Costa Rica is a country in Central America. It is surrounded by Nicaragua in the north and Panama on the south-east. It has a population of almost 5 million habitants. Its total area is 51,100 km². It has 7 provinces. Costa Rica is a democratic country. It gained independence in 1821 and has not had an army since 1948.

Currency: Colon. An American dollar is equal to 545 colones (September 2014). The exchange rate can be checked daily on www.bccr.fi.cr.

Official language: Spanish.

Capital: San José.

Provinces: San José, Cartago, Heredia, Alajuela, Puntarenas, Guanacaste and Limón.

President of the Republic: Luis Guillermo Solís (2014-2018).

Climate: It is a tropical country with a dry season (from December to April) and a humid season (from May to November). There are variations in the temperature according to the region. It receives more than 12 hours of sunlight, as the sun rises at 5:45 a.m. and sets at 5:45 p.m. approximately. The Central Valley (where the capital is located) has an average temperature of 22 degrees Celsius. In the monsoon season, there is a lot of rain.