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Quepos
and Manuel Antonio provide you with the opportunity to experience
virtually all of Costa Rica's activities and attractions in one place.
The combination of rainforest-covered mountains, white sandy beaches,
raging rivers, wide-open country and an endless blue horizon make it
possible to do everything: from surfing a perfect wave to catching and
releasing a world record sailfish, enjoying an adventurous
horseback ride, or experiencing a refreshing waterfall. Your options
are limited only by your imagination.
When
you're not out enjoying the best nature has to offer,
the area has a complete range of hotels, restaurants,
shops and nightlife.
All
this is a short 20-minute flight from San Jose or a
scenic 3.5 hour drive over the mountains down to the
coast. Monday, 20th April 2009 Source: La Nacion STUDY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATES 149 COUNTRIES
Costa Rica is the fifth cleanest country in the world, according to 'Forbes'
- It earned a 90.5 rating for it's environmental performance in 2008
- The country is surpassed only by Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
ALEJANDRA VARGAS M. | Alevargas@nacion.com
Costa Rica is the fifth cleanest country in the world, according to a publication in the prestigious Forbes magazine.
This
is the result of analysis conducted in 149 countries, in which
environmental practices, the quality of air, water, natural vitality,
and other factors were studied by scientists from Columbia and Yale
Universities.
The study falls under the Study of Environmental Performance for the year 2008.
According
to Forbes, the Costa Rican economy is based on a strong ecotourism
industry that is benefiting from governmental and private actions that
have been taken here to protect biodiversity.
In addition, the
publication stresses that the country could improve on this index if it
meets its initiative to become, in 2021, the first nation with a
neutral carbon balance, ie, C-Neutral.
This will be achieved
only if the government implements all decrees, laws, incentives, and
budgets that are necessary to compensate for the amount of polluting
gases that are generated in Costa Rica.
The publication in
Forbes also emphasized that, contrary to what has happened in other
Latin American countries, Costa Rica has been effective in preventing
the increase in logging, and has also achieved a score of 97 or more in
the categories forest, pollution air and climate change.
This
happens because land has been reforested through the cultivation
of certain tree species for the marketing of their timber.
However,
Forbes also notes that the country is not so "friendly" with their
environments at sea, as the protection of marine resources ranks lower
in rated categories. In total, the country received a rating of 90.5
points out of a possible 100.
Concerning the rest of the list,
Costa Rica is second only to Switzerland (with a score of 95.5), Sweden
(93.1) and Norway (93.1), tied for second place, and Finland (91.4).
Costa
Rica is the number one ranked Latin American country in this list,
followed by Colombia at number nine. "This South American country
produces your coffee with care, a lucrative export. Ironically,
the presence of guerrillas and drug traffickers also endure in the
field, "said Forbes.
Scientists stressed the fall in this list of the United States, which is far from the Top 10.
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