República de Costa Rica Republic of Costa Rica
Flag Coat of arms Anthem: Noble patria, tu hermosa bandera  (Spanish) "Noble homeland, your beautiful flag"
Capital (and largest city) San José 9°55′N, 84°4′W Official languages Spanish Demonym Costa Rican Government Const. Democracy (President. Republic)  -  President Oscar Arias (PLN)  -  Vice President Laura Chinchilla Independence  -  from Spain (via Guatemala) September 15, 1821   -  from the UPCA 1838  Area  -  Total 51,100 km² (128th) 19,730 sq mi   -  Water (%) 0.7	Population  -  July 2007 estimate 4,133,884 (119th)  -  Density 85/km² (107th) 220/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate  -  Total $56.777 billion (84th)  -  Per capita $12,000 (62nd) Gini (2001) 49.9 (high)  HDI (2007) ▲ 0.846 (high) (48th) Currency Costa Rican colón (CRC) Time zone (UTC-6) Internet TLD .cr Calling code +506

Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica (Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica, Spanish pronunciation: [reˈpuβlika ðe ˈkosta ˈrika]), is a republic in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army.[1]
 Among Latin American countries, Costa Rica ranks 4th in terms of the 2007 Human Development Index, and 48th worldwide.[2] Costa Rica is ranked 5th in the world in terms of the 2008 Environmental Performance Index, up from the 15th place in 2006.[3][4] In 2007 the government of Costa Rica stated that they want to be the first country to become carbon neutral by 2021.[5][6][7]