Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama

Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 84 00 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: 440 sq km land: 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: 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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:
Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m

Natural resources: hydropower

Land use: arable land: 4% permanent crops: 6% other: 90% (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

People Costa Rica

Population: 3,834,934 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.8% (male 603,270; female 575,766) 15-64
years: 63.9% (male 1,239,618; female 1,211,641) 65 years and over: 5.3%
(male 95,182; female 109,457) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.61% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 19.83 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 4.31 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: