Costa Rica consists mostly of coastal plains with mountains like the Andes-Sierra Madre chain, which runs along the western side of the Americas. There are over 100 volcanic cones, some of which are major volcanoes. About 50 percent of Costa Rica is covered by different types of forests and about 30 percent of the total land of Costa Rica is reserved as protected areas, such as Guanacaste National Park. The climate of Costa Rica is tropical/subtropical with the dry season from December to April and rainy season from May to November. Possibilism is found in the capital city, San Jose, and towards the outer parts of the country and small towns environmental determinism is found. Anywhere Costa Rica states, “San José transitions from a commercial block of department stores, chic cafés, and fast-food establishments to the haphazard residential areas characteristic of Latin America in an instant.”(Anywhere 1). The big city is diversified and clearly demonstrates possibilism. The different places in Costa Rica impact the country in a variety of ways. The capital creates jobs, houses people, and promotes tourism while the national parks allow the people to connect with the environment while also promoting tourism. This country is home to many different places; beaches, national parks, big cities, small towns, etc. that are all blended together into the country that is known today as Costa …show more content…
94% have a European or mixed heritage. 3% of the population is African American. About 1% of Costa Ricans are indigenous people, while an additional 1% are ethnic Chinese. The current crude birth rate (CBR) is 16.08 and the crude death rate (CDR) is 4.49, with a natural increase rate (NIR) of 11.59. Costa Rica’s total fertility rate is 1.91 and the infant mortality rate is currently 8.7. These demographic characteristics all suggest that Costa Rica is in stage 2 of demographic transition. The relatively high CBR and sharply declining CDR is a common trait of stage 2 countries. Costa Rica has limited technology and limited resources which is also a common trait of stage 2 countries. Based on the Demographic Transition model, both the CBR and CDR are indicative of stage 2 countries. As mentioned before, the high CBR of 16.08 and declining CDR of 4.49 classifies Costa Rica as a stage 2 country. Although it has limited healthcare, medical technology, and resources the death rates sharply declined because of a slight improvement in nutrition, medicine, health care, and sanitation. The Costa Rican population is currently rapidly increasing due to the low death rate and high birth rate as seen on the demographic transition model. If one is looking at the population pyramid, it is clear that Costa Rica is in stage 2 of demographic transition. The population pyramid is larger at the base which implies that the