Costa Rica

American  

[kos-tuh ree-kuh, kaw-stuh, koh-, kaws-tah ree-kah] / ˈkɒs tə ˈri kə, ˈkɔ stə, ˈkoʊ-, ˈkɔs tɑ ˈri kɑ /

noun

1. a republic in Central America, between Panama and Nicaragua. 19,238 sq. mi. (49,825 sq. km). San José.

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Costa Rica British  

/ ˈkɒstə ˈriːkə /

noun

1. a republic in Central America: gained independence from Spain in 1821; mostly mountainous and volcanic, with extensive forests. Official language: Spanish. Official religion: Roman Catholic. Currency: colón. Capital: San José. Pop: 4 695 942 (2013 est). Area: 50 900 sq km (19 652 sq miles)

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Costa Rica Cultural  

1. Republic in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the south and west. Its capital and largest city is San José.

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One of the most politically stable countries of Latin America; Costa Rica is traditionally very democratic. It has a literacy rate of over ninety percent.

Other Word Forms

• Costa Rican
  noun

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Costa Rica

The family, who split their time between Costa Rica and Orkney and travelled more than 5,000 miles for the birth, said Duncan was born in a much-loved place.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

The family will return to Costa Rica in November, where the couple run a school.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

“But in Costa Rica, building prisons won’t solve the problem.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

It also has shops in Soho in Manhattan as well as Uvita in Costa Rica.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

A police detective had discovered that Theodore Johnson’s airline ticket was purchased over the Internet and that the same computer had also purchased a ticket to Costa Rica for someone named Denise Linaria.

From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar