Costa Rica Geography Profile 2003

Location

Middle 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: 50,660 sq km
water: 440 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

continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 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: 4.41%
permanent crops: 5.48%
other: 90.11% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land

1,260 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards

occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes

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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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