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Costa Rica: map, flag, capital and key facts

Costa Rica is a country in North America, in Central America and the Caribbean, with about 5.15 million people (2025) and an area of 51,100 square kilometres. Its capital is San Jose, and it shares land borders with 2 countries.

By Team Geography Last reviewed

Flag of Costa Rica
Flag of Costa Rica
Map showing where the country sits among its neighbours
Costa Rica in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.

Key facts about Costa Rica

CapitalSan Jose
ContinentNorth America
RegionCentral America and the Caribbean
Population5,152,950 2025, World Bank. 125th of 195.
Area51,100 km² (19,730 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 127th largest of 195.
Population density101 people per km²
Land neighbours2: Nicaragua, Panama
Official nameRepublic of Costa Rica
UN statusMember state
Capital coordinates9.94° N, 84.09° W San Jose, Natural Earth.

Land neighbours

Costa Rica borders 2 countries on land. Each links to its own page.

NicaraguaManaguaPanamaPanama City

From the Geography app

The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Costa Rica's 5, in full.

PLACELens 1 of 5

A narrow bridge between two oceans

Costa Rica is only 120 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, squeezed between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The country sits on the Central American volcanic arc, with over 200 volcanic formations running down its spine. Despite covering just 51,100 square kilometers, roughly the size of Slovakia, Costa Rica contains about 6% of the world's known biodiversity, a density of life found almost nowhere else on Earth.

More on Central American volcanic arc

A chain of volcanoes running from Guatemala to Panama, formed by the Cocos Plate subducting beneath the Caribbean Plate. Costa Rica's segment includes Arenal and Poas, both active within living memory.

4 more lenses on Costa Rica in the app

  • STORY The country that abolished its army
  • NOW Running on nearly 100% renewable electricity
  • NOW Ecotourism built on decades of conservation
  • THREAD A stable democracy between two troubled neighbors

Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.

Compare Costa Rica with another country

Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.

Common questions

What is the capital of Costa Rica?
The capital of Costa Rica is San Jose. San Jose lies at about 9.9 degrees north and 84.1 degrees west. Costa Rica is in North America, in the region often called Central America and the Caribbean. It is home to about 5.15 million people.
What is the population of Costa Rica?
About 5.15 million people live in Costa Rica, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 125th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 51,100 square kilometres, that is about 101 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Costa Rica?
Costa Rica shares land borders with 2 countries: Nicaragua and Panama. The map on this page outlines each of them around Costa Rica. The count includes only borders on land, not neighbours across a sea or a lake. Borders here follow Natural Earth at the 1:50 million scale, with Crimea shown as part of Ukraine and Western Sahara as a separate territory.
How big is Costa Rica?
Costa Rica covers 51,100 square kilometres, or about 19,730 square miles. That makes it the 127th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 5.15 million gives a density of 101 people per square kilometre.

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