| GEOGRAPHY |
Costa Rica, lying between
Nicaragua and Panama, is a complete coast-to-coast
segment of the Central American isthmus.
Its width ranges from 119 to 282km (74 to
176 miles). A low thin line of hills, that
rises between Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific
Ocean in Nicaragua, broadens and rises as
it enters northern Costa Rica, eventually
forming the high, rugged, mountains of volcanic
origin in the centre and south. The highest
peak is Chirripó Grande which reaches
3820m (12,530ft). More than half the population
live on the Meseta Central, a plateau with
an equitable climate. It is rimmed to the
southwest by the Cordillera range, and provides
the setting for the country's capital, San
José. There are lowlands on both
coastlines, mainly swampy on the Caribbean
coast, with grassland savannah on the Pacific
side merging into swamps towards the south.
Rivers cut through the mountains, flowing
down to both the Caribbean and the Pacific. |
