The Republic of Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

is a sovereign country located in Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

, bordered by Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

 to the north, Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

 to the east-southeast, the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

 to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea

Caribbean Sea

The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....

 to the east. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army

Military of Costa Rica

On December 1, 1948, President José Figueres Ferrer of Costa Rica abolished the military of Costa Rica after victory in the civil war in that year....

. Among Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

n countries, Costa Rica ranks 4th on of the 2007 Human Development Index

Human Development Index

The Human Development Index is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of "human development" and separate "very high human development", "high human development", "medium human development", and "low human development" countries...

, and 48th worldwide. Costa Rica is ranked 5th in the world on the 2008 Environmental Performance Index

Environmental Performance Index

The Environmental Performance Index is a method of quantifying and numerically benchmarking the environmental performance of a country's policies. This index was developed from the Pilot Environmental Performance Index, first published in 2002, and designed to supplement the environmental targets...

, up from the 15th place in 2006. In 2007 the government stated that it wants Costa Rica to be the first country to become carbon neutral

Carbon neutral

Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset, or buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference...

 by 2021.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Costa Rica:

General reference

• Pronunciation
  International Phonetic Alphabet
  The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
  
  :
• Common English country name: Costa Rica
  Costa Rica
  Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
  
  
• Official English country name: The Republic of Costa Rica
• Common endonym(s): Tiquicia* Official endonym(s):
• Adjectival(s): Costa Rican
• Demonym(s):
• Etymology
  Etymology
  Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
  
  : Name of Costa Rica
• International rankings of Costa Rica
  International rankings of Costa Rica
  This is a list of key international rankings of Costa RicaThis is a list of key international rankings of Costa RicaThis is a list of key international rankings of Costa Rica:' Worldwide ranking among countries evaluated...
  
  
• ISO country codes: CR, CRI, 188
• ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:CR
  ISO 3166-2:CR
  ISO 3166-2:CR is the entry for Costa Rica in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Costa Rica, ISO 3166-2 codes...
  
  
• Internet
  Internet
  The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
  
   country code top-level domain
  Country code top-level domain
  A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
  
  : .cr
  .cr
  -Second-level domains:* .ac.cr - Academic: Universities* .co.cr - Commercial* .ed.cr - Education: Colleges, High Schools, etc* .fi.cr - Financial institutions like banks* .go.cr - Governmental...
  
  

Geography of Costa Rica

• Costa Rica is: a country
• Location:
  • Northern Hemisphere
    Northern Hemisphere
    The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
    
     and Western Hemisphere
    Western Hemisphere
    The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
    
    
    • Americas
      Americas
      The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
      
      
      • North America
        North America
        North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
        
        
        • Middle America
          Middle America (Americas)
          Middle America is a region in the mid-latitudes of the Americas. In southern North America, it usually comprises Mexico, the nations of Central America, and the West Indies. The scope of the term may vary...
          
          
          • Central America
            Central America
            Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
            
            
  • Time zone
    Time zone
    A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
    
    : UTC-06
  • Extreme points of Costa Rica
    • High: Cerro Chirripó
      Cerro Chirripó
      Cerro Chirripó is the highest mountain in Costa Rica, with an altitude of . It is located in the Chirripó National Park and is noted for its ecological wealth. The high peaks in this and La Amistad International Park host important areas of Talamancan montane forest and Costa Rican Páramo with high...
      
       3820 m (12,533 ft)
    • Low: North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea
      Caribbean Sea
      The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
      
       0 m
  • Land boundaries: 639 km

 Panama 330 km

 Nicaragua 309 km

• Coastline: 1,290 km
• Population of Costa Rica: 4,468,000 - 117th most populous country
• Area of Costa Rica: 51,100 km²
• Atlas of Costa Rica

Environment of Costa Rica

• Climate of Costa Rica
  Climate of Costa Rica
  Because Costa Rica is located only about eight degrees north of the equator, the climate is tropical year round. However, this varies depending on elevation and rainfall. Therefore, it is greatly affected by the geography of Costa Rica....
  
  
• Environmental issues in Costa Rica
• Ecoregions in Costa Rica
• Renewable energy in Costa Rica
• Geology of Costa Rica
• Protected areas of Costa Rica
  • Biosphere reserves in Costa Rica
  • National parks of Costa Rica
• Wildlife of Costa Rica
  Wildlife of Costa Rica
  Costa Rica supports an enormous variety of wildlife, due in large part to its geographic position between the North and South American continents, its neotropical climate, and its wide variety of habitats...
  
  
  • Flora of Costa Rica
  • Fauna of Costa Rica
    • Birds of Costa Rica
    • Mammals of Costa Rica

Natural geographic features of Costa Rica

• Fjords of Costa Rica
• Glaciers of Costa Rica
• Islands of Costa Rica
• Lakes of Costa Rica
• Mountains of Costa Rica
  • Volcanoes in Costa Rica
• Rivers of Costa Rica
  • Waterfalls of Costa Rica
• Valleys of Costa Rica
• World Heritage Sites in Costa Rica

Ecoregions of Costa Rica

Main article: Ecoregions in Costa Rica

• Neotropic
  Neotropic
  In biogeography, the Neotropic or Neotropical zone is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones. This ecozone includes South and Central America, the Mexican lowlands, the Caribbean islands, and southern Florida, because these regions share a large number of plant and animal groups.It is sometimes used...
  
   tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
  Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
  Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
  
  
  • Central American Atlantic moist forests
  • Cocos Island moist forests
  • Costa Rican seasonal moist forests
  • Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests
  • Isthmian-Pacific moist forests
  • Talamancan montane forests
    Talamancan montane forests
    The Talamancan montane forests ecoregion, in the tropical moist broadleaf forest biome, are in montane Costa Rica and Panama in Central America.-Setting:...
    
    
• Neotropic
  Neotropic
  In biogeography, the Neotropic or Neotropical zone is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones. This ecozone includes South and Central America, the Mexican lowlands, the Caribbean islands, and southern Florida, because these regions share a large number of plant and animal groups.It is sometimes used...
  
   Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
  Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
  The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest biome, also known as tropical dry forest, is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive several hundred centimeters of rain per year, they have long dry seasons...
  
  
  • Central American dry forests
• Neotropic
  Neotropic
  In biogeography, the Neotropic or Neotropical zone is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones. This ecozone includes South and Central America, the Mexican lowlands, the Caribbean islands, and southern Florida, because these regions share a large number of plant and animal groups.It is sometimes used...
  
   Montane grasslands and shrublands
  Montane grasslands and shrublands
  Montane grasslands and shrublands is a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high altitude grasslands and shrublands around the world....
  
  
  • Talamanca Paramo
• Neotropic
  Neotropic
  In biogeography, the Neotropic or Neotropical zone is one of the eight terrestrial ecozones. This ecozone includes South and Central America, the Mexican lowlands, the Caribbean islands, and southern Florida, because these regions share a large number of plant and animal groups.It is sometimes used...
  
   Mangrove
  Mangrove
  Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
  
  
  • Bocas del Toro-San Bastimentos Island-San Blas mangroves
  • Moist Pacific Coast mangroves
  • Mosquitia-Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast mangroves
    Mosquitia-Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast mangroves
    The Mosquitia-Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast mangroves ecoregion, in the Mangrove biome, are along the Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica as well as off shore islands such as the Corn Islands.-Description:...
    
    
  • Rio Negro-Rio San Sun mangroves
  • Southern Dry Pacific Coast mangroves

Administrative divisions of Costa Rica

Main article: Administrative divisions of Costa Rica

• Provinces of Costa Rica
  Provinces of Costa Rica
  Costa Rica consists of 7 provinces :The provinces are further divided into cantons , which are subdivided into districts .-See also:* ISO 3166-2:CR* Cantons of Costa Rica* Districts of Costa Rica...
  
  
  • Cantons of Costa Rica
    Cantons of Costa Rica
    This is a list of the cantons of Costa Rica.Cantons are the second-level administrative division of Costa Rica. The country's seven provinces are subdivided into 81 cantons , and these are further subdivided into districts .A unique feature of the cantons is that they are the only administrative...
    
    
    • Districts of Costa Rica
      Districts of Costa Rica
      | The cantons of Costa Rica are subdivided into 473 districts .-References:...
      
      

Municipalities of Costa Rica

• Capital of Costa Rica: San José
• Cities of Costa Rica

Government and politics of Costa Rica

Main article: Government of Costa Rica and Politics of Costa Rica

Politics of Costa Rica

The politics of Costa Rica take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, with a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the president and his cabinet, and the President of Costa Rica is both the head of state and head of government. Legislative power is...

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  : presidential
  Presidential system
  A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
  
   representative democratic
  Representative democracy
  Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
  
   republic
  Republic
  A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
  
  
• Capital of Costa Rica: San José

• Elections in Costa Rica
  Elections in Costa Rica
  Elections in Costa Rica gives information on elections and election results in Costa Rica.Costa Rica elects on national level a head of state – the president – and a legislature. The President of Costa Rica is, together with two vice-presidents, elected for a four-year term by the people...
  
  
  • (specific elections)
• Political parties in Costa Rica
• Political scandals of Costa Rica
• Taxation in Costa Rica

Executive branch of the government of Costa Rica

• Head of state
  Head of State
  A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
  
  : President of Costa Rica
• Head of government
  Head of government
  Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
  
  : Prime Minister of Costa Rica
• Cabinet of Costa Rica

Legislative branch of the government of Costa Rica

• Parliament of Costa Rica (unicameral)

Judicial branch of the government of Costa Rica

• Supreme Court of Costa Rica

Foreign relations of Costa Rica

• Diplomatic missions in Costa Rica
• Diplomatic missions of Costa Rica
  Diplomatic missions of Costa Rica
  This is a list of diplomatic missions of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is one of the more developed countries in Latin America, and has a moderate sized number of diplomatic missions abroad...
  
  

International organization membership

The Republic of Costa Rica is a member of:

• Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL)
• Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE)
• Central American Common Market (CACM)
• Central American Integration System
  Central American Integration System
  Central American Integration System is the economic, cultural and political organization of Central American states since February 1, 1993. It was on December 13, 1991, however, when all the countries of the ODECA signed the Protocol of Tegucigalpa which extended the earlier cooperation in search...
  
   (SICA)
• Food and Agriculture Organization
  Food and Agriculture Organization
  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
  
   (FAO)
• Group of 77
  Group of 77
  The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has...
  
   (G77)
• Inter-American Development Bank
  Inter-American Development Bank
  The Inter-American Development Bank is the largest source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean...
  
   (IADB)
• Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
• International Atomic Energy Agency
  International Atomic Energy Agency
  The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
  
   (IAEA)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of five institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The IBRD is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Now, its mission has expanded to fight...
  
   (IBRD)
• International Chamber of Commerce
  International Chamber of Commerce
  The International Chamber of Commerce is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its hundreds of thousands of member companies in over 130 countries have interests spanning every sector of private enterprise....
  
   (ICC)
• International Civil Aviation Organization
  International Civil Aviation Organization
  The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
  
   (ICAO)
• International Criminal Court
  International Criminal Court
  The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
  
   (ICCt)
• International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
• International Development Association
  International Development Association
  The International Development Association , is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It complements the World Bank's other lending arm — the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — which serves middle-income countries with capital investment and...
  
   (IDA)
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
  
   (IFRCS)
• International Finance Corporation
  International Finance Corporation
  The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
  
   (IFC)
• International Fund for Agricultural Development
  International Fund for Agricultural Development
  The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
  
   (IFAD)
• International Labour Organization
  International Labour Organization
  The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
  
   (ILO)
• International Maritime Organization
  International Maritime Organization
  The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
  
   (IMO)
• International Mobile Satellite Organization
  International Mobile Satellite Organization
  The International Mobile Satellite Organization is the intergovernmental organization that oversees certain public satellite safety and security communication services provided via the Inmarsat satellites...
  
   (IMSO)
• International Monetary Fund
  International Monetary Fund
  The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
  
   (IMF)
• International Olympic Committee
  International Olympic Committee
  The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
  
   (IOC)
• International Organization for Migration
  International Organization for Migration
  The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration to help resettle people displaced by World War II....
  
   (IOM)
• International Organization for Standardization
  International Organization for Standardization
  The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
  
   (ISO)
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
  
   (ICRM)

• International Telecommunication Union
  International Telecommunication Union
  The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
  
   (ITU)
• International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization is an intergovernmental organisation charged with overseeing the public service obligations of Intelsat.-External links:*...
  
   (ITSO)
• International Trade Union Confederation
  International Trade Union Confederation
  The International Trade Union Confederation is the world's largest trade union federation. It was formed on November 1, 2006 out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour...
  
   (ITUC)
• Latin American Economic System
  Latin American Economic System
  The Latin American and the Caribbean Economic System, officially known as Sistema Económico Latinoamericano y del Caribe , is an organization founded in 1975 to promote economic cooperation and social development between Latin American and the Caribbean countries...
  
   (LAES)
• Latin American Integration Association
  Latin American Integration Association
  The Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración is a Latin American trade integration association, based in Montevideo. Its main objective is the establishment of a common market, in pursuit of the economic and social development of the region...
  
   (LAIA) (observer)
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency is a member organization of the World Bank Group that offers political risk insurance. It was established to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries. MIGA was founded in 1988 with a capital base of $1 billion and is headquartered in...
  
   (MIGA)
• Nonaligned Movement (NAM) (observer)
• Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
• Organization of American States
  Organization of American States
  The Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
  
   (OAS)
• Permanent Court of Arbitration
  Permanent Court of Arbitration
  The Permanent Court of Arbitration , is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands.-History:The court was established in 1899 as one of the acts of the first Hague Peace Conference, which makes it the oldest institution for international dispute resolution.The creation of...
  
   (PCA)
• Rio Group
  Rio Group
  - List of Summit meetings :- See also :* Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, possible successor of the Rio Group* Union of South American Nations...
  
   (RG)
• Unión Latina
• United Nations
  United Nations
  The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
  
   (UN)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
  
   (UNCTAD)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
  
   (UNHCR)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  The United Nations Industrial Development Organization , French/Spanish acronym ONUDI, is a specialized agency in the United Nations system, headquartered in Vienna, Austria...
  
   (UNIDO)
• Universal Postal Union
  Universal Postal Union
  The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
  
   (UPU)
• World Confederation of Labour
  World Confederation of Labour
  The World Confederation of Labour was an international labour organization founded in 1920 and based in Europe. Totalitarian governments of the 1930s repressed the federation and imprisoned many of its leaders, limiting operations until the end of World War II...
  
   (WCL)
• World Customs Organization
  World Customs Organization
  The World Customs Organization is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. With its worldwide membership, the WCO is recognized as the voice of the global customs community...
  
   (WCO)
• World Federation of Trade Unions
  World Federation of Trade Unions
  The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
  
   (WFTU)
• World Health Organization
  World Health Organization
  The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
  
   (WHO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization
  World Intellectual Property Organization
  The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
  
   (WIPO)
• World Meteorological Organization
  World Meteorological Organization
  The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
  
   (WMO)
• World Tourism Organization
  World Tourism Organization
  The World Tourism Organization , based in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism rankings. The World Tourism Organization is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information...
  
   (UNWTO)
• World Trade Organization
  World Trade Organization
  The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
  
   (WTO)

Law and order in Costa Rica

Main article: Law of Costa Rica

• Capital punishment in Costa Rica
• Constitution of Costa Rica
• Crime in Costa Rica
• Human rights in Costa Rica
  • LGBT rights in Costa Rica
  • Freedom of religion in Costa Rica
• Law enforcement in Costa Rica

Military of Costa Rica

Main article: Military of Costa Rica

Military of Costa Rica

On December 1, 1948, President José Figueres Ferrer of Costa Rica abolished the military of Costa Rica after victory in the civil war in that year....

• Command
  • Commander-in-chief
    Commander-in-Chief
    A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
    
    
    • Ministry of Defence of Costa Rica
• Forces
  • Army of Costa Rica
  • Navy of Costa Rica
  • Air Force of Costa Rica
    Air Force of Costa Rica
    There is officially no Air Force of Costa Rica, the only air wing in existence is attached to the Ministry of Public Security. Currently this unit, officially called Air Surveillance Service, does not operate armed military aircraft. The main air bases are located in three different points, San...
    
    
  • Special forces of Costa Rica
• Military history of Costa Rica
• Military ranks of Costa Rica

History of Costa Rica

Main article: History of Costa Rica

History of Costa Rica

-Early history:In Pre-Columbian times the Native Americans in what is now Costa Rica were part of a cultural complex known as the "Intermediate Area," between the Mesoamerican and Andean cultural regions....

, Timeline of the history of Costa Rica, and Current events of Costa Rica

• Economic history of Costa Rica
• Military history of Costa Rica

Culture of Costa Rica

Main article: Culture of Costa Rica

Culture of Costa Rica

Costa Rican culture is heavily influenced by Spanish culture, with the exception of Limón and the Cordillera de Talamanca.The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish. Native languages include Bribrí and as well as others spoken by thousands of Costa Ricans...

• Architecture of Costa Rica
• Cuisine of Costa Rica
  Cuisine of Costa Rica
  Costa Rican cuisine is known for being flavorful, yet fairly mild, with high reliance on fresh fruit and vegetables. The main staple, known as gallo pinto, consists of rice and black beans....
  
  
• Ethnic minorities in Costa Rica
• Festivals in Costa Rica
• Humor in Costa Rica
• Languages of Costa Rica
  Languages of Costa Rica
  The official and predominant language of Costa Rica is Spanish; the variety spoken there, Costa Rican Spanish, is a form of Central American Spanish. In addition, several Chibchan languages, including Boruca and Bribri, are spoken there. The Oto-Manguean language Chorotega is extinct...
  
  
• Media in Costa Rica
• National symbols of Costa Rica
  • Coat of arms of Costa Rica
    Coat of arms of Costa Rica
    The official coat of arms of the Republic of Costa Rica was designed in 1848, with modifications in 1906, 1964, and most recently the 1998 addition of smoke to distinguish three volcanoes...
    
    
  • Flag of Costa Rica
    Flag of Costa Rica
    The official flag of the Republic of Costa Rica is based on a design created in 1848. The state/national flag, also used as the military ensign, includes the coat of arms of Costa Rica...
    
    
  • National anthem of Costa Rica
• People of Costa Rica
• Prostitution in Costa Rica
  Prostitution in Costa Rica
  In Costa Rica, prostitution is not illegal, but the Penal Code prohibits individuals from promoting or facilitating the prostitution ....
  
  
• Public holidays in Costa Rica
• Records of Costa Rica
• Religion in Costa Rica
  Religion in Costa Rica
  The most recent nationwide survey of religion in Costa Rica, conducted in 2007 by the University of Costa Rica, found that 70.5 percent of the population identify themselves as Roman Catholics , 13.8 percent state they are Evangelical Protestants, 11.3 percent report that they do not have a...
  
  
  • Buddhism in Costa Rica
    Buddhism in Costa Rica
    Costa Rica has more Buddhists than the other countries in Central America with almost 100,000 , followed closely by Panama, with almost 70,000 . Buddhism was primarily driven by the presence of Chinese immigrants during the earlier part of the 19th century...
    
    
  • Christianity in Costa Rica
  • Hinduism in Costa Rica
  • Islam in Costa Rica
    Islam in Costa Rica
    The statistics for Islam in Costa Rica is around 500 families, or 0.01% of the population. There are a number of Islamic organizations in San José including the Islamic Association of Costa Rica led by Secretary General Dr. Abdul Fatah Sasa , and the Centro Cultural Musulmán de Costa Rica in...
    
    
  • Judaism in Costa Rica
  • Sikhism in Costa Rica
• World Heritage Sites in Costa Rica

Art in Costa Rica

• Art in Costa Rica
• Cinema of Costa Rica
• Literature of Costa Rica
  Literature of Costa Rica
  Costa Rican literature has roots in colonization and is marked by European influences. Because Costa Rica is a young country, its literary tradition is also young. The history of Costa Rican literature dates to the end of the 19th century.-Chronology:...
  
  
• Music of Costa Rica
  Music of Costa Rica
  The country of Costa Rica has many kinds of music.Though its music has achieved little international credit, Costa Rican popular music genres include: an indigenous calypso scene which is distinct from the more widely-known Trinidadian calypso sound, as well as a thriving disco audience that...
  
  
• Television in Costa Rica
• Theatre in Costa Rica

Sports in Costa Rica

Main article: Sports in Costa Rica

• Football in Costa Rica
• Costa Rica at the Olympics
  Costa Rica at the Olympics
  Costa Rica first participated at the Olympic Games in 1936, but then missed the next four Olympiads. The nation returned to the Games in 1964, and has participated in every Summer Olympic Games since then...
  
  

Economy and infrastructure of Costa Rica

Main article: Economy of Costa Rica

Economy of Costa Rica

The economy of Costa Rica heavily depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been reduced over the past 15 years, and a social safety net put into place....

• Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 84th (eighty-fourth)

• Agriculture in Costa Rica
  Agriculture in Costa Rica
  Costa Rican Agriculture plays a profound part in country’s GDP. It makes up about 6.5% of Costa Rica’s GDP, and 14% or the labor force. Depending on location and altitude, many regions differ in agricultural crops and techniques. The main exports from the country include: bananas, pineapples,...
  
  
• Banking in Costa Rica
  • National Bank of Costa Rica
• Communications in Costa Rica
  • Internet in Costa Rica
• Companies of Costa Rica

• Currency of Costa Rica
  Currency
  In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
  
  : Colón
  Costa Rican colón
  The colón is the currency of Costa Rica. The plural is colones in Spanish, but English speakers often say colons instead. The ISO 4217 code is CRC....
  
  
  • ISO 4217
    ISO 4217
    ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
    
    : CRC
    CRC
    - Organizations :* California Rehabilitation Center, a state prison in the USA* Cambridge Regional College, a further education college* Cambridge Regional College F.C., a semi-professional football club in England* Canada Research Chair* Capital Research Center...
    
    

• Economic history of Costa Rica
• Energy in Costa Rica
  • Energy policy of Costa Rica
  • Oil industry in Costa Rica
• Mining in Costa Rica
• Tourism in Costa Rica
  Tourism in Costa Rica
  Tourism in Costa Rica is one of the fastest growing economic sectors of the country and by 1995 became the largest foreign exchange earner. Since 1999, tourism earns more foreign exchange than bananas, pineapples and coffee exports combined...
  
  
• Transport in Costa Rica

• Costa Rica Stock Exchange

Infrastructure of Costa Rica

• Health care in Costa Rica
  Health care in Costa Rica
  Costa Rica provides universal health care to its citizens and permanent residents.Costa Rica is also a popular destination for medical tourism.It has three internationally-accredited private hospitals.-References:...
  
  
• Transportation in Costa Rica
  Transportation in Costa Rica
  -Railways:*total: *narrow gauge: of gauge - Railways links to adjacent countries : Nicaragua - no Panama - no...
  
  
  • Airports in Costa Rica
  • Rail transport in Costa Rica
    Rail transport in Costa Rica
    300px|thumb|Universidad de Costa Rica Station, San Pedro, Montes de OcaRailroads in Costa Rica are owned by Incofer , and are of narrow gauge. In 2010, Incofer operated suburban commuter trains from San José to Curridabat passing through San Pedro, and to Belen...
    
    
  • Roads in Costa Rica
• Water supply and sanitation in Costa Rica
  Water supply and sanitation in Costa Rica
  Costa Rica has made significant progress in the past decade in expanding access to water supply and sanitation, but the sector faces key challenges in low sanitation connections, poor service quality, and low cost recovery.- Access :...
  
  

See also

• Index of Costa Rica-related articles
• List of Costa Rica-related topics
• List of international rankings
• Member state of the United Nations
• Outline of Central America
• Outline of geography
  Outline of geography
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
  
  
• Outline of North America

External links