by Jack Deal

Created on: March 10, 2009

Simply put, Costa Rica is awash in natural beauty and one of the prettiest places on the planet. It boasts the second largest barrier reef on Earth.

Cocos Island, of Jurassic Park fame, is one of its best known landmarks. For its size, Costa Rica is one of the most bio-diverse spots in the world.

With only .03% of the Earth's land mass, Costa Rica has 3% of the world's biodiversity. As a percentage of land mass, Costa Rica has more preserved nature than any other country.

And if one doesn't like the heat and humidity of the rainforest one can always go up into the mountains to cooler climate zones.

Mountain ranges with active volcanoes provide a wide range of climatic conditions. Arenal Volcano has been erupting continuously since 1960 and thrills visitors with the sights and sounds of a real, live volcano.

White water rafting, hiking, zip lines, cloud forests, bird watching and hot springs can all be found within short driving distance. Toucans, parrots, macaws, monkeys, jaguars, tapirs, and peccaries are just some of the wildlife that can be found in this bio-diverse country.

Fishing, snorkeling, scuba, surfing and provide ocean sports and activities for those that prefer the oceans.

With a strong emphasis on ecology, environment and sustainable off the grid development, Costa Rica plans to become the world's first carbon neutral country in the world by 2021. There is even an official rating system for business 'greenness.'

The people of Costa Rica are as diverse as the wildlife. Nearly all races, ethnicities and nationalities can be found: Chinese, Japanese, Quaker, Israeli, American, German, French as well as Latin American.

Politically, Costa Rica is Latin America's oldest democracy and as a consequence one of its freest and most tolerant. Since 1948 Costa Rica has had no Army, law enforcement is strictly regulated and human rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Women had the right to vote in Costa Rica before they had the right to vote in the USA.

Costa Rica's economy is often compared to Chile's and has been consistently one of the fastest growing and most stable in Latin America. With an emphasis on education it has a higher literacy rate than the United States as well as a lower poverty gap.

With its socialized form of medicine, medical costs are about 25% of the costs in the United States and medical tourism is a booming industry. Students from all over the world come to study medicine in Costa Rica.

"Costa Rica is extremely tourist friendly," says one American

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