The truth is, Costa Rica is smaller than West Virginia by 20 percent To be more accurate, let's say that Costa Rica is about the size of New Hampshire and Maryland with poor little Rhode Island tossed in for good measure. Yet, few large countries offer such a diversity of scenery, climates or such a wide variety of flora and fauna. Probably no country in the world devotes as large a percentage of its territory to national parks and wildlife refuges. About 27 percent of Costa Rica's land is thus protected. These preserves range from cloud forests to tropicalbeaches, from volcanic craters to jungle swamps and inland waterways.
Common mammals are monkeys, coatis, jaguars and ocelots as well as sloths, tapirs and agoutis.
One evening, down on the Pacific coast, a large anteater ran in front of my car, its long snout almost touching the ground in front with an equally heavy tail drooping behind, looking very prehistoric. Turtles, colorful frogs and toads of all descriptions are found, as well as crocodiles and iguanas. There are said to be more varieties of butterflies in Costa Rica than in all of the African continent. The number of orchids and bromiliads confuses the mind. This is truly a naturalist's paradise, drawing visitors from all over the world.