Geography of Costa Rica: Difference between revisions

| km area = 51,100

| highest point = [[Mount Chirripó]] <br> {{convert|3,821|m|feet}}

| lowest point = [[Pacific Ocean]] <br> 0 m

| longest river = [[Térraba River]] (fully inland) <br> {{convert|160|km|mi|abbr=on}}

| largest lake = [[Lake Arenal]] <br> {{convert|85|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}

The area is 51,100&nbsp;km² of which 40&nbsp;km² is water. It is slightly smaller than [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]].

The lowest point is sea level, and the tallest is [[Colero Chillido]]: at 3810 m which is the biggest.

The location receiving the most rain is the Caribbean slopes of the [[Cordillera Central (Costa Rica)|Cordillera Central]] mountains, with an annual rainfall of over {{convert|5000|mm|1|abbr=on}}. Humidity is also higher on the Caribbean side than on the Pacific side. The mean annual temperature on the coastal lowlands is around {{convert|27|°C|0|abbr=on}}, {{convert|20|°C|0|abbr=on}} in the main populated areas of the Cordillera Central, and below {{convert|10|°C|0|abbr=on}} on the summits of the highest mountains.<ref>{{cite web |last=Eggar |first=Marc |title=Climate/Weather |url=http://www.worldheadquarters.com/cr/climate/ |access-date=28 June 2011 |archive-date=23 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623201043/http://www.worldheadquarters.com/cr/climate/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

| source 2 = NOAA (sun 1961–1990)<ref name = SanJoséNOAA>{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/CS/78762.TXT |title=Juan Santamaria Climate Normals 1961–1990 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031204957/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/CS/78762.TXT |archive-date=2020-10-31 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 26, 2017 }}</ref>

  |url-status=dead

}}</ref>

Costa Rica is a [[biodiversity hotspot]]. While the country has only about 0.03% of the world's landmass, it contains 5% of the world's [[biodiversity]].<ref name="Guardian07">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/may/26/saturday.costarica|title=Shades of green|author=Leo Hickman|date=26 May 2007|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=8 June 2008|location=London}}</ref><ref name="Honey99">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/ecotourismsustai00hone/page/128|title=Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise?|last=Honey|first=Martha|publisher=Island Press; 1 edition, Washington, D.C.|year=1999|isbn=978-1-55963-582-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ecotourismsustai00hone/page/128 128–181]}} Chapter 5. Costa Rica: On the Beaten Path</ref> It is home to about 12,119 species of [[plant]]s, of which 950 are [[endemism|endemic]].<ref name="rainforests.mongabay.com">{{cite web |url=http://rainforests.mongabay.com/deforestation/2000/Costa_Rica.htm |title=Costa Rica Forest Information and Data |website= rainforests.mongabay.com}}</ref> There are 117 native trees and more than 1,400 types of [[orchid]]s; a third of them can be found in the [[Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve]]. Almost a half of the country's land is covered by forests, though only 3.5% is covered by primary forests.<ref name="rainforests.mongabay.com" /> [[Deforestation in Costa Rica]] has been reduced from some of the worst rates in the world from 1973 to 1989, to almost zero by 2005.<ref name="ODI12">{{cite web |first1=Jessica |last1=Brown |first2=Neil |last2=Bird |year=2010 |url=http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5049&title=costa-rica-sustainable-resource-management-successfully-tackling-tropical-deforestation |title=Costa Rica sustainable resource management: Successfully tackling tropical deforestation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514083601/http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=5049&title=costa-rica-sustainable-resource-management-successfully-tackling-tropical-deforestation|archive-date=14 May 2011 |website=[[Overseas Development Institute]]}}</ref>

The diversity of [[Wildlife of Costa Rica|wildlife in Costa Rica]] is very high; there are 441 species of [[amphibian]]s and [[reptile]]s, 838 species of [[bird]]s, 232 species of [[mammal]]s and 181 species of fresh water fish. Costa Rica has high levels of [[endemism]]; 81 species of amphibians and reptiles, 17 species of birds and 7 species of mammals are endemic to the country. However, many species are [[endangered]]. According to the [[World Conservation Monitoring Centre]], 209 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and plants are endangered.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unep-wcmc.org/ |title=World Conservation Monitoring Centre Home |accessdate=2012-01-28}}</ref> Some of the country's most endangered species are the [[harpy eagle]], the [[giant anteater]], the [[golden toad]] and the [[jaguar]]. The [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN) reports the golden toad as extinct.<ref>{{cite iucn |author=IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. |year=2020 |title=''Incilius periglenes'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T3172A54357699 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T3172A54357699.en |access-date=2 April 2024}}</ref>

Over 25% of Costa Rica's national territory is protected by the [[National System of Conservation Areas]] (SINAC), which oversees all of [[List of Conservation Areas of Costa Rica|the country's protected areas]]. There 29 [[List of national parks of Costa Rica|national parks of Costa Rica]] many conservation areas of Costa Rica. Together protected areas comprise over one-fourth of Costa Rican territory. 9.3% of the country is protected under IUCN categories I-V. Around 25% of the country's land area is in protected national parks and protected areas,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2006/sbsta/eng/misc05.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2006/sbsta/eng/misc05.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. "Issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries and recommendations on any further process"|access-date=26 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://earthtrends.wri.org/pdf_library/country_profiles/bio_cou_188.pdf|title=Biodiversity and Protected Areas – Costa Rica|author=Earth Trends|year=2003|publisher=World Resources Institute|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927060236/http://earthtrends.wri.org/pdf_library/country_profiles/bio_cou_188.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2011|access-date=8 June 2008}}</ref> the largest percentage of protected areas in the world (developing world average 13%, developed world average 8%).<ref name="ODI12" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldheadquarters.com/cr/protected_areas/|title=Costa Rica National Parks and Reserves|year=2007|publisher=World Headquarters|access-date=8 June 2008|archive-date=7 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107034053/http://en.worldheadquarters.com/travel/costarica/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://planetasustentavel.abril.com.br/noticia/desenvolvimento/conteudo_280147.shtml?func=2|title=O desafio da economia verde|author1=Leonardo Coutinho|author2=Otávio Cabral|date=21 May 2008|publisher=Revista Veja|language=pt|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223215610/http://planetasustentavel.abril.com.br/noticia/desenvolvimento/conteudo_280147.shtml?func=2|archive-date=23 February 2009|access-date=8 June 2008}} Published on website "Planeta Sustentável"</ref>