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.

Costa Rica has been known for its stable democracy and for its highly educated workforce, most of whom speak English. The country has consistently performed favorably in the Human Development Index (HDI), placing 69th in the world as of 2015,
among the highest of any Latin American nation. It also permanently abolished its army in 1949, becoming one of only a few sovereign nations without a standing army.

Costa Rica also has progressive environmental policies. It is the only country to meet all five UNDP criteria established to measure environmental sustainability. The country is home to a rich variety of plants and animals. While it has only about 0.03% of the world´s landmass, it contains 5% of the world´s biodiversity.

Costa Rica stands as the most visited nation in the Central American region. The lead country of origin to enter Costa Rica in 2016 was the United States with 1,000,000 visitors, followed by Europe with 434,884 arrivals.