Costa Rica - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Costa Rica. 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. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 24 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Geographical data of Costa Rica
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
Tarrain coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major active volcanoes
Natural Resources hydropower
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) 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
Irrigated Land 1,015 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 661 km
Border Countries Nicaragua 313 km; Panama 348 km
Coastline 1,290 km
Climate tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
Area
Total Area
Land Area 51,060 sq km
Water Area 40 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than West Virginia
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Cerro Chirripo 3,819 m
Lowest point Pacific Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 746 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 34.7% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 3.8% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 6.4% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 24.4% (2022 est.)
Forest 60.1% (2022 est.)
Other 5.3% (2022 est.)
Population Distribution

Roughly 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 population

People and Society

In Costa Rica, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: White or Mestizo 83.6%, Mulatto 6.7%, Indigenous 2.4%, Black or African descent 1.1%, other 1.1%, none 2.9%, unspecified 2.2% (2011 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.74% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 10.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 1.2 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate 1.43 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.7 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
Est married women (ages 15-49) 48.4% (2023 est.)
Literacy
Education expenditures
Net Migration rate 1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Costa Rican | Costa Rican(s)
Languages
Religions Roman Catholic 47.5%, Evangelical and Pentecostal 19.8%, Jehovah's Witness 1.4%, other Protestant 1.2%, other 3.1%, none 27% (2021 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 18.8% (male 506,041/female 482,481)
15-64 years 70.2% (male 1,862,872/female 1,832,024)
65 years and over 11.1% (2024 est.) (male 266,568/female 315,589)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 42.5 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio 26.8 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio 15.8 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio 6.3 (2024 est.)
Median Age
Total 35.5 years (2024 est.)
Male 34.9 years
Female 36.1 years
Urbanization
Urban population 82.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.462 million SAN JOSE (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.84 male(s)/female
Total population 1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 6.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 80.3 years (2024 est.)
Male 77.7 years
Female 82.9 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: rural rural: 99.6% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: total total: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: rural rural: 0.4% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: total total: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 99.2% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: rural rural: 97.6% of population (2022 est.)
Improved: total total: 98.9% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.8% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: rural rural: 2.4% of population (2022 est.)
Unimproved: total total: 1.1% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 3.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 2.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.36 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 8.1% (2025 est.)
Male 12.2% (2025 est.)
Female 4.1% (2025 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 2% (2018)
Women married by age 18 17.1% (2018)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Costa Rica

Want to know more about Costa Rica? Check all different factbooks for Costa Rica below.

Costa Rica is found in Central America