There are currently 30 National Parks of Costa Rica, which are managed under the umbrella of SINAC (Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion), a department of

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

's Ministry of Environment and Energy ( MINAE). All told, Costa Rica's protected areas encompass more than 25% of the country's total land area. Many of these protected areas are national parks. Costa Rica's progressive policies on environmental protection and sustainable ecotourism in the National Parks System have been lauded as a model for other countries. The

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s, tropical forests, marine areas and

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

of Costa Rica are the subject of many university and scientific organization studies. The enrichment of the world's knowledge of these important

habitats In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is an invaluable contribution from the National Parks System of Costa Rica. The

Cordillera de Talamanca The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies in the southeast half of Costa Rica and the far west of Panama. Much of the range and the area around it is included in La Amistad International Park, which also is shared between the two ...

is home to an impressive collection of national parks and other preserved areas, including the La Amistad International Park, which extends into Panamá. On the southern Osa Peninsula is the internationally renowned

Corcovado National Park Corcovado National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Corcovado) is a National Park on the Osa Peninsula, in Osa Canton, southwestern Costa Rica (9° North, 83° West), which is part of the Osa Conservation Area. It was established on 24 October 1975 ...

, which preserves a remnant of sizeable lowland tropical rainforest that is unique in the world.

Manuel Antonio National Park Manuel Antonio National Park ( es, 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 nation ...

was listed by Forbes in 2011 among the world's 12 most beautiful national parks. The Camino de Costa Rica is a 280 km long hiking trail across

. It runs from the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean coast), the southernmost part of the Tortuguero Canals, up the mountain and through indigenous territory near the

Barbilla National Park Barbilla 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. It protects forests as well as Laguna Ayil and Cerro Tigre and the Dantas River wa ...

and through valleys and mountain ranges of the central region of the country, just south of the

Turrialba Turrialba may refer to: Places * Turrialba Volcano * Turrialba Volcano National Park, created around Turrialba Volcano. * Turrialba (canton), located in Cartago Province * Turrialba (district), located in Turrialba canton. Other * Turrialba cheese ...

and Irazu Volcanos and through the Los Santos coffee region down to the Pacific coast in

Quepos Quepos () is a districts of Costa Rica, district of the canton of Quepos (canton), Quepos, in the province of Puntarenas Province, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Toponymy The town is named for the native Quepo Indians who inhabited the place in the colo ...

List of National Parks of Costa Rica

* Arenal Volcano National Park *

* Barra Honda National Park * Ballena Marine National Park *

Braulio Carrillo National Park Braulio Carrillo National Park is a national park in Heredia Province and San José Province, in central Costa Rica. It is part of the Central Conservation Area. Geography The park is located on the volcanic Cordillera Central (Central mountain ...

* Cahuita National Park * Carara National Park * Chirripó National Park *

Cocos Island National Park Cocos Island ( es, Isla del Coco) is an island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. It constitutes the 11th of the 13 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the Province of Puntarenas ...

Diriá National Park The Diriá National Park, until 2004 the Diriá 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. It protects both dry and at higher ...

* Guanacaste National Park * Irazú Volcano National Park *

Juan Castro Blanco National Park Juan Castro Blanco National Park is a National Park, part of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area, in the northern part of Costa Rica. Location Located about 100 km north of San José, to the east of Ciudad Quesada in Alajuela Pro ...

* La Amistad International Park *

La Cangreja National Park La Cangreja National Park, until 2002 the Cerro de la Cangreja Protected Zone, is a National Park in the Puriscal Canton of San José Province, in west-central Costa Rica. It is a part of the Central Pacific Conservation Area, near the Pacific Oce ...

* Las Baulas National Marine Park * Los Quetzales National Park *

* Miravalles Jorge Manuel Dengo National Park * Palo Verde National Park *

Piedras Blancas National Park Piedras 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 C ...

* Poás Volcano National Park *

Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park Rincon or Rincón (Spanish for ''corner'') may refer to: * Rincon (meadow) * Rincon (abandoned meander) People * Rincon (surname) * Rincón (footballer, born 1977), born Gilvan Santos Souza, Brazilian football striker * Rincón (footballer, 19 ...

* Santa Rosa National Park *

San Lucas Island National Park San Lucas Island National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Isla San Lucas) is an island located off the Pacific shore of Costa Rica in the Gulf of Nicoya. It is part of the Puntarenas district of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. Formerl ...

* Tapantí National Park * Tenorio Volcano National Park * Tortuguero National Park *

Turrialba Volcano National Park Turrialba Volcano National Park, or in Spanish the is a National Park in the Central Conservation Area of Costa Rica that encompasses the area around the Turrialba Volcano in Cartago Province. Major eruptions in the past include the years betw ...

References

*Franke, Joseph (1993). "Costa Rica's National Parks and Preserves".

External links

SINAC official site

Costa Rica National Parks (English)

Map and Introduction of Costa Rica National Parks

''National Parks of Costa Rica''
(audio-visual) {{Costa Rica topics

National parks National parks

List of National Parks of Costa Rica

See also

References

External links