Republic of Costa Rica Trivia Quiz

Answer: Panama and Nicaragua

The countries of Central America are Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Costa Rica is nestled between Nicaragua on the north and Panama on the south. The large lake visible near the northern border of Costa Rica is Lago de Nicaragua.

Answer: Pacific Ocean on the west, Caribbean Sea on the east

Costa Rica's extensive coastline on the Pacific Ocean includes the colorfully-named Golfo de Papagayo (Gulf of the Parrot), currently being developed for tourists, and the large Golfo de Nicoya, which is one of the region's major fishing grounds. Most of the luxury resort areas are found along the northern stretch of the Pacific coast, in the province of Guanacaste.

The Caribbean coast is popular for the excellent spring surfing.

Answer: Seven

There are seven provinces (as shown on the map, with each one in a different color). The province of Puntarenas is unusual in that it has three separate regions, one stretching along the mainland for most of the Pacific coast, one on the Nicoya Peninsula, and one incorporating the offshore island of Cocos.

The provinces do not have elected local governments - this second tier of government acts at the level of the canton, of which Costa Rica has 81, each controlled by a mayor and a council of canton representatives chosen in municipal elections.

Answer: Isla del Coco

Isla del Coco, or Cocos Island, lies in the Pacific Ocean around 550 km offshore from Costa Rica. It is the 11th district in the Puntarenas canton of the province of Puntarenas, and is a national park. The only residents are park rangers, but it is a popular tourist destination for scuba divers. It has been conjectured that this island was the model for Daniel Defoe's description of the island on which Robinson Crusoe was marooned, and that it may have been the inspiration for the island in Michael Crichton's "Jurassic Park".

Isla Calero, Costa Rica's largest island, is in the San Juan River, which forms a large part of the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. It has been the subject of some territorial disputes. Isla Damas, in the Pacific Ocean near the city of Quepos, is popular with tourists who take boat rides through its rivers and estuaries to observe the abundant wildlife of the region. Isla San Lucas, formerly a prison, is a National Park.

Answer: Baetic Cordillera

The central mountains of Costa Rica are part of the Continental Divide that runs the length of the Americas, including the Rocky Mountains and the Andes, with a whole lot of others joining in. Rivers arising on the west of the Divide eventually drain west into the Pacific Ocean, while those on the east eventually drain east into the Atlantic Ocean (of which the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea are considered a part) or north into the Arctic Ocean.

The Baetic Cordillera is a mountain system in Spain which includes the Sierra Nevada and the Rock of Gibraltar.

Answer: Irazu

The diagram shows a cross-section of the relevant part of the Central Range. All of these volcanoes either have erupted since European colonization, or exhibit ongoing signs of fumarole activity - geysers, thermal springs, steam vents, etc. The highest of them is Irazu, with a height of 3432 m (11,260 ft).

Its size and frequent eruptions (the most recent in 1963-1965), along with the extensive damage they cause, have led to its nickname of "El Coloso" (The Colossus). Irazu has five craters, one of which contains the popular tourist destination of a green crater lake called Diego de la Haya.

The peak is also used for television transmitters, a 20th century development.

Answer: Noble homeland, your beautiful flag

The first verse in its entirety translates as:

"Noble homeland, your beautiful flag / Expression of your life it gives us: / Under the limpid blue of your skies, / Peace reigns, white and pure".

The red, white and blue colors of the flag were inspired by the colors of the French flag. The original design was made by Pacifica Fernandez, the wife of Costa Rica's first president when the country separated from the Federated Republic of Central America in 1848. The coat of arms was added in 1906. As is the case for many national flags, the colors are said to represent a variety of things (possibly in the hope that everyone will find something in the list with which they can identify). The blue is said to stand for the skies overhead, idealism, opportunities and perseverance - concepts which can be related with a bit of imagination. The white represents peace, wisdom and happiness, while the red is said to remind us of the contrasting concepts of the blood spilled in defense of the country and the warm and generous spirit of the people of Costa Rica.

Answer: Two new provinces have been added since 1848.

In 1848, neither Limon nor Puntarenas was a province, so the five stars represented the five provinces at that time. In 1906 the design was revised to remove some of the military symbolism on the original design. In 1964 the two extra stars were added.

Answer: Coffee

The first coffee plantations in Costa Rica were established in the early years of the 19th century. By the time of independence in the middle of the century, coffee exports to Europe were the country's major source of income. It remained an economic mainstay, although banana production increased dramatically in the 20th century, providing an economic rival.

In the 21st century Costa Rica is developing ecotourism as a source of income, trading on the nation's richly varied wildlife. Costa Rica has 26 national parks and over 150 other protected areas, comprising over a quarter of the country's land and water areas.

Answer: White-tailed deer

While the white-tailed deer is more commonly associated with North America, especially the eastern part of the United States, there are a number of subspecies found as far south as Peru. The Central American white-tailed deer, a female of which is pictured here, is found primarily in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The other options are among the national animal symbols of Mexico.

The national bird of Costa Rica is the clay-colored thrush, which can be found between southern Texas and northern Colombia. The national flower is a type of orchid called 'Guarianthe skinneri', the national tree is the Guanacaste, and the national instrument is the marimba, which resembles a xylophone.