"Facts About Costa Rica

People
The population of Costa Rica is approximately 4.13 million.

Currency 
The money in Costa Rican is called the colon.

Size 
The land Area of this small country is about 31,478 square miles. Compare that  to the USA, which is about 5,692,950 square miles. Than means the USA is almost 181 times bigger than Costa Rica!

Capital 
The Capital of Costa Rica is San Jose. There are about 2.1 million people living in and around this largest city in the nation.

Climate 
The climate of Costa Rica is mostly tropical and sub-tropical. Though in the central highlands (mountain region) the weather is a bit milder.

Terrain 
The altitude varies from sea level (much like the state of Florida) to well over 12,000 feet. The mountainous region is in the north and central part of the country. There are more than 200 volcanoes, and about half of these are active at times." 

Fun one for you coffee drinkers:

"Coffee
         Coffee has been around for more than one thousand years. Its origins trace back to Africa. Before coffee beans were roasted and brewed to make a drink, they were a source of food. During the 1200’s the beans were first used for brewing into a drink. Due to the caffeine in coffee, it gives the drinker a burst of energy. That is why so many adults drink it in the morning – to wake up!
         With its mild climate, constant mist and fertile soil, Costa Rica is an ideal place for growing coffee. The plant is a bush with deep green leaves and coffee seeds, which are often called cherries. They start out as a light green color and turn to a deep red when they are ripe. All the cherries are picked by hand so only the ripe ones are taken. That is one of the reasons why coffee is expensive – farmers must pay many workers for many months to harvest the crops. Also it takes at least 5 years before a new plant is ready to harvest.
         Inside each one of the hard cherries of the coffee plant are usually 2 beans. Water is often used to get the shell off the cherries to release the beans. The beans are soaked in water for one or 2 days and then dried in the sun or in a machine. Then there is a shell over the beans that must be peeled away with a special machine. Underneath this shell, the beans are green in color. They must be inspected and sorted before being sold. In order to make these coffee beans ready for brewing, they are slowly roasted. The longer the beans are roasted, the darker they become and the more intense the flavor becomes."