Where Is Costa Rica Located?

Costa Rica is located between nine and ten degrees north of the Equator. The official name for Costa Rica is the Republic of Costa Rica. The translation for this name is “Rich Coast.” Currently, it’s considered the greenest country in the world.

Costa Rica is in Central America and is bordered by Nicaragua on the north, Panama on the east and south, the Pacific Ocean on the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea on the east.

Costa Rica has over one thousand two hundred and twenty kilometers of coastline. Overall, Costa Rica is roughly the size of West Virginia in the United States. Costa Rica is composed of roughly fifty thousand kilometers of land, and over four hundred kilometers of water.

Costa Rica has several rivers throughout the country that cut up the land. The five rivers that drain into the Caribbean Sea include: Rio Colorado, Rio Pacuare, Rio Parismina, Rio Reventazon, and Rio Sixaola. The five rivers that run into the Pacific Ocean in Costa Rica include: Rio Abangares, Rio Guacimal, Rio Sierpe, Rio Tempisque, and Rio Terraba.

Mountains

Costa Rica also has several mountain ranges. The Cordillera de Tilaran helps separate the country, and it is east of Lake Arenal and close to the volcano, Arenal. At the edge of the mountain range, there is the Monteverde cloud forest preserve. The Cordillera de Guanacaste is in northern Costa Rica, and close to the border of Nicaragua.

This range includes several volcanoes, such as: Miravalles Volcano, Orosi Volcano, and Rincon de la Vieja Volcano. There is also the Cordillera de Talamanca, part of which is located in La Amistad International Park. In this range, there are the highest mountain peaks in the country. The Cerro Chirripo and the Cerro Kamuk are the highest peaks in Costa Rica.

Climate

Since the country is located so close to the Equator, this ensures that the climate is tropical throughout the year. The climate is not consistent throughout the country, however, and the area of Costa Rica in which you are visiting might have different weather than another part of the country. For example, rainfall might be heavier in one part of the country, and quite mild in another.

Other factors such as elevation, topography, and geography will influence the climate of certain areas. Costa Rica does not have four seasons such as other countries in the Northern Hemisphere. Rather, Costa Rica’s seasons depend largely on the rainfall—the “summer” period is the dry season, while the “winter” season is the wet season.

The dry season usually lasts from about December to April, while the wet season spans from May to November. The Central Cordillera Mountains receive the most rain in the country, averaging over one hundred and ninety six inches per year.