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C
osta Rica—Spanish for Rich Coast—is bordered to the north by Nicaragua and to the south by Panama, the east by the Caribbean Sea or Atlantic Ocean and to the west by the Pacific Ocean. It is 10° north of the equator. With 51,100 square kilometers in total—not including the 589,000 square kilometers of territorial waters—the country is little bigger than Switzerland. Given its size it’s interesting to note that more than half of the population lives in the central valley in and around the capital of San Jose, combining less than 20% of the total territory. Costa Rica has a length of 500 kilometers and a width of 150 kilometers. The coastline, with its Osa, Nicoya and Papagayo peninsulas, has a length of 1,800 kilometers. The country also comprises several islands: Coco Island lays 500 kilometers off the Pacific coast, but Calero Island is the largest island of Costa Rica at 152 square kilometers. |
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