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Location: Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea
and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 84 00 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 51,100 sq km
land: 50,660 sq km
water: 440 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
total: 639 km
border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
Coastline: 1,290 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical and subtropical; dry season (December
to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
Terrain: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m
Natural resources: hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 31%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along
Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy
season; active volcanoes
Environment - current issues: deforestation, largely a result
of the clearing of land for cattle ranching; soil erosion; water
pollution (rivers); fisheries protection; solid waste management
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Marine Life Conservation
Geography
Costa Rica, republic in southern Central America, bounded on the
north by Nicaragua, on the east by the Caribbean Sea, on the southeast
by Panama, and on the southwest and west by the Pacific Ocean. The
uninhabited and densely wooded tropical Cocos Island, about 480
km (about 300 mi) to the southwest in the Pacific Ocean, is under
Costa Rican sovereignty. The total area of Costa Rica is 51,060
sq km (19,714 sq mi). The country's capital is San José.
Climate
The climate of Costa Rica ranges from tropical on the coastal plains
to temperate in the interior highlands. Average annual temperatures
range from 31.7° C (89° F) on the coast to 16.7° C (62° F) inland.
A rainy season lasts from April or May to December. Annual precipitation
in the country averages about 3,000 to 3,500 millimeters (from 120
to 140 inches).
Background:
Costa Rica is a small, mountainous country in Central America. It
is bordered by Nicaragua on the north, the Caribbean Sea and Panama
on the east, and the Pacific Ocean on the south and west.
A chain of rugged mountains stretches across central Costa Rica
from northwest to southeast.
A few of the highest peaks in this chain are active volcanoes. Tropical
forests grow on the country's coastal lowlands.
Costa Rica declared its independence from Spain in 1821. After a
turbulent beginning it inaugurated an era of peaceful democracy
in 1889, subsequently interrupted only twice, by a dictatorial interlude
in 1917-19 and an armed uprising in 1948.
Increasing the role of the private sector while maintaining the
government's social safety net and keeping under control the budget
deficit, unemployment, and inflation are key current issues
Costa Rica is a Central American success story: since the late 19th
century, only two brief periods of violence have marred its democratic
development.
Although still a largely agricultural country, it has achieved a
relatively high standard of living. Land ownership is widespread.
Tourism is a rapidly expanding industry.
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