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Location:
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Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama
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Geographic coordinates:
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10 00 N, 84 00 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total: 51,100 sq km
water: 440 sq km
note: includes Isla del Coco
land: 50,660 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than West Virginia
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Land boundaries:
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total: 639 km
border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
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Coastline:
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1,290 km
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
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Terrain:
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coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m
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Natural resources:
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hydropower
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Land use:
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arable land: 4.41%
permanent crops: 5.48%
other: 90.11% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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1,260 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
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Geography - note:
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four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65
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