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  1. Costa Rica
    Costa RicaCountry in Central America
    MapCuisineCultureEconomyHistoryTourism
     
  2. Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in the Central American region of North America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as maritime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around five million in a land area of nearly 51,180 km². An estimated 352,381 people live in the capital and largest city, San José, with around two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area.
    Official languagesSpanish
    GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
    History

    Historians have classified the indigenous people of Costa Rica as belonging to the Intermediate Area, where the peripheries of the Mesoamerican and Andean native cultures overlapped. More recently, pre-Columbian Costa … See more

    Geography

    Costa Rica borders the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Costa Rica also borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south.
    The highest point in the country is Cerro Chirripó, … See more

    Economy

    The country has been considered economically stable with moderate inflation, estimated at 2.6% in 2017, and moderately high growth in GDP, which increased from US$41.3 billion in 2011 to US$52.6 billion in 2015. Th… See more

    Government and politics

    Costa Rica is composed of seven provinces, which in turn are divided into 82 cantons (Spanish: cantón, plural cantones), each of which is directed by a mayor. Mayors are chosen democratically every four years … See more