The longest standing democracy in all of Latin America, Costa Rica is a stable and peaceful nation without an army. Its current President, Oscar Arias, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987.

The country has 4,160,000 persons, generally known for their
friendliness, who have one of the highest life spans in the world. The land area is 19,730 square miles (51,100 sq.km). Costa Rica enjoys year-round tropical weather, and average temperatures are 75 F in
the central areas of the country and 85 F in the coastal areas. The
dry season is December-April and the rainy season May-November.

Costa Rica is conveniently close to the United States, and only a little over two hours from Miami. All of the major airline carriers offer daily flights to the country. Costa Rica is on Central Standard Time (-6 GMT) and Daylight Savings Time is not observed.