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

Matthew Pickard, 55, Stephen Greenaway, 48, and Paul Laver, 48, bought luxury homes, cars and yachts from the profits of Bournemouth-based Ethical Forestry Ltd, which promised forestry investments in Costa Rica.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Panama, he added, faces similar challenges, but has much more experience than Costa Rica taking on major criminal organizations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Before his football career, the Utah native served on a two-year mission in Costa Rica with the Church of Latter Day Saints, according to Salt Lake City’s Deseret News.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

The 70-year-old plays up her personal story as the daughter of Jewish parents who she says "barely survived" the Holocaust before emigrating to Costa Rica.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Don would spend most of his adult life in Costa Rica.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove