Costa Rica, formally known as the Republic of Costa Rica, is a unitary republic in Central America with a presidential system of government.

Its territory is entirely located on the Central American isthmus, bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the northeast and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Costa Rica borders Nicaragua to the northwest and Panama to the southeast.

It also includes Cocos Island, located in the Pacific Ocean, more than 500 kilometers from the country’s coast.

Its capital, San José, is the country’s main metropolitan area. San José had a population of 1,522,380 in 2026.

The official language is Spanish, and the currency is the colón. Its motto is “¡Vivan siempre el trabajo y la paz!” (“Long live work and peace!”), and its flag consists of five horizontal stripes in blue, white, red, white, and blue. Its national anthem is “Noble patria, tu hermosa bandera.”