Costa Rica
Above: San Jośe at night
Fast Facts
Capital: San Jośe
President: Luis Solis
Population: 4,195,914
Currency: Costa Rican Colon
National Animal: White Tailed Deer
Capital Population: 335,00
This map is of Costa Rica. San Jośe is marked in red.
2 Fun Facts
Did you know that some legends say that pirates have buried treasures on Isla Del Coco island? Nobody has been able to find it!
Also the Guayabo National Monument is the most important archaeological monument in Costa Rica. People don't know why the town was abandoned. Scientists still have to uncover more of the ruins.
Floral and Fauna
Costa Rica's national animal is the White Tailed Deer. The white tailed deer can run up to thirty miles an hour. It can also leap up to ten feet high and far as thirty feet!
Costa Rica has over nine hundred miles of coastline.
In that coastline lives the endangered Leatherback Sea Turtle. The Leatherback Sea Turtle nests in Tortuguero National Park (on the Caribbean Sea), Paya Grand, and Nicoya Peninsula (on the Pacific Coast). The Leatherback Sea Turtle can grow up to eight feet and can weigh more than 1,200 pounds! They are the largest sea turtle in the world! The Green and the Olive Ridley turtles are also common in Costa Rica.
The national flower is the Guaria Morada. The Guaria Morada is a member of the orchid family. The flower has a vibrant purple color that seems to shimmer.
The national tree is the Guanacast. It is sometimes called the ear tree because it has ear shaped pods. The wood is used in high quality carpentry and the seeds are used as jewelry . Also the sap is used as cold medicine. Many animals graze on the leaves including cattle and wild horses.
This is a photo of a female White Tailed Deer.
This is the Guanacast tree.
This video is of Costa Rica's wildlife and plants. Click on the video to play it.
This is a photo of the Endangered Leather Back Sea Turtle.
This is the Guaria Morada flower.
This is the Costa Rican flag.
Parrots are common in Costa Rica. This breed of parrot is the blue and yellow macaw.