| Location | Central 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: 51,060 sq km water: 40 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than West Virginia |
| Land boundaries | total: 661 km border countries (2): Nicaragua 313 km, Panama 348 km |
| Coastline | 1,290 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 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 including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major active volcanoes |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,819 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 746 m |
| Natural resources | hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 37.1% (2018 est.) arable land: 4.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 6.7% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 25.5% (2018 est.) forest: 51.5% (2018 est.) other: 11.4% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 1,015 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 113 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes volcanism: Arenal (1,670 m), which erupted in 2010, is the most active volcano in Costa Rica; a 1968 eruption destroyed the town of Tabacon; Irazu (3,432 m), situated just east of San Jose, has the potential to spew ash over the capital city as it did between 1963 and 1965; other historically active volcanoes include Miravalles, Poas, Rincon de la Vieja, and Turrialba |
| Geography - note | four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
