Costa Rica: Geography#
| Location | Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama |
|---|---|
| Geographic Coordinates | 10 00 N, 84 00 W 10.0,-84.0 |
| Area | total: 51,100 sq km land: 51,060 sq km water: 40 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco We are unable to verify those figures from Factbook, since the 6 main sources we used for checking give different figures as follows: Factbook: 51100 DBpedia: 50901 Geoname: 51100 Infoplease: 51100 Britannica: 51100 Wolfram: 51100 Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
| Land boundaries | total: 661 km border countries: Nicaragua 313 km, Panama 348 km |
| Coastline | 1,290 km |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m |
| Highest Mountains | Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Cerro Chirripó 3820 m; Irazú 3432 m According to Geonames: Cerro Chirripó 3842 m; Cerro Ventisqueros 3812 m; Cerro Kámuk 3549 m; Cerro de la Muerte 3451 m; Cerro Echandi 3163 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
| Terrain | coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes |
| Natural Hazards | occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes volcanism: Arenal (elev. 1,670 m), which erupted in 2010, is the most active volcano in Costa Rica; a 1968 eruption destroyed the town of Tabacon; Irazu (elev. 3,432 m), situated just east of San Jose, has the potential to spew ash over the capital city as it did between 1963 and 1965; other historically active volcanoes include Miravalles, Poas, Rincon de la Vieja, and Turrialba |
| Natural Resource | hydropower |
| Land Use | arable land: 4.89% permanent crops: 6.46% other: 88.65% (2011) |
| Climate | tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands |
| Irrigated Land | 1,031 sq km (2003) |
| Renewable Water Resources | 112.4 cu km (2011) |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
| Large Cities | Due to difference in city rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: San José; Limon; Alajuela; San Francisco; Desamparados According to Geonames: San José; Limón; San Francisco; Alajuela; Liberia Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Cities |
| Geography-note | four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65 |