Costa Rica Facts

Official name: Republic of Costa Rica

Government type: Democratic Republic

Capital: San Jose

Location: Central American with Panama to the south and Nicaragua to the north. It’s western border is the Pacific Ocean and Eastern the Caribbean Sea. It is 10° north of the equator.

Official Language: Spanish. English is spoken by some locals. In tourist and expat areas the number of English speakers increases.

Currency: Colon

Notable Points in History
-First country in world to officially abolish their army (1948)
-Independence from Spain in 1821

People
-4,195,914 people (July 2008 estimates)
-Ethnic groups: white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%
-Religions: Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah’s Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%
-Life expectancy: 77.4 years
-Literacy rate: 94.9%

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Rica
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cs.html

Other Costa Rica Information Sources
Yahoo Directory – Costa Rica
National Geographic – Costa Rica
BBC News – Costa Rica Profile

View our resources on planning your Costa Rica vacation. Here are guides on renting a Costa Rica beach house, and finding Costa Rica vacation rentals

Manuel Antonio is one of the most popular destinations in CR. Read our guide on accommodations in Manuel Antonio including our listing of hotels & resorts.