Costa Rica Geography Profile 2013

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

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