Costa Rica (; ; literally meaning, "Rich Coast"), officially the
Republic of Costa Rica , is a country in
Central America, bordered by
Nicaragua to the north,
Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the
Caribbean Sea to the east, and
Ecuador to the south of
Cocos Island. It has a population of around 4.5 million, of whom nearly a quarter live in the metropolitan area of the capital and largest city,
San José.