Costa Rica is a country in Central America with a territory of 51.100 square kilometers (31.937,5 square miles). In this small territory, there are a total of 112 volcanoes. Just 4 of them are active, but all of them are a pivotal attraction for millions of visitors that arrive every year to this land.
The geographic location of Costa Rica is called "Fire Belt of the Pacific ", that is, the area that contains the greatest number of volcanoes in the world.
Active Volcanoes
In Costa Rica, the active volcanoes are: Arenal, Irazú, Rincón de la Vieja and Poás; the last one has the biggest crater in the world.
Even though the vertebral column that contains this system of volcanoes is considered to be 65 million years old, with visible samples in the north area and the central highlands of the nation, the volcanoes in this country are considered "young", because they formed in the last 2 million years and they have very special characteristics.
Tourist and Scientific attractions
The geologic structure of Costa Rica has become not only a tourist attraction, but it also has drawn the attention of several scientists around the world. As a result of the multiple eruptions, the land around the volcanoes has turned very fertile and rich in several minerals. This fertility has contributed to the formation of an ecosystem for plants, tropical and exotic trees, and also for birds and other species of wild life.
Volcanic Ranges
Costa Rican volcanoes can be classified in 3 ranges: The Guanacaste range, where 5 volcanoes can be found: Rincón de la Vieja, Orosi, Miravalles, Tenorio and Arenal; the Central range, formed by 4 of them: Poás, Barva, Irazú and Turrialba; and the Talamanca range that includes just El Viejo volcano. All of them, active or not active, represent special attractions for visitors, scientists and tourists.
For the specialists in this matter, the Costa Rican volcanoes have been the main key to the natural diversity of this country. During thousands of years, they have fertilized the land with their eruptions that are rich in minerals and thus, they have favored the development of several species of flora and fauna.
Arenal Volcano
The Arenal volcano is possibly the best known in Costa Rica because it is the most active one. Actually, it keeps sending regular small eruptions of vapors and hot gases. Its 1.633 meters of altitude and its frequent eruptions of red lava and fumes are a highly appreciated amazing show for tourists, mainly at night when the volcano cone is clear of clouds.
The Arenal Volcano is located in the Guanacaste volcanic mountain chain. It was inactive for about 500 years and it was in 1968 that it became alive again. Since then, it keeps manifesting itself with little explosions. For several experts in the matter, the conic form of its crater is almost perfect.
Poas Volcano
It has the biggest crater in the world (1.5 kilometers of diameter – 0.9375 miles- and 300 meters depth). It’s located in the Central Volcanic Range, 60 kilometers (37.5 miles) from San José, the capital of Costa Rica. Its height is 2.708 meters above sea level. It is the volcano with the easiest access in the country.
In its single active crater, it has a boiling lake of acid, and in one of the other two inactive craters it has a cold water lake that flow into the Sarapiquí River. Under normal conditions, it is even possible to see the active crater inwardly.
Irazu Volcano
The Irazu Volcano is part of the Central Volcanic Range of Costa Rica. It has an elevation of 3,310 meters over the sea level. Its last eruption of ashes was in 1963. This was very disturbing for people living in the Central Valley because of the amount of ashes in the air carried by the wind, but the near lands were favored with minerals that fertilized the lands.
Rincon de la Vieja Volcano
In the north of Liberia, capital city of the province of Guanacaste, it is located the still active Rincon de la Vieja Volcano. In its slopes there are bubbling holes of mud, and also several hot sulfur spots and little geysers. It is 1.916 meters high and it is the heart of the park with the same name; this is one of the parks that houses the biggest biodiversity in the whole country.
Inactive Volcanoes
For visitors, volcanoes represent a big attraction, but not just the active ones, since several inactive ones show special features.
Orosi Volcano
It is inactive, but it is still possible to watch the old tracks of lava that once flowed down the luxuriant mountain from where now springs fall down and fertilize the surrounding lands, giving the inhabitants the opportunity to make good use of them for agriculture and cattle.
Miravalles Volcano
Like the Orosi, Miravalles has no volcanic activity. In its extinct peak, a jungle has grown, characterized by a lot of vegetation and a very humid environment.
The experts in this matter believe that this volcano is now harmless.
Barva Volcano
This volcano is inactive too. It is 2.906 meters high. The surroundings of this volcano are the most inhabited. A lot of Costa Rican families have built their home at the foot of Barva volcano.
Cacao Volcano
It is inactive at the present moment. Its growing waters feed several important rivers of the region and the country, such as the Tempisque River that flows as far as Lake Nicaragua.
Tenorio Volcano
This volcano is considered one of the most significant in Costa Rican territory. It has 4 peaks and 2 craters. The park that carries the same name is well known because of its hot waters reaching up to 43 degrees centigrade, with springs that flow from the ground into the Tenorio River.
Ecotourism and Nature 
