Costa Rica: Flag and Facts
Costa Rica's flag has five horizontal stripes (blue, white, a double-width red, white, blue) and a coat of arms inside a white oval set left of center on the red stripe.
- Official name
- Republic of Costa Rica
- Capital
- San José
- Region
- Central America
- Population
- 5.3 million (2025)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- Costa Rican colón
- Area
- 51,100 km² (19,730 sq mi)
- People
- Costa Rican
- Calling code
- +506
- Highest point
- Cerro Chirripo 3,819 m
- Independence
- 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
- National symbols
- yiguirro (clay-colored thrush)
About Costa Rica
Until 1848 Costa Rica used the old Central American flag of blue, white and blue. That year, inspired by revolutions in Europe, it added a red stripe to echo the French colors. Red now stands for blood shed for freedom, white for peace and wisdom, and blue for the sky and perseverance.
Spanish attempts to colonize the region failed at first because of swamp disease, heat, Indigenous resistance and pirate raids. Cartago, the first lasting settlement, was founded in 1563 in the cool central highlands. Independence from Spain came in 1821, and after a short time in the United Provinces of Central America, the country stood alone from 1838. Rugged mountains with more than 100 volcanic cones split the coastal plains, and Cerro Chirripo tops out at 3,819 meters.
Did you know?
- The national bird symbol is the yiguirro, also called the clay-colored thrush.
- Costa Rica covers slightly less area than West Virginia.
- Life expectancy in Costa Rica is about 80.3 years.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Costa Rica
What is the capital of Costa Rica?
San José is the capital, with about 1.462 million people as of 2023.
What currency does Costa Rica use?
The Costa Rican colón, written with the ₡ symbol.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.