Costa Rica is the jewel of Central America—an emerald to be precise. It’s a land of natural capital: rainforests and beautiful beaches, magnificent Arenal Volcano and the Monteverde Cloud Forest. The developed areas range from funky and Rasta-flavored Puerto Viejo to the bustling capital city of San Jose to luxurious Peninsula Papagayo. Often called the "Switzerland of Latin America” because of its stable economy and lack of a standing army, Costa Rica makes up for its political pacifism by maintaining some of the strictest environmental policies in the world. More than 25 percent of its land is protected under national conservation laws.