Costa Rica truly has a little something for everyone. You probably think of golden beaches first and you are correct. Both coasts offer amazing beaches that can range in style from isolated beaches miles long to beaches full of party revelers.

There is much more to Costa Rica than just beaches. Rain forests that are legendary, volcanoes, epic windsurfing on Lake Arenal, health retreats and more. The country simply has pretty much anything you could possible dream of in a vacation location.

Ah, but now I am just throwing words of hype around. You need some facts, so here are a few on the country.

In 1502, Christopher Columbus made the first European landfall in the area. It was his fourth trip the Americas. That being said, it took the Spanish another twenty years to actually settle the country.

Given the name of the country, you probably will not be surprised to learn the people are known as "Costa Ricans." That is a mouthful, so most of the citizens just call themselves "Ticos"

Costa Rica is not particularly large, covering 19,730 square miles. Of this, over a quarter are protected lands.

Costa Rica had a basic agricultural based economy like much of Central America. Think bananas. It has converted into a tourism based economy, which allows it to maintain a more stable economy.

Costa Rica has four mountain ranges. Also known as cordilleras, they are Guanacaste and Tilaran in the north of the country and Central and Talamanca in the south. Many of the mountains are dormant volcanoes as Costa Rica is part of the Pacific "Rim of Fire".

Costa Rica is definitely the most visited nation in the Central America region with a $1.7 billion a year tourism industry

Despite having only roughly one tenth of one percent of the world's landmass, it contains a whopping five percent of the biodiversity in the world.

Costa Rica puts Seattle to shame when it comes to rain. 100 inches annually is the number. Mountain areas can get as many as 250 inches. Temperatures always remain in the 70 to 90 degree range.

Instead of a military, the Constitution guarantees universal public education for all citizens. Primary education is obligatory, and both preschool and high school are free. The county has leading Universities in biological fields.

Many countries could learn a thing or two about education systems from Costa Rica. Elementary and high schools are everywhere. Since there is no funding needed for a military, education gets a lot of focus and the literacy rate in Costa Rica is of 96%.

Should you visit Costa Rica on your next vacation? Vacation time is precious, and Costa Rica is the place to use it. The "wow" factor is huge and you will not regret it.