In 1987 this prestigious award was presented to then-president of the Republic Dr. Oscar Arias. This, the fact that over a quarter of its territory enjoys protection in the ever-growing network of national parks and reserves, its continued dedication to environmental protection, and many other reasons answer why Costa Rica has repeatedly been referred to as the Switzerland of the Americas. The Atlantic coast has no well-defined dry season. The Pacific coast, the Guanacaste area, is the driest and hottest. This is where you can find most of the beach resorts.
Temperatures remain nearly constant all year round with variations primarily related to altitude.
Temperatures in the mountains drop into the 50s and below. The coastal waters are an almost constant 74 degrees on both coasts. Twelve color TV broadcasting stations. Various cable and subscription TV services provide programming from satellite feeds. The current cost to mail a letter to North America is 50 colones.