Costa Rica Facts For Kids

Location:

Costa Rica can be found in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the North, Panama to the South, the Caribbean Sea to the East and the Pacific Ocean to the West.

The country has over 900 miles of coastline, so there’s an excellent chance you will find some stunning beaches. San Jose is the capital city of Costa Rica and can be found inland.

Language:

Spanish is the main language in Costa Rica. Have a go at some common phrases! “Hola!” means hello, “Si” means yes and “Buenos Dias” means good morning or good day.

Another common phrase that is often heard in Costa Rica is “Pura Vida”. This translates into Pure Life. It can be used as a greeting, as a way of saying thank you, or even to say goodbye.

It can be heard throughout the country, both by locals and tourists.

Weather:

The climate of Costa Rica is mainly tropical. This means that it is warm and wet. However, it varies depending where in the country you are.

forest

As there are places of high altitude, the temperature can be a lot cooler than the coast. However, the average temperature is 80°F. The rainforest areas experience lots of rain, almost every day.

Attractions:

Costa Rica has 28 National Parks. These are areas that are protected by the government, allowing animals and plants to grow in the wild, without being harmed by humans.

There are lots of different animals that can be found in each of these national parks, but most famously, are Sloths.

These slow-moving animals can hang from trees and eat leaves all day long. Howler monkeys, jaguars, a wide range of birds like the macaw, and even crocodiles can also be spotted among the natural grounds.

Costa Rica Cloud Forests are unique landscapes found in higher mountain regions. The clouds provide the forest with moisture all year around.

A wide range of animals can be found in these forests: like frogs, reptiles, jaguars, pumas and monkeys.

Tourists can visit the area using canopy tours which include ziplining or bridges across the forest. This way they are not disturbing the animals on the forest floor.

Food

Rice and Beans are a national dish in Costa Rica, but when they are fried together, they are called Gallo Pinto and can be served for breakfast!

A dish called Casado is beans and rice mixed with salad and meat can be served for lunch, while Olla de Carne is a soup with vegetables and meat.

Another dish called Chifrijo is a layered meal of black beans, rice, tomatoes, avocado all served on a bed of tortilla chips. Now that sounds yummy!

Other interesting facts about Costa Rica

There are more than 121 volcanoes in Coast Rica, with seven being active. This means they could explode at any time. Arenal is one of the ten most active volcanoes in the world.

volcano