The country is divided by a backbone
of volcanoes and mountains, an extension of the Andes-Sierra Madre
chain which runs along the western side of the Americas. Costa
Rica has four distinct cordilleras or mountain ranges -- Guanacaste
and Tilaran in the north, Central and Talamanca in the south.
Costa Rica is part of the Pacific "Rim of Fire" and
has seven of the isthmus's 42 active volcanoes plus dozens of
dormant or extinct cones. Earth tremors and small quakes shake
the country from time to time.
The last major quake hit on April
22, 1991. Centered on the Caribbean side southeast of San Jose,
it measured 7.4 on the Richter scale. The country's highest point
is Mt. Chirripo (3,797 meters). The capital, San Jose, and the
neighboring major cities of Alajuela and Heredie lies in the middle
of the Meseta Central (Central Valley). Almost two-thirds of the
nation's population live in this small, fertile valley. The Pacific
coastal plain is much narrower than its Caribbean counterpart.
Both coasts are lined with white and black sand beaches.
