Costa Rica

Nicoya Peninsula lies along the northern section of Costa Rica's Pacific coast. The Gulf of Nicoya separates the Nicoya Peninsula from the mainland of Costa Rica and encompasses a marine and coastal landscape of wetlands, rocky islands and cliffs.

Palo Verde National Park contains much of the area of the valley of the Tempisque River in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. The park protects one of the most endangered ecosystems. It is one of the last remaining tropical dry rain forests that once covered most of Central America.

Piedras Blancas National Park, located in southern Costa Rica, protects over 34,000 acres of evergreen primary forest, indigenous plants and wildlife. The park is home to a number of rare tropical trees and is the habitat for many species of birds, reptiles and mammals.

The stone spheres of Costa Rica are an assortment of over 300 petrospheres, located on the Diquís Delta. The Pre-Columbian Chiefdom Settlements with Stone Spheres of the Diquís are physical evidence of pre-Columbian hierarchical societies.

Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park spans over 34,000 acres and helps protect both montane forests and dwarf cloud forests. Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, an active andesitic complex volcano, is set within the park and is one of six active Costa Rican volcanoes.

The Ring of Fire is an area in the Pacific Ocean basin where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur as a direct result of plate tectonics: the movement and collision of lithospheric plates. The Andean Volcanic Belt is a major volcanic belt along the coast of South America.

Santa Rosa National Park, the first national park established in Costa Rica, protects some of the last remaining tropical dry forest in the world. It is part of the Area de Conservación Guanacaste World Heritage site.

The Savegre Biosphere Reserve is located on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast and borders two other biosphere reserves in the north and east. Due to its varied topography, as well as its heterogeneity of microclimates, it is one of the most biodiverse sites in the country.

The location of this unique transboundary site in Central America, where Quaternary glaciers have left their mark, has allowed the fauna and flora of North and South America to interbreed. Four different Indian tribes inhabit this area, which benefit from close cooperation between Costa Rica and Panama.

Tenorio Volcano National Park, in northern Costa Rica, forms part of the Arenal Tempisque Conservation Area and consists of four volcanic peaks and two craters. Thermal springs and small geysers dot the area as do rivers, waterfalls, lagoons and panoramic views.