Costa Rica with Matthew George - June 2014

Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of plants and animals. While the country has only about 0.25% of the world’s landmass, it contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity. Around 25% of the country’s land area is in protected national parks and protected areas, the largest percentage of protected areas in the world. 

Costa Rica has many kinds of music. Most of the music and representative folklore comes from the north of the country, including the Nicoya Peninsula (Mayan culture) and the Atlantic coast (Afro- Caribbean culture). Costa Rican music is marked by a rhythm known as tambito as well a distinctive musical genre known as punto. Two examples are the punto guanacasteco from Guanacaste Province, and the sancarleño from San Carlos in Alajuela Province.