Situated at the thin end of the Central American Isthmus, Cost Rica forms a unique land bridge between two oceans and two dramatically distinct continents. As a crossroads of trade routes, exchange, species and cultures, the country’s unique geographical circumstances are an inherent characteristic of its natural and social identity. These characteristics have also provided the basis for its economic development models. The country’s agricultural export industry and its rapidly developing ‘Ecotourism’ market are possible as a result of its abundance of natural and cultural attractions and the geological and climatic conditions that encourage such prolific growth and cultivation.