Costa Rica

Country name	Republic of Costa Rica
Capital	San Jose
Independence	15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday	Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Population	4,695,942 (July 2013 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth	1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
Nationality	Costa Rican(s)
Religions	Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
Languages	Spanish (official), English
Literacy	Age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.3% male: 96% female: 96.5% (2011 est.)
Location	Central 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 land: 51,060 sq km water: 40 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco
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	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 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 including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m
Natural resources	hydropower
Exports - commodities	Bananas, Pineapples, Coffee, Melons, Ornamental plants, Sugar; Beef; Seafood; Electronic components, Medical equipment
Imports - commodities	Raw materials, Consumer goods, Capital equipment, Petroleum, Construction materials
Land use	arable land: 4.4% permanent crops: 5.87% other: 89.73% (2005)
Irrigated land	1,080 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	112.4 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 2.68 cu km/yr (29%/17%/53%) per capita: 619 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes volcanism: Arenal (elev. 1,670 m), which erupted in 2010, is the most active volcano in Costa Rica; a 1968 eruption destroyed the town of Tabacon; Irazu (elev. 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 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: 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