Dictionary.com
definitions

Costa Rica

[kos-tuh ree-kuh, kaw-stuh, koh-; Spanish kaws-tah ree-kah]
noun
  1. a republic in Central America, between Panama and Nicaragua. 19,238 sq. mi. (49,825 sq. km). Capital: San José.
Related formsCosta Rican, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for costa rica

Costa Rica

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)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
costa rica in Culture

Costa Rica

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.

Note

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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.