3 Facts About Costa Rica to Learn Through Jurassic Park/World

If you've seen the Jurassic Park trilogy or Jurassic World and paid attention, you know that a big percentage of these stories take place in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a small tropical country in the Central American isthmus (no, it is not an island) which is home to a heavy flow of tourism. So in case you are a big fan of the saga and are interested in knowing more about Costa Rica, here are some quick facts.

1. San José is NOT a beach town.

One of the first few scenes of the very first Jurassic Park (1993) movie sets us in San José, Costa Rica as Dodgson and Nedry meet up to finalize their plan to sneak out dinosaur embryos.

What is jarring however, is the way San José is depicted. If they'd said Puntarenas, sure, we can run with it. But San José?

San José is the capital of Costa Rica and, although there are coastal towns extending down two sides of the country, San José is smack in the middle between the two. San José is located in the middle of the Central Valley, completely surrounded by mountains, and fully urbanized.

So, in case you ever decide to visit San José, don't expect to be eating fruit in tables by the ocean.

2. Isla Nublar is not real.

Costa Rica is home to over 100 islands, most of them unknown to tourists and uninhabited. However, Isla Nublar is not one of them. The inspiration for it however is taken from Isla del Coco (Cocos Island) known for its incredible biodiversity and beautiful natural views.

Also, contrary to popular Costa Rican belief, Jurassic Park's filming team has never set foot on the country. Most of the filming took place in Kauai, Hawaii as well as sound stages at Universal Studios. So, unfortunately, there is no way to trace Jurassic's steps if visiting Costa Rica.

If you'd like to feel like you are however, Costa Rica is home to plenty of natural paradises that seem straight out of the movies. You can even visit Cocos Island but it requires a 36 hour boat ride and only day visits are allowed on the island.

3. Mt. Sibö is Basically Mt. God

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) introduced the threat of a previously dormant volcano that will destroy the island and every living being on it. Mt. Sibö. While you might not pay much attention to this name, like most audience members, it barely registers as a foreign language but it has a deeper meaning referring to native Talamancan mythology. Somehow it seems kind of fitting that the name of this volcano roughly translates to Mt. God.

Although Spanish is the official language of Costa Rica, the country is home to seven native indigenous languages that are still used to this day: Maleku (Guatuso), Cabécar, Bribri, Nove (Guaymí), Buglere (Bocotá), Brunca (Boruca), Broran (Térraba).

The Bribri, Cabécar, Boruca, and Teribe traditions call their main deity Sibö/Sibú/Zipoh and constitutes the basis of Talamancan mythology. He is the creator and protector of humanity and, while his origins vary according to the groups and regions, he orchestrated the creation of sky and earth, transforming what was barren earth, and created indigenous people from various corn seeds of different colors, which is why people of different clans have different colored skin, and white people were created from leafcutter ants, which explains their destructive nature.

So there you go. Next time you watch Jurassic Park or Jurassic World, and with the premiere of Jurassic World: Dominion coming up, now you have a little more in-depth knowledge of that country that is referred to time and time again.