breccia into the early 21st century.

The Valle Central is separated into two parts by the continental divide. The eastern part is drained by the Reventazón River to the Caribbean, and the western sector forms part of the basin of the Grande de Tárcoles River, which flows into the Pacific. Another large structural valley, the Valle del General, lies at the base of the Cordillera de Talamanca in the southern part of the country. To the north and east of the mountainous central spine lie the Caribbean lowlands, constituting about one-fifth of the country and reaching less than 400 feet (120 metres) in elevation. The Pacific lowlands, which contain several small valleys and plains, include only about one-tenth of Costa Rica's territory.

Climate

Thermal convection and onshore breezes bring abundant rains to the Pacific coast in the wet season, generally May to October in the north and April to December in the south. Northeasterly trade winds on the Caribbean provide ample year-round precipitation for the country's east coast, with the heaviest amounts occurring in the Barra del Colorado region. The higher mountain ranges have warm temperate climates, and the Pacific slopes have alternating wet and dry seasons.

Situated in the Valle Central at an elevation of 3,800 feet (1,160 metres), San José enjoys moderate temperatures and ample rainfall. Average monthly rainfall there ranges from well under 1 inch (25 mm) in February to more than 12 inches (300 mm) in September, with a yearly average of more than 70 inches (1,800 mm). Temperatures vary with elevation. San José has a mean temperature of 69 °F (21 °C), while means of 59 °F (15 °C) and 80 °F (27 °C) have been reported at stations located at 7,665 feet (2,340 metres) and 682 feet (210 metres), respectively.

Plant and animal life

Dense broad-leaved evergreen forest, which includes mahogany and tropical cedar trees, covers about one-third of Costa Rica's landscape. On the Talamanca range grow numerous evergreen oaks and, above the timberline, mountain scrub and grasses. The northwest, with the longest dry season, contains open deciduous forest. Palm trees are common on the Caribbean coastline, and mangroves grow on the shallow protected shores of the Nicoya and Dulce gulfs along the Pacific. Mosses, orchids, and other tropical plants are abundant. Many of the world's tropical biologists have carried out studies at the various research stations of the Organization for Tropical Studies, which has its headquarters in San Pedro, a suburb of San José, as well as at the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza; CATIE) in Turrialba.

Costa Rica's numerous and varied life zones make the country attractive to biologists. Mammalian life is both abundant and varied and has major ties to South and North American populations. The South American species include monkeys, anteaters, and sloth s, and the North American species include deer, wildcats, weasels, otters, coyotes, and foxes. There is a wide variety of tropical birds in the lowlands, and reptiles, such as snakes and iguanas, and frogs are common.

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Costa Rica | History, Map, Flag, Climate, Population, & Facts

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Costa Rica, country of Central America. Its capital is San Jose. Of all the Central American countries, Costa Rica is generally regarded as having the most stable and most democratic government. Costa Rica is also known for its strong commitment to the environment and for protecting its numerous national parks.

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Costa Rican Kid-Friendly Recipes - Genius Kitchen

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Find all Costa Rican Kid-Friendly recipes. Become a member, post a recipe and get free nutritional analysis of the dish on Genius Kitchen

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Costa Rica is committed to preserving the beauty and diversity of the country through the development of national parks. One fifth of the country is covered in forests.

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is the largest cloud forest in Central America. Costa Rica is home to over 2,000 species of trees and 9,000 different kinds of flowering plants.

Tropical dry forests remain dry until the rainy season begins in April or May. These forests burst into bloom when the rains arrive. The tropical rain forests are humid and hot year-round. The heavy rains encourage thick plant growth from the treetop canopy to the forest floor, including fungi, molds, ferns, and vines. Palm trees and mangroves are prevalent along the coastal areas.

There are over 200 species of reptiles, the majority of which are snakes. There are many brightly colored toads and frogs, including the poison arrow frog. The country is also home to hundreds of mammals including bats, and insects, such as vibrant butterflies and leaf-cutter ants.

Birdwatchers may get a glimpse of the endangered colorful quetzal bird, blue-footed boobies, scarlet macaw, and toucans. The national flower is the orchid. There are over 1,200 species of orchids in Costa Rica.

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Costa Rica Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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Costa Rica is committed to preserving the beauty and diversity of the country through the development of national parks. One fifth of the country is covered in forests. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is the largest cloud forest in Central America. Costa Rica is home to over 2,000 species of trees and 9,000 different kinds of flowering plants.

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All trails lead to waterfalls, misty crater lakes or jungle-fringed, deserted beaches. Explored by horseback, foot or kayak, Costa Rica is a...

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Unlike many of its neighboring countries, Costa Rica has enjoyed peace for almost 100 years. The country is a democracy with elected officials and has no organized army.

Costa Rica spends a lot of money on education, and schools are free.

Costa Rica has fertile mountains and farmlands, as well as jungles. Farmers grow coffee, sugar, bananas and tobacco. The government is working hard though, to save much of the rain forest. Family life is very important here and people take time to have fun and enjoy life.

Fun Facts About Costa Rica for Kids

There are 4,331,000 people living in Costa Rica.

The country has 19,730 square miles of land.

Most people living here are Christian.

The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish.

96 percent of adults can read.

People living in Costa Rica can expect to live to be 79 years old.

Costa Rica Vocabulary

All About Costa Rica Video for Kids

Check out this cool video about Costa Rica for kids:

Costa Rica Q&A

Question: Does Costa Rica have protected forests?

Answer: One-fifth of Costa Rica is protected forest land. Over 2,000 species of trees and 9,000 different flowering plants live here. Here you'll find over 200 species of reptiles, including snakes and poison arrow frogs, as well as many insects and mammals.

Map of Costa Rica

Here's a map of the country of Costa Rica and all its cities and villages. Zoom in to get into street level or zoom out to see other countries around Costa Rica! You can see the terrain, but also see the roads, images of the buildings and even take a 3D tour through the streets of the cities of Costa Rica, as though you are actually there!

Enjoyed the Easy Earth Science for Kids all about Costa Rica info? Take the FREE & fun all about Costa Rica quiz and download FREE all about Costa Rica worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.

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Unlike many of its neighboring countries, Costa Rica has enjoyed peace for almost 100 years. The country is a democracy with elected officials and has no organized army. Costa Rica spends a lot of money on education, and schools are free. Costa Rica has fertile mountains and farmlands, as well as jungles.