In 1987, former President, Dr. Oscar Arias, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to broker peace in Central America. This was a well-deserved recognition of the Costa Rican way of life. The social impact of the democratic tradition of Costa Rica is clearly felt. In 1869, a compulsory state-paid system of education was established. The government makes available the necessary funds for medical and educational programs, with both services achieving outstanding successes.
In the case of education, 93 percent of the population is literate. Life expectancy is between 72 and 75 years of age. Medical services, including preventive medicine, have reached high levels of development in both rural and urban areas. The Costa Ricans are characterized by three main cultural lifestyles: the peasants and farmers of the Central Valley, the inhabitants of the plains of Guanacaste and the Caribbeans from the province of Limon. Their ethnic origins are a mix of the native inhabitants of the country, the Spanish colonists, and the African-Caribbean people that populated Costa Rica since the 1800's.
For travelers, Costa Rica offers a diversity of locales and activities that make it 'the must--see" destination in the Western, Hemisphere, if not in the world. It is a wonderland that offers lush tropical forests, beaches, mountains, volcanoes, and an abundance of species that are unmatched elsewhere all this in such a relatively small space. Visitors can also enjoy, among other things, whitewater rafting, hiking, bicycling, surfing, swimming, birdwatching, shopping and relaxing on secluded, sunny beaches.
Because of its compact geography, everyone in Costa Rica is presented with a cornucopia of choices. Costa Rica's ecosystem has several forests--- tropical rain, dry and cloud --- jungles, mountain ranges inactive and active volcanoes and beaches on two coasts. There are 10,000 varieties of plants, of which 1,200 species are orchids. There are 1,240 species of butterflies and 845 species of birds - the majestic quetzal, an endangered species, is one of the most famous. The animal kingdom is not confined to species of flight. Costa Rica has animals from 205 mammal classifications, 160 amphibian categories, 218 types of reptiles and 1,013 varieties of flesh and salt water fish.
A visit to different regions can put your clients face to face with a variety of species like monkeys, including the "cariblancos" (White-faced Capuchin), green Atlantic sea turtles, iguanas, jaguars, coatimundis (resembling racoons) and twc- and three-toed sloths. At first, it all appears too good to be true -the sheer abundance of wildlife and the ability of visitors to get to it, the warmhearted Ticos, and in such a small territory. All of this makes Costa Rica one of the most attractive experiences in travel today.
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