Costa Rica Is 92% Ocean
Costa Rica's country brand has launched a free interactive map of parks, volcanoes, islands and its seas, which make up 92% of its territory. Use it before you go.
Most visitors think of Costa Rica as rainforest and volcanoes. The country’s own map tells a different story: 92% of its territory is sea. That fact, and many more, is now in Discover Costa Rica, a free interactive map from essential COSTA RICA, the country brand.
It was built with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship and two University of Costa Rica units: the Centre for Research in Marine Sciences and Limnology (CIMAR-UCR) and the School of Geography. It is in English and Spanish, and everything on it is backed by academic research.
What’s on it
- National parks, islands, waterfalls and volcanoes, in layers you can switch on and off
- Ecosystems and protected areas, with biodiversity data
- Cultural sites, and the ocean side of the country
- History you won’t find in a guidebook: San José was the third city in the world, and the first in Latin America, to have electric street lighting; Costa Rica was one of the first countries to ban sport hunting.
“Its images spark the curiosity of those who visit the site,” said Dr. Eddy Gómez Ramírez, director of CIMAR-UCR.
How to use it for a trip
- Pick your coasts. The map shows how different the Pacific and Caribbean sides are. Most first trips pair one coast with the Arenal volcano area.
- Find the protected areas near where you will stay, then book guided visits.
- Look offshore. With so much of the country at sea, plan at least one day on the water: snorkelling, a boat trip, or whale season on the Pacific.
- Show the kids. It is designed for students, which makes it good pre-trip homework for families.
For bookings, practical information and seasons, use Visit Costa Rica, the official tourism site.
Sources
Where to stay near Arenal
Map by Stay22. If you book through it we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It never decides what we write.
Alicia Loveday is Managing Editor at Not An Atlas, writing from Calgary, Alberta, amid a little creative chaos: a laptop, an iced coffee and about a hundred ideas she hasn't had time to bring to life yet. She became a mom young and spent her twenties raising two kids, so she was 30 before she saw the ocean for the first time, in Aruba. Gliding through that clear Caribbean water on a Seabob felt like freedom, and she's been making up for lost time ever since. She always takes the window seat (she waited 30 years for the view), never travels without the feather pillow she's had since childhood (they're a package deal), and sizes up a new place with a local cocktail and some serious people-watching. She covers fashion, culture, creativity and the people who shape the places we visit. Friends say creative, fearless and unapologetic. Her mum says stubborn, and she'd be right. Next stop: Japan.
