Costa Rica Landforms

Volcanoes

• Costa Rica has 112 volcanic formations• Seven of them are considered as

active• The highest of the volcanoes is Irazu • The most active is Arenal

– Jason and I have visited Arenal

• Poas has the second widest crater in the world

Irazu Volcano

• In 1963 the most serious eruption was of Irazu volcanoe.

• It erupted clouds of smoke and ash that kept hovering over San Jose and other parts for two years.

• U.S. President John F. Kennedy was visiting Costa Rica when this occurred.

Arenal Volcano• The Arenal volcano is

about four hours north of San José in the central valley by car.

• The drive is through the central valley and beautiful rainforest's but be warned that the roads contain potholes and are fair at best by North American standards.

• Arenal is most impressive at night with visible eruptions (if clouds permit) and frequent flows of lava.

Poas Volcano

•Poas the easiest to visit.

•This volcano has only one active crater

• Costa Rica has three major mountain chains that run though it.

• Cordillera de Talamanca• Cordillera Central• Cordillera de Guanacaste• These chains divide the country into

three regions

Costa Rica’s Mountains

Cordillera de Talamanca

• The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies on the border between Costa Rica and Panama.

• This range contains the highest peaks of Costa Rica and Panama.

Cordillera Central

• The Cordillera Central is a range of mountains in central Costa Rica which continues the Continental Divide east of Cordillera de Tilarán.

• It has four large volcanoes Poás, , Irazú and Turrialba.

Cordillera de Guanacaste

• The Guanacaste Cordillera, also called Cordillera de Guanacaste, are a range of mountains in northern Costa Rica near the border with Nicaragua.

• The range as forms part of the southern region of the Continental Divide

COMING SOON!!

RAINFOREST