National Parks of Costa Rica
Encyclopedia
National Parks of Costa Rica |
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 Manuel Antonio National Park |
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| First Park | Poás Volcano National Park Poás Volcano National Park Poás Volcano National Park, in Spanish , is a National Park that covers an area of approximately ; the summit is . One of the attractive features about Poás is that you can get all the way to the edge of the crater... , 1955 |
| Smallest Park | Manuel Antonio National Park Manuel Antonio National Park Manuel Antonio National Park, in Spanish the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, is a small National Park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, just south of the city of Quepos, Puntarenas, and from the national capital of San José... , 16 km² |
| Largest Park | La Amistad International Park La Amistad International Park The La Amistad International Park, or in Spanish , formerly the La Amistad National Park, is an Transboundary Protected Area in Latin America, management of which is shared between Costa Rica and Panama, following a recommendation by UNESCO after the park's inclusion in the World Heritage Site... , 1991 km² |
| Governing body | SINAC SINAC SINAC the National System of Conservation Areas, or in Spanish the , is the Costa Rican National Parks administrator, and is part of the Ministry of Environment and Energy or MINAE... |
There are currently 26 National Parks of Costa Rica, which are managed under the umbrella of SINAC
SINAC
SINAC the National System of Conservation Areas, or in Spanish the , is the Costa Rican National Parks administrator, and is part of the Ministry of Environment and Energy or MINAE...
(Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion), a department of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
's Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE
MINAE
MINAE, the Ministry of Environment and Energy or in Spanish , is part of the government of Costa Rica.-Agencies:*SINAC - National System of Conservation Areas*DGGM - Geology and Mining General Directorate...
).
Costa Rica's progressive policies on environmental protection and sustainable ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
in the National Parks System have been lauded as a model for other countries. The rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s, tropical forests, marine areas and wetlands of Costa Rica are the subject of many university and scientific organization studies. The enrichment of the world's knowledge of these important habitats
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
is an invaluable contribution from the National Parks System of Costa Rica.
The Cordillera de Talamanca
Cordillera de Talamanca
The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies on the border between Costa Rica and Panama. Much of the range and the area around it is included in the La Amistad International Park, which also is shared between the two countries....
is home to an impressive collection of national parks and other preserved areas, including the La Amistad International Park
La Amistad International Park
The La Amistad International Park, or in Spanish , formerly the La Amistad National Park, is an Transboundary Protected Area in Latin America, management of which is shared between Costa Rica and Panama, following a recommendation by UNESCO after the park's inclusion in the World Heritage Site...
, which extends into Panamá
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. On the southern Osa Peninsula
Osa Peninsula
The Osa Peninsula is a peninsula located in southwestern Costa Rica, in the Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific Ocean, at . The peninsula was formed geologically by a faulting system that extends north into California....
is the internationally renowned Corcovado National Park
Corcovado National Park
Corcovado National Park is a National Park on the Osa Peninsula in the South West of Costa Rica , which is part of the Osa Conservation Area. It was established on 24 October 1975, and encompasses an area of 425 km² . It is widely considered the crown jewel in the extensive system of national...
, which preserves a remnant of sizeable lowland tropical rainforest that is unique in the world. Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio National Park, in Spanish the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, is a small National Park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, just south of the city of Quepos, Puntarenas, and from the national capital of San José...
was listed by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
in 2011 among the world's 12 most beautiful national parks.
List of National Parks of Costa Rica
- Arenal Volcano National ParkArenal Volcano National ParkArenal Volcano National Park is a Costa Rican national park in the central part of the country, forming the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area. The park encompasses the Arenal Volcano, the most active in the country, which had previously been believed to be dormant until a major eruption in 1968...
- Barbilla National ParkBarbilla National ParkBarbilla National Park is a National Park in the Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area of Costa Rica located on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera de Talamanca...
- Barra Honda National ParkBarra Honda National ParkBarra Honda National Park is a national park in the western part of Costa Rica, which forms part of the Tempisque Conservation Area about 12 km from the Tempisque River. It was created in 1974 to protect its famous cave systems, under the Barra Honda Peak which was formed when islets from the...
- Braulio Carrillo National ParkBraulio Carrillo National ParkBraulio Carrillo National Park is a National Park of the Volcanic Cordillera Conservation Area in Costa Rica located on the eastern edge of the central volcanic corridor between San José and Puerto Limón. It is accessible from the Limon Highway, which bisects the park running roughly east-west,...
- Cahuita National ParkCahuita National ParkCahuita National Park is a national park in the Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area of Costa Rica located on the southern Caribbean coast in Limón Province, connected to the town of Cahuita...
- Carara National ParkCarara National ParkCarara National Park is a National Park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located near the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.Carara National Park was established on April 27, 1978 as a biological reserve, but its growing popularity after 1990 forced the government to upgrade its category to...
- Chirripó National ParkChirripó National ParkChirripó National Park is located in the middle portion of the Talamanca Range of Costa Rica, approximately 30 km northeast from the city of San Isidro del General. It protects a number of important ecosystems on the Costa Rican Pacific slope and is notable for including the largest extension...
- Cocos Island National Park
- Corcovado National ParkCorcovado National ParkCorcovado National Park is a National Park on the Osa Peninsula in the South West of Costa Rica , which is part of the Osa Conservation Area. It was established on 24 October 1975, and encompasses an area of 425 km² . It is widely considered the crown jewel in the extensive system of national...
- Diria National ParkDiria National ParkThe Diria National Park, until 2004 the Diria National Forest Wildlife Refuge, is a National Park of Costa Rica south of Santa Cruz in the Guanacaste Province, and forms part of the Tempisque Conservation Area...
- Guanacaste National ParkGuanacaste National Park (Costa Rica)Guanacaste National Park, in Spanish , is part of the Area de Conservación Guanacaste World Heritage Site, is a National Park in the northern part of Costa Rica, from the slopes of the Orosí and Cacao volcanoes west to the Interamerican Highway where it is adjacent to the Santa Rosa National Park....
- Irazú Volcano National ParkIrazú Volcano National ParkIrazú Volcano National Park, or in Spanish the ', is a National Park in the Central Volcanic Conservation Area of Costa Rica that encompasses the area around the Irazú Volcano in Cartago Province which incorporates what used to be the Ruben Torres Rojas Forest Reserve now called the Prusia Forest...
- Juan Castro Blanco National ParkJuan Castro Blanco National ParkJuan Castro Blanco National Park is a National Park, part of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area, in the northern part of Costa Rica about 100 km north of San José, to the east of Ciudad Quesada in Alajuela Province. It contains the active Platanar Volcano as well as the dormant Porvenir...
- La Amistad International ParkLa Amistad International ParkThe La Amistad International Park, or in Spanish , formerly the La Amistad National Park, is an Transboundary Protected Area in Latin America, management of which is shared between Costa Rica and Panama, following a recommendation by UNESCO after the park's inclusion in the World Heritage Site...
- La Cangreja National ParkLa Cangreja National ParkLa Cangreja National Park, until 2002 the Cerro de la Cangreja Protected Zone, is a National Park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located near the Pacific coast of Costa Rica that protects tropical forest in the Puriscal Canton region of the Cordillera de Talamanca.Park-related websites...
- Las Baulas National Marine ParkLas Baulas National Marine ParkThe Las Baulas National Marine Park, also the Playa Grande Marine Turtle National Park or in Spanish is a Nature Reserve of Costa Rica, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area, and covers approximately 54,000 acres marine near the town of Tamarindo. It supports the largest nesting colony of...
- Manuel Antonio National ParkManuel Antonio National ParkManuel Antonio National Park, in Spanish the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, is a small National Park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, just south of the city of Quepos, Puntarenas, and from the national capital of San José...
- Maquenque National ParkMaquenque National ParkMaquenque National Park is a proposed National Park, which would form part of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area, in the northern part of Costa Rica. It would bring together a number of existing Nature Reserves, Wildlife refuges and Forest Reserves to form a new National Park...
(proposed) - Palo Verde National ParkPalo Verde National ParkThe Palo Verde National Park, in Spanish is a National Park of Costa Rica, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area, that contains much of the area of the valley of the Tempisque River and covers an area of 45,492 acres in Guanacaste Province, 30 km west of Canas...
- Piedras Blancas National ParkPiedras Blancas National ParkPiedras Blancas National Park is a national park part of the Osa Conservation Area. It is found in the Puntarenas Province of southern Costa Rica near the town of La Gamba. It protects rainforests and beaches near the Golfo Dulce on the Pacific Coast. It used to operate as part of the Corcovado...
- Poás Volcano National ParkPoás Volcano National ParkPoás Volcano National Park, in Spanish , is a National Park that covers an area of approximately ; the summit is . One of the attractive features about Poás is that you can get all the way to the edge of the crater...
- Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National ParkRincón de la Vieja Volcano National ParkRincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park, in Spanish , part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area and the Area de Conservación Guanacaste World Heritage Site, is a National Park in the northwestern part of Costa Rica which encompasses the Rincón de la Vieja and Santa María volcanoes, as well as the...
- Santa Rosa National ParkSanta Rosa National ParkSanta Rosa National Park, in Spanish the , is a national park, part of the Area de Conservación Guanacaste World Heritage site, in the northern western part of Costa Rica, originally created to protect the scene of the Battle of Santa Rosa, at its eastern edge lies the Interamerican Highway where...
- Tapantí National ParkTapantí National ParkTapantí National Park, sometimes called Orosí National Park, is a National Park in the Pacific La Amistad Conservation Area of Costa Rica located on the edge of the Talamanca Range, near Cartago. It protects forests to the north of Chirripó National Park, and also contains part of the Orosí River...
- Tenorio Volcano National ParkTenorio Volcano National ParkTenorio Volcano National Park is a National Park in the northern part of Costa Rica, which forms part of the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area. The jewel of the National Park is the volcano, from which it receives its name...
- Tortuguero National ParkTortuguero National ParkTortuguero National Park is a National Park within the Tortuguero Conservation Area. The reserve is also included in the Humedal Caribe Noreste, a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The park is located in the Limón Province of northeastern Costa Rica...
- Turrialba Volcano National ParkTurrialba Volcano National ParkTurrialba Volcano National Park, or in Spanish the ' is a National Park in the Central Volcanic Conservation Area of Costa Rica that encompasses the area around the Turrialba Volcano in Cartago Province...