Costa Rica is a mountainous country with broad coastal plains in the east and west. The Caribbean coastal plain receives heavy rainfall (3,048 mm/120 in) during most of the year. Less rain falls on the Pacific plain, which annually averages 1,905 mm (75 in). Temperatures average 15 deg C (59 deg F) in the highlands to about 27 deg C (80 deg F) in the plains. About 25% of the land, mostly tropical dry forests, is under government protection