Costa Rica
country in Central America / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Costa Rica (officially called Republic of Costa Rica), is a country in Central America. It is bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish. The official currency is the colón. It has enjoyed a long period of peace since the 1863 civil war. Because of its natural beauty and political stability, it is nicknamed the "Switzerland of Latin America". Costa Rica has had no army since December 1, 1948. Instead of spending money on the military, the government spends money on education and health.
Republic of Costa Rica | |
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Anthem: "Himno Nacional de Costa Rica" (Spanish) "National Anthem of Costa Rica" | |
Capital and largest city | San José 9°56′N 84°5′W |
Official languages | Spanish |
Recognized regional languages |
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Ethnic groups (2011[1]) | |
Religion (2021)[3] |
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Demonym(s) |
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Government | Unitary presidential republic |
Rodrigo Chaves | |
• 1st Vice-President | Stephan Brunner |
• 2nd Vice-President | Mary Munive |
Legislature | Legislative Assembly |
Independence declared | |
• from Spain | 15 September 1821 |
• from First Mexican Empire | 1 July 1823 |
• from the Federal Republic of Central America | 14 November 1838 |
• Recognized by Spain | 10 May 1850 |
• Constitution | 7 November 1949[1] |
Area | |
• Total | 51,100 km2 (19,700 sq mi) (126th) |
• Water (%) | 1.05 (as of 2015)[5] |
Population | |
• 2020 estimate | 5,094,118[6] (123rd) |
• Density | 220/sq mi (84.9/km2) (107th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $95.791 billion[7] |
• Per capita | $18,651[7] |
GDP (nominal) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | $65.179 billion[7] |
• Per capita | $12,690[7] |
Gini (2020) | 49.7[8] high |
HDI (2019) | 0.810[9] very high · 62nd |
Currency | Costa Rican colón (CRC) |
Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +506 |
ISO 3166 code | CR |
Internet TLD | .cr .co.cr |
5,094,118[10] people live in Costa Rica. The capital city is San José. The current President is Rodrigo Chaves. He was elected in 2022.