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
note: includes Isla del Coco
water: 440 sq km
land: 50,660 sq km

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: 4%
permanent crops: 6%
other: 90% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 1,260 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes

Environment - current issues 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, 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 - 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

NOTE: The information regarding Costa Rica on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Costa Rica Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Costa Rica Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.