Costa Rica

Quick Facts

National motto:
¡Pura vida!
(POO-ruh VEE-dah - Pure Life!)
National Flag
Flag of Costa Rica
Coat of Arms
Coat of Arms of Costa Rica
Capital:
San José
Official Language:
Spanish
Official Name:
República de Costa Rica (Republic of Costa Rica)
President
Abel Pacheco
Historical Presidents of Costa Rica
GDP
$38 Billion
Per Capita GDP
$9,500
Independence
From Spain, September 15th, 1821
Other Costa Rican holidays and events
Time Zone
UTC - 6 hours
Internet Top Level Domain
.cr
Calling Code
506
National Anthem
Noble patria, tu hermosa bandera
(Noble homeland, your beautiful flag)
Listen now and view the lyrics
Area:
19,575 square miles (50,700 square kilometers)
Greatest Distances:
north-south, 220 mi. (354 kilometers); east-west 237 mi. (381 kilometers)
Coastline:
380 miles (612 kilometers) on the Pacific coast, 133 miles (214 kilometers) on the Caribbean coast
Highest Elevation:
Chirripó Grande, 12,530 feet (3,819 meters) above sea level
Lowest Elevation:
sea level along the coasts
Population:
3,014,000 (estimated 1993)
Population Distribution:
52% rural, 48% urban
Population Density:
138 persons per square mile (53 per square kilometer)
Chief Products:
Agriculture (bananas, beef cattle, cacao, coffee, corn, rice, sugar cane), manufacturing (cement, clothing, furniture, machinery, processed foods, textiles), tourism
Currency:
Basic unit - colón
Economy of Costa Rica