Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a country in the Central American region. Its capital and largest city is San José. Costa Rica lies between the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The country's highest point is Cerro Chirripó, at 3,819 meters, and its highest volcano is Irazú, at 3,431 meters. The country has 14 known volcanoes, six of which have been active in the last 75 years. Costa Rica is home to an extraordinary diversity of wildlife species, largely due to its geographic position between North and South America, its neotropical climate and its wide range of habitats. The country is home to over 500,000 species, representing nearly 5% of the world's estimated species, making Costa Rica one of the 20 most biodiverse countries in the world. Of these 500 000 species, just over 300 000 are insects. Hundreds of species are found only in Costa Rica. Among these endemic species are frogs, snakes, lizards, finches, hummingbirds, gophers, mice, cichlids and gobies. In Costa Rica, including Cocos Island, there are 941 bird species recorded, which is more than in the United States and Canada combined. Of the species in Costa Rica, more than 600 are permanent residents and more than 200 are migratory species that spend part of the year outside the country, usually in North America. Of the species in Costa Rica, seven are endemic and 19 are globally threatened. Scarlet Macaws are common in the area but are endangered, including being popular in the pet trade. An individual can sell for up to a thousand dollars.