Geography
The Republic of Costa Rica is in Central America. It is bordered by Nicaragua, the Caribbean Sea, Panama, and the North Pacific Ocean.

San Jose is the capital city. Other cities outside the San Jose capital area include Puntarenas, Limon and Liberia.

Costa Rica is rugged and mountainous with coastal plains. There are a number of volcanoes on the Pacific side of the country. Rivers include the San Juan, Sixaola and Tempisque.

The climate is tropical and subtropical; it is cooler at higher elevations. The rainy season is from May to November.

Environment
A number of national parks and reserves are responsible for conservation in Costa Rica. The parks cover volcanic regions, rainforest, forests, limestone caves and marine areas.

Guanacaste National Park and Cocos Island National Park are on the World Heritage List. Guanacaste Park consists of important dry forest, volcanoes and marine areas. The Cocos Island has significant rainforest and extensive reefs surrounding the island.

La Amistad National Park (Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves), shared with Panama, is also a World Heritage site. Indigenous people inhabit the area.

It is estimated that eight hundred and fifty species of birds can be found in Costa Rica. The Clay-coloured Robin is the national bird. Other wildlife includes ocelots, pumas, spider monkeys, and tapirs.

Architecture
Buildings in San Jose are a mixture of the Spanish Colonial style and modern architecture. The Cathedral of San Jose is an example of architecture from the Spanish Colonial period. The National Theatre, built at the end of the nineteenth century, is one of the city's most well known buildings.

Population
The population of Costa Rica was estimated at 4.7 million in 2016.

Languages
Spanish is the official language in Costa Rica. English is also spoken.

Religion
The majority of the people in Costa Rica are Christians; over seventy-six percent are Roman Catholic, and around fourteen percent are Evangelical Protestant.

Food
Costa Rican food is influenced by a variety of cuisines: indigenous Central American, Spanish and Afro-Caribbean.

Staple foods include tortillas, rice, and beans. Other foods eaten are eggs, cheese, chicken, beef and fish. Maize, breadfruit, cassava, plantains, peppers, sweet potatoes and tomatoes are available.

Tropical fruits are bananas, coconuts, mangoes, melons, papayas, pineapples and watermelons.

Coffee is grown. Beer and rum are produced locally.

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