Be sure to check out the voting for Group A, Group B and Group C. Onto Group D: Costa Rica, England, Italy and Uruguay. Someone is going to go home disappointed. Costa Rica: For being a relatively small nation, Costa Rica is full of volcanic wonders. Arenal, Poas, Irazu, Turrialba and Rincon de la Vieja have all erupted over the past few decades. All this volcanism is caused by the subduction of the Cocos Plate under the Caribbean Plate -- this process produces all the volcanoes between Guatemala and northern Panama. Up until recently, Arenal was in almost constant eruption and tourist could marvel at the activity from across the lake. Over the last few years, Arenal (see below) has been quiet but the long history of frequent eruptions suggests that it might not stay that way for much longer.
Arenal in Costa, with a wispy gas plume, seen on ...
