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

Now, orange juice came from Costa Rica, Argentina, and, mostly, Brazil.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

But Scotland's World Cup campaign ended in that same shirt when the side was beaten 1-0 by Costa Rica in Italy.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Costa Rica and Ecuador are part of a group of Latin American nations that recently formed an alliance with Trump to combat drug traffickers using military force.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

It resembled one of those lesser super-groups in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — you got Costa Rica instead of Mexico, Bolivia instead of Brazil.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

I know Sam is back from Costa Rica.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson