Map of Costa Rica
Costa Rica is one of the 7 Central American countries. Bordered on the north by Nicaragua, the Southeast by Panama, the land is bathed in the East by the Caribbean Sea and on the West by the Pacific Ocean. Its capital, political and economic center is San Jose. The official language is Spanish. Costa Rica, which translates literally as rich coast, was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish the army. Among Latin American countries, Costa Rica ranks 6th in terms of the 2010 Human Development Index. The country is ranked 3rd in the world, and 1st among the Americas, in 2010 in terms of Environmental Performance Index. In 2007 the Costa Rican government announced plans for Costa Rica to become the first carbon neutral country by 2021.
