Costa Rica

Republic of Costa Rica República de Costa Rica
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: "Noble patria, tu hermosa bandera" (Spanish) "Noble motherland, your beautiful flag"
Capital and largest city	San José 9°56′N 84°5′W / 9.933°N 84.083°W / 9.933; -84.083
Official languages	Spanish
Recognised regional languages	Mekatelyu Bribri Patois
Ethnic groups (2011)	83.6% Mestizo or White 6.7% Mulatto 2.4% Amerindian 1.1% Black 1.1% other 2.9% none 2.2% unspecified
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Demonym	Costa Rican Tico
Government	Unitary presidential constitutional republic
• President	Luis Guillermo Solís
• 1st Vice-President	Helio Fallas Venegas
• 2nd Vice-President	Ana Helena Chacón Echeverría
Legislature	Legislative Assembly
Independence declared
• from Spain	September 15, 1821
• from First Mexican Empire	July 1, 1823
• from the United Provinces of Central America	1838
• Recognized by Spain	May 10, 1850
• Constitution	November 7, 1949
Area
• Total	51,100 km2 (19,700 sq mi) (128th)
• Water (%)	0.7
Population
• 2011 census	4,586,353
• Density	84/km2 (217.6/sq mi) (107th)
GDP (PPP)	2015 estimate
• Total	$74.324 billion
• Per capita	$15,365
GDP (nominal)	2015 estimate
• Total	$52.800 billion
• Per capita	$10,916
Gini (2009)	40.7 medium
HDI (2014)	0.766 high · 69th
Currency	Costa Rican colón (CRC)
Time zone	CST (UTC−6)
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+506
ISO 3166 code	CR
Internet TLD	.cr .co.cr

Coordinates: 10°N 84°W / 10°N 84°W / 10; -84

Costa Rica (ⁱ/ˌkɒstə ˈriːkə/; Spanish: [ˈkosta ˈrika]; literally meaning "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica (Spanish: República de Costa Rica), is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around 4.5 million, of whom nearly a quarter live in the metropolitan area of the capital and largest city, San José.