1. Information about COSTA RICA

3. 7 provinces: San José, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, Cartago, Guanacaste and Limón

4. Capital: San José

5. Religion: Catholicfaith as officialreligion

6. Government:democraticrepublic(president: Laura Chinchilla)

8. Caribbean Sea on its east, Pacific Ocean on its west

9. bordered by Nicaragua to the North and Panama to the South

10. divided by a backbone of volcanoes and mountains (extension of the Andes-Sierre Madre chain)

12. no winter or summer as such

13. most regions have a rainy season (May – November) and a dry season (December – April)

15. more than 200 species of mammals, around 850 species of birds, almost 200 types of amphibians and 220 species of reptiles

16. extraordinary abundance of flora, including some 9000-plus species of "higher plants"

19. capital: Liberia

20. bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean (coastline of about 635 miles)

21. unspoiled beaches and exotic animals