Costa Rica Overview
Geography
Location
 Central America
Area
 51,100 square kilometers
o Land: 51,060 square kilometers
o Water: 40 square kilometers
Borders
 Caribbean Sea
 Pacific Ocean
 1,290km of coastline
 Nicaragua
 Panama
 661km of land borders
Climate
 tropical and subtropical
o Dry season (December to April)
o Rainy season (May to November)
o Cooler in highlands
Terrain
 Coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones
Natural Resources used
 Hydropower
Land Use
 Agricultural: 37.1%
o Ploughed Land: 4.9%
o Permanent Crops: 6.7%
o Permanent Pasture: 25.5%
 Forest: 51.5%
 Other: 11.4%
Natural Hazards
 Earthquakes
 Hurricanes along the Atlantic Coast
 Flooding of lowlands that is often accompanied by landslides during the rainy season
 Active Volcanoes
o Arenal
o Irazu
o Miravalles
o Poas
o Rincon de la vieja
o Turrialba
Environment
Current Issues

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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
International Agreements
Biodiversity,
Climate Change,
Desertification, Protection of Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea,
Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection,
Protecting wetlands,
Whaling

People and Society
Population
 4,930,258 people as of 2017
o 123rd largest country in the world
 Roughly half of the nation’s population resides in urban areas
 The capital of San José is the largest city and home to one-fifth of the population
Ethnic Groups
 White or Mestizo: 83.6%
 Mulatto: 6.7%
 Indigenous: 2.4%
 Black: 1.1%
 Other: 1.1%
 Unspecified: 2.2%
Languages
 Spanish (Official Language)
 English
Religious Breakdown
 Roman Catholic: 71.8%
 Evangelical and Pentecostal: 12.3%
 Protestant: 2.6%
 Jehovah’s Witness: 0.5%
 Other: 2.4%
 None: 10.4%
Government: Presidential Republic

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Branches
Executive
Chief of State: President Carlos Alvarado
First Vice President: Epsy Campbell
Second Vice President: Marvin Rodriguez
Cabinet: selected by the presindent
Elections and Appointments: President and Vice President are elected, from the same
ballot, for a four year term
Legislative
Description: Unicameral Legislative Assembly
Elections: every four years, held in February
Judicial
Highest Court: Supreme Court of Justice
Subordinate Court: appellate and trial courts

Economy
GDP
 Purchasing Power Parity: $83.85 billion
 Official Exchange Rate: $58.06 billion
 Real Growth Rate: 3.2%
 Per Capita: $16,900
 Sectors:
o Agriculture: 5.5%
o Industry: 21%
o Public Services: 73.5%
o Labor
 Labor Force: 2.229 million people
o Agriculture: 14%
o Industry: 22%
o Public Services: 64%
 Unemployment rate: 8.1%
Military and Security
Branches
 Costa Rica does not have a regular military force
 Ministry of Public Security
 Government
 Police
Transnational Issues
International disputes
 Costa Rica and Nicaragua regularly file border dispute cases over the delimitations of the
San Juan River and the northern tip of Calero Island to the International Court of Justice
Refugees and Internationally Displaced Persons
 Refugees: 11,528 Venezuelans

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Stateless Persons: 71
Trafficking
Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children
subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor
Tier 2 Watch List – Costa Rica does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the
elimination of trafficking, though they are working towards meeting these standards
Drugs
Shipment and consumption cocaine and heroin
Production and consumption of cannabis
Consumption of amphetamines