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Costa Rica Facts

by Vishal Kumar

Unearth the Costa Rica facts here like land area, population, capital city, religion, language, currency, economy and more.


Where is Costa Rica Situated?

Costa Rica, formally the Republic of Costa Rica is a small nation in Central America surrounded by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Caribbean Sea. The place is easily accessible and one can travel from one side of the coast to the other side in about just three hours.

What is the capital of Costa Rica?

The capital city of Costa Rica is San Jose. The population of San Jose is about half of the population of the whole country of Costa Rica.

What is the population of Costa Rica?

The total population of Costa Rica is around 5.2 million as per estimates. San Jose is the largest city accounts for half of the population.

How big is Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is not a big nation. It is spread over an area of about 19,700 square miles. The country is ranked 129th worldwide by landmass.

What kind of government prevails in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is made up of seven regions, which are subdivided into 81 cantons, each of which is regulated by a mayor. Leaders are elected every four years by the people of each canton. There are no common governing bodies. The cantons are further separated into 473 regions. The seven main provinces are as follows: Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, and San Jose.

What kind of economy prevails in Costa Rica?

It has been estimated by the World Bank that Costa Rica’s Gross Domestic Product per capita is around US 12,874 dollars. But even though it’s considered a developed country its infrastructure has much scope for improvement.

Lately, pharmaceuticals, budgetary outsourcing, programming improvement, and ecotourism have turned into the prime businesses in Costa Rica’s economy. A significant number of educated workers makes the nation an appealing investment destination. Since a decade ago, tourism has had a higher contribution to the nation’s economy than the combined contribution of the nation’s three principal cash crops: bananas, pineapples, and coffee. The coffee generation has assumed a key part in Costa Rica’s history and economy, and by 2006, was the third cash crop to be exported. Costa Rica is one of the most visited nations in Central America. As the region is very famous due to its eco-tourism, it has been recognized as one of the nations with a true ecosystem.

What religion is followed in Costa Rica?

The country of Costa Rica guarantees the right to religion. Roman Catholicism is the state’s official religion and Christianity is the main religion. Around 75 percent of Costa Rica’s people follow Christianity and around 14 percent of people are evangelical Christians. People who migrated from Asia and Europe brought Buddhism along with them. Around 2 percent of the population follows Buddhism. There are people belonging to the Hindu, Muslim, and Bahai communities as well.

Which language is spoken in Costa Rica?

The official language spoken in Costa Rica is Spanish. Being a famous international tourist destination, English forms a part of their second language. People living near the Caribbean coast speak Patois, which has a Jamaican accent with English as its base.

What is the national currency in Costa Rica?

Colon is the national currency of Costa Rica. Being a major tourist destination, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are easily available at various junctions. Major credit cards are also accepted at big hotels and restaurants. Euros and dollars are also easily exchangeable with various banks.

What is the best time to visit Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is situated next to the equator, so it can be said it enjoys a tropical zone climate. The climate of Costa Rica can be easily divided into two main seasons. One is the dry season which starts from mid-December to April. This is one of the best seasons to visit the place and enjoy the beaches and the rainforests and plenty of other outdoor activities. It is the peak season and expensive too on the pocket.

If you are planning to visit during this time, then preparing yourself well in advance is the best suggestion as during this season, it becomes very difficult to find a spot empty if you go unplanned. The next season is the wet season or rainy season which starts from May till November. If you don’t wish to dig deeply into your pockets, then this is the best time to visit. After the rains, you can see greenery all around the country, as this is the time when the rainforests bloom to their fullest.

What makes Costa Rica unique?

  • Costa Rica is a small country that occupies only 0.03 percent landmass of the total planet’s surface, and still has around 5 percent of the world’s biodiversity.
  • Costa Rica has a land area of 52,100 kilometers square, whereas its marine area or coastline stretches to 580,000 kilometers square, which is around ten times more than the land area.
  • Normal pay for a worker is 10 dollars per day, which is the highest in Central America.
  • “Ticos” is the word for a male Costa Rican, while “Ticas” is the word for a female Costa Rican.
  • The coastline of Costa Rica is spread over 801 miles.
  • Costa Rica houses many volcanoes. There are about 121 volcanic formations out of which seven are still active. One of the volcanoes named Poas Volcano has a crater that is one mile in diameter, the second largest in the world. Arenal volcano is the tenth most active volcano in the world.
  • Costa Rica is home to around 52 species of hummingbirds. There are about 750,000 species of insects that live in Costa Rica alone. Around 10 percent of the world’s butterflies live here.
  • Costa Rica has a life expectancy of almost 77 years, one of the highest in the world.
  • Costa Rica has been ranked as the greenest country in the world.
  • There is no standing army in Costa Rica.
  • Costa Rica has the strongest democracy in Central America, being the oldest democracy in the region.
  • Costa Rica is a standout amongst the most esteemed ecological objectives. Roughly 25% of the nation consists of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. There are more than 100 diverse secured ranges to visit.

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