Geography Of Costa Rica

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
Map references	central_america
Area	total: 51,100 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco land: 50,660 sq km
Area comparative	slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries	total: 639 km border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
Coastline	1,290 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate	tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
Terrain	coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m
Natural resources	hydropower
Land use	arable land: 4.41% permanent crops: 5.88% other: 89.71% (2001)
Irrigated land	1,260 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards	occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes
Environment - current issues	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
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

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This information was reproduced in part from the CIA World Fact book.

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Geography Of Costa