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Costa Rica vs. Panama

Geography

Costa RicaPanama
LocationCentral America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and PanamaCentral America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Geographic coordinates10 00 N, 84 00 W9 00 N, 80 00 W
Map referencesCentral America and the CaribbeanCentral America and the Caribbean
Areatotal: 51,100 sq km

land: 51,060 sq km

water: 40 sq km

note: includes Isla del Coco
total: 75,420 sq km

land: 74,340 sq km

water: 1,080 sq km
Area - comparativeslightly smaller than West Virginiaslightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundariestotal: 661 km

border countries (2): Nicaragua 313 km, Panama 348 km
total: 687 km

border countries (2): Colombia 339 km, Costa Rica 348 km
Coastline1,290 km2,490 km
Maritime claimsterritorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or edge of continental margin
Climatetropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlandstropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
Terraincoastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major active volcanoesinterior mostly steep, rugged mountains with dissected, upland plains; coastal plains with rolling hills
Elevation extremeshighest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,819 m

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 746 m
highest point: Volcan Baru 3,475 m

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

mean elevation: 360 m
Natural resourceshydropowercopper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower
Land useagricultural land: 37.1% (2018 est.)

arable land: 4.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 6.7% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 25.5% (2018 est.)

forest: 51.5% (2018 est.)

other: 11.4% (2018 est.)
agricultural land: 30.5% (2018 est.)

arable land: 7.3% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 2.5% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 20.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 43.6% (2018 est.)

other: 25.9% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land1,015 sq km (2012)321 sq km (2012)
Natural hazards

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

volcanism: Arenal (1,670 m), which erupted in 2010, is the most active volcano in Costa Rica; a 1968 eruption destroyed the town of Tabacon; Irazu (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

occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area
Environment - current issuesdeforestation 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 pollutionwater pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal; air pollution in urban areas; mining threatens natural resources
Environment - international agreementsparty to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - notefour 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 1963-65strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean
Total renewable water resources113 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)139.304 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Population distributionroughly half of the nation's population resides in urban areas; the capital of San Jose is the largest city and home to approximately one-fifth of the populationpopulation is concentrated towards the center of the country, particularly around the Canal, but a sizeable segment of the populace also lives in the far west around David; the eastern third of the country is sparsely inhabited

Source: CIA Factbook