EXPEDITIONS INTERNATIONAL Front Range Mountain Guides of Colorado expeditions@mtnguides.com

Facts

• Gained independence from Spain in 1821
• Of the 52 presidents since then, only 3 have been military men and only six could have been considered dictators.
• Abolished it’s army in 1949
• about the size of West Virginia
• Population just over 3 million
• Bananas and coffee are the major exports
• Over 12% of total land is preserved in national parks and private reserves.
• National park system was created in 1969
• Mario Boza first director of National Parks
• agronomist by trade
• Mario’s thesis was on how a national Park could be designed and operated
• Poas Volcano was first national Park and Boza’s work was the basis
• Alvardo Ugalde biology student and second director of national parks for twelve years.
• In 1994 tourism surpassed bananas as the primary source of revenue
• five major geographic areas:
  
  
  • Pacific Coast
  • Arid Northwest
  • Caribbean lowlands
  • Volcanic cordillera
  • Talamanca Range

PACIFIC COAST

• Corcovado National Park
  • Founded in 1986
  • the largest of all Costa Rica’s national parks
  • 400 species of insects
  • 500 types of trees
  • 2/3 the number found in all of North America

MANUAL ANTONIO NATIONAL PARK

• Named for an early colonial Figure
• 35 % of its’ land is owed to a local wealthy family
• Home of Central American squirrel monkey which is very close to extinction.
• Possibly the best place on Costa Rica to see a three toed sloth
• The Harpy Eagle is the sloth’s natural enemy Manuel Antonio is toos mall a park to maintain a population of Harpy eagles so the sloth is multiplying at a rapid rate.
• Sloths are among the most abundant creatures in the rain forest. As many as 8 per hectare. They climb down from their trees once a week , dig a hole, and deposit their feces. No one knows why they do this, since it makes them more vulnerable to their enemies.

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