| Location | Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama |
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| Geographic coordinates | 10 00 N, 84 00 W |
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| Zone | Central America |
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| Area | total: 51,100 sq km
land: 50,660 sq km
water: 440 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco |
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| Land boundaries | total: 639 km
border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km |
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| Coastline | 1,290 km |
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| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm |
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| Climate | tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands |
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| Terrain | coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes |
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| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m |
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| Natural resources | hydropower |
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| Irrigated land | 1,290 km |
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| Natural hazards | occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes |
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Environment -
current issues | deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution |
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Environment -
international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
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| Geography - note | four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65 |
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