The Nicoya Peninsula is a peninsula

Peninsula

A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

 on the Pacific coast 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....

 and lies in the Guanacaste Province

Guanacaste Province

Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern part of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. To the north it borders Nicaragua. To the east is the Alajuela Province, and to the southeast is the Puntarenas Province. It is the most sparsely populated of all the...

 in the north, and the Puntarenas Province

Puntarenas Province

Puntarenas is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the western part of the country, covering most of Costa Rica's Pacific Ocean coast, and it is the largest province in Costa Rica. Clockwise from the northwest it borders on the provinces Guanacaste, Alajuela, San José and Limón, and the...

 in the south. It is located at 10°N 85.4166667°W. It varies from 19 to 37 miles (59.5 km) wide and is approximately 75 miles (120.7 km) long, and forms the largest peninsula in the country. It is known for its beaches and is a popular tourist destination. The main transport and commercial centre in the region is Nicoya

Nicoya

Nicoya is a town in Costa Rica's Guanacaste province, and one of its most important tourist zones. It serves as a transport hub to Guanacaste's beaches and national parks. According to the 2000 census, the city's population was 13,334—second only to Liberia in the province...

, one of the oldest settlements in Costa Rica.

Places of interest

Other notable settlements and places of interest in the area include (going roughly from north to south): Tamarindo

Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Tamarindo is a town and distrito located on the Northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica in the Province of Guanacaste. The district has a population of 3,525, although the town itself is about 500. But it can swell to 5,000 people or more during the tourist season and during special holidays...

, Santa Cruz, Nosara

Nosara

Nosara is a city in the Nicoya canton, Guanacaste province of Costa Rica on the Pacific Coast.-Geography and demographics:Despite the Nicoya peninsula being one of the last locations with large areas of unpaved roads in Costa Rica, Nosara is one of the oldest expatriate communities in the country,...

, Sámara, Naranjo

Naranjo de Alajuela

Naranjo is the capital city of the canton of Naranjo in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the distrito that includes the city...

, Paquera, Curu, Tambor, Montezuma

Montezuma, Costa Rica

Montezuma is a town in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica which began as a remote fishing village and has gained popularity since the 1980s among tourists on a budget....

, Santa Teresa

Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Santa Teresa is a small town in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica. It is located about west of the capital city of San José. Like other coastal villages on the Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa started as a remote fishing village, relying on agriculture, cattle ranching and small- scale fishing...

, Mal Pais

Malpais, Costa Rica

Malpais is a town in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica which began as a fishing and cattle-farming village, and has become popular among surfers and adventure travelers around the world...

.

Conservation

There are a number of nature reserves and wildlife refuges such as Cabo Blanco

Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve

The Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve is a Nature Reserve of Costa Rica, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area in the province of Puntarenas, covering an area of terrestrial and marine on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula near Mal Pais....

, Camaronal

Camaronal Wildlife Refuge

The Camaronal Wildlife Refuge is a Wildlife refuge of Costa Rica, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area, on the Pacific Coast of the Nicoya Peninsula....

, Cueva Murciélago

Cueva Murcielago Wildlife Refuge

The Cueva Murciélago Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge of Costa Rica, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area, and protects tropical forest in the coastal areas of the southern Nicoya Peninsula near Cabuya.-External links:* at Costa Rica National Parks...

, Curú

Curú Wildlife Refuge

The Curú Wildlife Refuge is a Wildlife refuge of Costa Rica, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area, tropical dry forests on the southern Nicoya Peninsula, near Tambor...

, La Ceiba

La Ceiba Wildlife Refuge

The La Ceiba Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge in Costa Rica, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area, which protects tropical forest on the Nicoya Peninsula near the small village of San Rafael de Paquera in the Puntarenas Province....

, Romelia

Romelia Wildlife Refuge

The Romelia Wildlife Refuge is a Wildlife refuge in Costa Rica, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area, near Montezuma, Costa Rica on the Nicoya Peninsula.-External links:* at Costa Rica National Parks...

 and the Diria National Park

Diria National Park

The 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...

, as well as the projects on the islands of the adjacent Gulf of Nicoya

Gulf of Nicoya

The Gulf of Nicoya is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. It separates the Nicoya Peninsula from the mainland of Costa Rica, and encompasses a marine and coastal landscape of wetlands, rocky islands and cliffs.-Islands:*Chira Island*Venado Island*Isla Caballo...

.

Notable features

The Nicoya Peninsula is considered by Quest Network one of the Blue Zone

Blue Zone

A Blue Zone is a region of the world where people commonly live active lives past the age of 100 years. Scientists and demographers have classified these longevity hot-spots by having common healthy traits and life practices that result in higher-than-normal longevity.The name Blue Zone seems to...

s in the world, where people commonly live active lives past the age of 100 years.