The rainforest of Monteverde, one of the most biodiverse areas of the world. Costa Rica, which gained independence from Spain in 1821, boasts 6% of the planet’s biodiversity, despite occupying just 0.03% of Earth’s surface area. (Arnd_Petry/dpa/TNS)
Arnd Petry/dpa/TNS
A baby sloth climbs over its mother. Sloths spend almost their whole lives in trees. (Lino Mirgeler/dpa/TNS)
Lino Mirgeler/dpa/TNS
Sloths live high in the trees of tropical rainforests, cloud forests, and mangrove swamps in Central America and northern South America. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa/TNS)
Sebastian Kahnert/dpa/TNS
In Costa Rica, a view of the Arenal volcano from La Fortuna. (Bernd_Kubisch/dpa/TNS)
Bernd Kubisch/dpa/TNS
Costa Ricans started growing coffee in the early 19th-century and exporting it in the 1820s. The industry boomed, creating generations of "coffee elite." (Fabian Sommer/dpa/TNS)
Fabian Sommer/dpa/TNS
The Arenal volcano visible from La Fortuna. (Bernd_Kubisch/dpa/TNS)
Bernd Kubisch/dpa/TNS
Young palms in Cahuita, on the coast in the Limon province in Costa Rica. (Rolf Haid/dpa/TNS)
Rolf Haid/dpa/TNS
Costa Rica is a great spot to see sloths. (Boris Roessler/dpa/TNS)
Boris Roessler/dpa/TNS
The Costa Rica Jungle and Costa Rica Rainforest make up the biggest part of the country and are why it has such a diversity of flora and fauna. (epa efe Jeffrey Arguedas/EFE/dpa/TNS)
I've been traveling to Venice for more than 40 years. On a recent trip to research my guidebook, I had to admit: the city felt different. Whil…
The rainforest of Monteverde, one of the most biodiverse areas of the world. Costa Rica, which gained independence from Spain in 1821, boasts 6% of the planet’s biodiversity, despite occupying just 0.03% of Earth’s surface area. (Arnd_Petry/dpa/TNS)
Sloths live high in the trees of tropical rainforests, cloud forests, and mangrove swamps in Central America and northern South America. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa/TNS)
Costa Ricans started growing coffee in the early 19th-century and exporting it in the 1820s. The industry boomed, creating generations of "coffee elite." (Fabian Sommer/dpa/TNS)
The Costa Rica Jungle and Costa Rica Rainforest make up the biggest part of the country and are why it has such a diversity of flora and fauna. (epa efe Jeffrey Arguedas/EFE/dpa/TNS)
