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

Looking abroad, San José in Costa Rica and Guatemala City in Guatemala have the cheapest flights right now, according to Going.

From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026

Soon, the price of shipping bananas across the sea from Costa Rica will reset for the new quarter, at which point Barabino will likely need to start passing higher costs through.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

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

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Free-diving off Costa Rica, Gabillon found herself in a vast superpod of spinner dolphins herding lanternfish.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Mom tells me that Abuela Zaida had all her sons out of wedlock in Costa Rica then convinced my grandfather he should marry her and move to Cuba.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García