Nicaragua vs. Costa Rica
Geography
| Nicaragua | Costa Rica | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras | Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama |
| Geographic coordinates | 13 00 N, 85 00 W | 10 00 N, 84 00 W |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area | total: 130,370 sq km land: 119,990 sq km water: 10,380 sq km | total: 51,100 sq km land: 51,060 sq km water: 40 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than New York state | slightly smaller than West Virginia |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,253 km border countries (2): Costa Rica 313 km, Honduras 940 km | total: 661 km border countries (2): Nicaragua 313 km, Panama 348 km |
| Coastline | 910 km | 1,290 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: natural prolongation | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm |
| Climate | tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands | tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands |
| Terrain | extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes | coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major active volcanoes |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mogoton 2,085 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 298 m | highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,819 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 746 m |
| Natural resources | gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish | hydropower |
| Land use | agricultural land: 42.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 12.5% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 2.5% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 27.2% (2018 est.) forest: 25.3% (2018 est.) other: 32.5% (2018 est.) | 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 | 1,990 sq km (2012) | 1,015 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | destructive earthquakes; volcanoes; landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Cerro Negro (728 m), which last erupted in 1999, is one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes; its lava flows and ash have been known to cause significant damage to farmland and buildings; other historically active volcanoes include Concepcion, Cosiguina, Las Pilas, Masaya, Momotombo, San Cristobal, and Telica | 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 |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; drought | deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography - note | largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua | 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 |
| Total renewable water resources | 164.52 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 113 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the overwhelming majority of the population resides in the western half of the country, with much of the urban growth centered in the capital city of Managua; coastal areas also show large population clusters | roughly half of the nation's population resides in urban areas; the capital of San Jose is the largest city and home to approximately one-fifth of the population |
Source: CIA Factbook
