Map data for
Costa Rica

Situated in Central America, the Republic of Costa Rica shares land borders with Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. Its coastline runs along the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The capital is San José.
The Spanish conquered Costa Rica in 1500s, and it was part of that empire until nominal independence under the First Mexican Empire and then as a member of the Federal Republic of Central America. Costa Rica gained full independence in 1847. Since civil war in 1948, has been politically stable and abolished its standing army in 1949- one of few sovereign states to have done so. It is a unitary presidential constitutional republic, comprised of seven provinces divided into eighty-two cantons.
Costa Rica has a diversified economy. Traditionally it relied upon the production and export of agricultural goods, especially bananas and coffee. Costa Rica is a producer of pharmaceuticals, but the service sector now dominates with finance and tourism. Costa Rica is a pioneer of eco-tourism and is the most visited country in Central America and tourism now ranks as the country’s top earner.
Heavily urbanised, Costa Ricans (Ticos) generally enjoy a higher standard of living than other countries in Latin America, and corruption is low. As a country it ranks highly on the UN World Happiness Report. As the government does not invest in a standing army, additional resources have been utilised well in areas of public healthcare and education and the population enjoys a very high level of literacy. With a rich heritage, heavily influenced by Spanish colonial culture and Catholicism, Costa Rica is a diverse mix. Its cuisine is a real blend of influences. Visual art, music and dance are important components of Costa Rican culture. It has a strong media scene, and the press enjoys the highest levels of freedom in Latin America.
On the world stage Costa Rica is a member of the United Nations and the Organisation of American States.