Costa Rica

Official nameRepublic of Costa Rica
Name in local languageRepública de Costa Rica (es)
ContinentAmericas
SubcontinentCentral America
Population (ranking: 126e)5,003,402 inhabitants (2018)
Population growth1.09 % / year
Area51,100 km²
Density97.91 inhabitants / km²
GDP (ranking: 82e)60.126 billions $USD (2018)
GDP/capita (ranking)12,027 $USD (2018)
GDP growth2.70 % / year (2018)
Life expectancy (ranking)80.19 years (2018)
Birth rate14.50 ‰ (2018)
Fertility rate1.70 children / woman (2018)
Death rate (ranking)4.50 ‰ (2018)
Infant mortality rate (ranking)7.00 ‰ (2018)
Literacy rate99.13 % (2011)
Official languagesSpanish
CurrencyCosta Rican colón (CRC)
HDI (ranking: 94e)0.794 / 1 (2018)
EPI (ranking)67.85 (2018)
GovernmentUnitary presidential constitutional republic
Head of StatePresident Carlos Alvarado Quesada
National Day15 September (independence of 1821)
ISO CodesCR, CRI
DemonymCosta Rican
Tourists (ranking)2,960,000 people (2017)
Costa Rica – petite
Central American Switzerland

Costa Rica is a Central American country located on the Central American Isthmus, bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south. It is bordered on the north by Nicaragua and on the south-east by Panama. It also owns Cocos Island in the Pacific Ocean, more than 500 kilometers from the coast of the country.

Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
Landscape of Costa Rica
Landscape of Costa Rica
San José, capital of Costa Rica
San José, capital of Costa Rica
San José by night, Costa Rica
San José by night, Costa Rica
See all related maps or articles
Urban areas (2016)
Urban areasPopulation
San José2,579,036 inhabitants
Puntarenas132,440 inhabitants
San Ramón128,743 inhabitants
San Isidro de El General101,559 inhabitants
Limón98,459 inhabitants
Liberia71,528 inhabitants
See all urban areas
Administrative divisions
ProvincesPopulationArea
Alajuela975,023 inhabitants9,758 km²
Cartago525,724 inhabitants3,125 km²
Guanacaste371,375 inhabitants10,141 km²
Heredia497,805 inhabitants2,657 km²
Limón439,013 inhabitants9,189 km²
Puntarenas474,262 inhabitants11,266 km²
San José1,607,170 inhabitants4,966 km²
See all administrative divisions
See also