Central America · CRI

Costa Rica

The story · 9 chapters

How it was drawn

A remote, thinly settled Spanish province that became independent in 1821, gained Nicoya from Nicaragua, and settled its borders by arbitration and treaty.

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Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Costa Rica fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Spanish Empire1561 to 1710
Spanish conquerors subdued the Central Valley in the 1560s and founded Cartago. The peoples of Talamanca resisted for well over a century, and their 1709 revolt under Pablo Presbere was crushed only in 1710.
Nicaragua1824 to 1888
Nicaragua never easily accepted the 1824 vote by which Nicoya joined Costa Rica. The 1858 treaty confirmed Guanacaste as Costa Rican and set the San Juan River line, and the Cleveland award of 1888 upheld it.
William Walker's filibusters1856 to 1857
The American filibuster William Walker made himself master of Nicaragua and threatened its neighbours. Costa Rica led the Central American war against him, winning at Santa Rosa and Rivas in 1856, until he surrendered in 1857.
Republic of Colombia1880 to 1903
Costa Rica and Colombia disputed the Caribbean coast and the Talamanca region along their border. Both accepted arbitration by the French president, but his 1900 award satisfied neither side, and the question passed to Panama in 1903.
Republic of Panama1921 to 1941
In February 1921 Costa Rican troops occupied the disputed Coto region, and Panama fought back in the short Coto War. Under American pressure Panama withdrew from Coto, and the border was finally fixed by treaty in 1941.
Nicaragua1948 to 2018
Nicaragua's Somoza regime backed exile invasions of Costa Rica in 1948 and 1955. Later quarrels over the San Juan River, a wetland at its mouth and the sea border went to the International Court of Justice, which ruled in 2009, 2015 and 2018.

Today

Costa Rica now

Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance from Indigenous populations, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two-and-a-half centuries.

Capital: San José
Government: presidential republic
Head of government: Laura Fernández Delgado
Languages: Spanish
Area: 51,100 km²

Through time

Then and now

Population5.1 million2023 · 926,800 in 1950
Life expectancy80.8 years2023 · 57.5 years in 1950
GDP per person$15,4962022 · $3,129 in 1950
Living in cities80%2025 · 34% in 1950
Literacy97%2011 · 78% in 1950
Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Electoral democracy in 1950
Military alliancesRio Pact2024 · Rio Pact in 1950
Military spending0.0% of GDP2025 · 0.0% of GDP in 1950
War deaths2.8 per 100,0002025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Close partners

United States
France
United Kingdom
Canada
Mexico

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Costa Rica fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Spanish Empire1561 to 1710

Spanish conquerors subdued the Central Valley in the 1560s and founded Cartago. The peoples of Talamanca resisted for well over a century, and their 1709 revolt under Pablo Presbere was crushed only in 1710.

Nicaragua1824 to 1888

Nicaragua never easily accepted the 1824 vote by which Nicoya joined Costa Rica. The 1858 treaty confirmed Guanacaste as Costa Rican and set the San Juan River line, and the Cleveland award of 1888 upheld it.

William Walker's filibusters1856 to 1857

The American filibuster William Walker made himself master of Nicaragua and threatened its neighbours. Costa Rica led the Central American war against him, winning at Santa Rosa and Rivas in 1856, until he surrendered in 1857.

Republic of Colombia1880 to 1903

Costa Rica and Colombia disputed the Caribbean coast and the Talamanca region along their border. Both accepted arbitration by the French president, but his 1900 award satisfied neither side, and the question passed to Panama in 1903.

Republic of Panama1921 to 1941

In February 1921 Costa Rican troops occupied the disputed Coto region, and Panama fought back in the short Coto War. Under American pressure Panama withdrew from Coto, and the border was finally fixed by treaty in 1941.

Nicaragua1948 to 2018

Nicaragua's Somoza regime backed exile invasions of Costa Rica in 1948 and 1955. Later quarrels over the San Juan River, a wetland at its mouth and the sea border went to the International Court of Justice, which ruled in 2009, 2015 and 2018.

Costa Rica now

Capital

San José

Government

presidential republic

Head of government

Laura Fernández Delgado

Languages

Spanish

Area

51,100 km²

Then and now

Population5.1 million2023 · 926,800 in 1950

Life expectancy80.8 years2023 · 57.5 years in 1950

GDP per person$15,4962022 · $3,129 in 1950

Living in cities80%2025 · 34% in 1950

Literacy97%2011 · 78% in 1950

Political regimeLiberal democracy2025 · Electoral democracy in 1950

Military alliancesRio Pact2024 · Rio Pact in 1950

Military spending0.0% of GDP2025 · 0.0% of GDP in 1950

War deaths2.8 per 100,0002025