HowStuffWorks "Maps of Costa Rica"

maps of costa rica

Maps of Costa Rica show the location of major cities and regions in Costa Rica. Check out our interactive maps of Costa Rica.

San Jose maps show locations and major features. Explore interactive San Jose maps. See more »

Country (long form)	Republic of Costa Rica
Capital	San Jose
Total Area	19,729.82 sq mi 51,100.00 sq km (slightly smaller than West Virginia)
Population	3,773,057 (July 2001 est.)
Estimated Population in 2050	5,696,700
Languages	Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon
Literacy	94.8% total, 94.7% male, 95% female (1995 est.)
Religions	Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, other Protestant 0.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
Life Expectancy	73.49 male, 78.68 female (2001 est.)
Government Type	democratic republic
Currency	1 Costa Rican colon (C) = 100 centimos
GDP (per capita)	$6,700 (2000 est.)
Industry	microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products
Agriculture	coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber
Arable Land	6%
Natural Resources	hydropower

Costa Rica, or Republic of Costa Rica, an independent country in Central America.

Central America, the southernmost part of the North American continent. It lies south of Mexico and forms the land connection with South America.