Costa Rica is a country of 19,730 square miles (51,100 sq kilometers), more or less the size of West Virginia (or slightly larger than Vermont, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island combined). It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the West and the Caribbean on the East; Nicaragua to the North, and Panamá to the South.

Flying times from United States cities are: Miami, 2,5 hours; Dallas, 3,5 hours; New York, 5 hours and Los Angeles, 6 hours. The country has approximately 4.5 million inhabitants. The capital city of San Jose, as well as most of the country’s industrial, commercial and economic activity are located in the central part of the country, known as the Central Valley, a region which is also the most populated.

CENTRAL VALLEY
Imperious volcanoes and steeply rising mountains sandwich Costa Rica's teeming capital, San José, on two sides. Coffee plantations and exotic-plant greenhouses spread over the foothills amidst dairy farms and forest tracts. Surrounding cities, Cartago, Heredia and Alajuela enjoy a cooler climate and support several private universities, light industries and diverse commercial enterprises.

Just about anywhere in the densely populated Central Valley enjoys wonderful views. The varied elevations mean you can choose your climate from tropical Santa Ana and Ciudad Colón to the fresher temperatures climbing up the slopes of Poás and Barva volcanoes. Popular, lively, ex-pat enclave Escazu - climbing up the Cerro Blanco slopes west of San Jose - gives front-row vistas of at least three volcanoes.