Arenal Volcano National Park in Costa Rica
The Arenal National Park in Costa Rica is located in the northern region, north of the Sierra de Tilarán. It belongs to the cantons of Tilarán, San Carlos and San Ramon. Its area is about 2920 hectares.
Before 1968, this was considered an extinct volcano and was even believed that it was not a volcano. It was known as Cerro Arenal in Costa Rica. On July 29, 1968, it began an active period opening three craters into the west side. The crater A, with an altitude of 1000 meters, caused the explosion, emanating a pyroclastic flow, which devastated 12 km, disappearing village of Pueblo Nuevo and Tabacon and killing about 87 people. In September of that year began broadcasting lava from the crater A, which remained active until 1973, when the activity migrates to the crater C at an altitude of 1450 meters. This crater is still active to this day, is characterized by lava flows on an ongoing basis, of basaltic andesite and explosions of pyroclastic materials and constant emission of gases.
Is considered an aquifer recharge zone in Costa Rica, where water draining to the Arenal Reservoir for use in the production of hydropower and agricultural projects in the Irrigation District of Moravia. The climate of the region in Costa Rica is very diverse and has influences from both the Pacific and Atlantic. The annual temperature varies between 21 and 27.5 ° C. The average annual precipitation is 3,500 mm to 5,000 mm. Altitudes ranging from 40 meters to 2000 meters. The rainy season is from May to January and February to April dry.
Arenal National Park in Costa Rica has three areas of life: premontane very wet forest, premontane pluvial rainforest, and the montane pluvial forest. In these areas of life the most common species of flora are the guava bush, the laurel, the cocobolo, the nispero, the balsa, and others. This park is a living laboratory, given its rich geological and geomorphological features and the complexity in the development of biological processes, from pioneer vegetation to a dense primary forest.
Among the most conspicuous species of plants, we can find the Guayabo de Monte, the cebo, the Ceiba, Cirri, Laurel, Higuerones, Pilón, guarumo, Balsa, different species of palms, heliconias, orchids, ferns and bromeliads including endemic species: Pitcaimia Funkiae. In the park there are different evolutionary stages of soil and vegetation, it can be seen as a colonizing plants, such as the orchid Epidendrum genre. The main species of fauna are the tepezcuinte, tapir, deer, jaguar, peccaries, pizotes, howler monkeys, colored and white face monkeys and a variety of snakes. Birds like parrots, sergeants, orioles, brown magpie, little parrots, hummingbirds, bird bell and quetzals also can be found in this beautiful park.