World Map › North America › Costa Rica
Country
Map of Costa Rica
North America · San José
Costa Rica spans the Panama and Caribbean plates. It has 10 volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years, 6 of which have erupted since 1900. Since 1900, 26 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 908 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 5.4 out of 10 (INFORM index), a high level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 4.0 out of 10.
- Capital
- San José
- Population
- 5,265,575
- Area
- 51,180 km²
- Continent
- North America
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
Exposure to natural hazards according to the European Commission's INFORM index, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), overall and for each type of hazard.
Overall Risk Index
This overall score combines hazard exposure with the vulnerability of the population (5.0 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (2.2 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 11,104to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 11,081to destructive shaking (intensity VIII and above)
- 246to tsunamis
- 4,233to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 2,081to river floods
- 1,620to coastal floods
Overall Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- River FloodHigh
- Urban FloodHigh
- Coastal FloodHigh
- EarthquakeHigh
- LandslideHigh
- TsunamiHigh
- VolcanoHigh
- WildfireHigh
- CycloneMedium
- Extreme HeatMedium
- Water ScarcityLow
Volcanoes (10)
Volcanoes active over the last 10,000 years; year of the last known eruption.
- Poás Volcano 2026
- Rincón de la Vieja Volcano 2024
- Turrialba 2022
- Arenal Volcano 2010
- Irazú Volcano 1977
- Miravalles Volcano 1946
- Barva Volcano 6,050 BCE
- Orosí Volcano ?
- Volcán Tenorio ?
- Platanar ?
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 1910Cartago, San Jose · M 6.4700 deaths
- 1991Limon, Pandora, Panama · M 7.690 deaths
- 1952Costa Rica29 deaths
- 1973Tilaran, Arenal, Rio Chiquito · M 6.526 deaths
- 2009La Paz · M 6.123 deaths
- 1955Costa Rica · M 5.810 deaths
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
27 major tsunamis have reached Costa Rica since 1900, killing 3 people in the country. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 1991Tsunami (Costa Rica) · 3.0 m3 deaths
- 1992Tsunami (Nicaragua) · 7.3 m
- 1950Tsunami (Nicaragua) · 2.0 m
- 2011Tsunami (Japan) · 1.0 m
- 1960Tsunami (Chile) · 0.6 m
- 2015Tsunami (Chile) · 0.5 m
- 2025Tsunami (Russia) · 0.4 m
- 1952Tsunami (Russia) · 0.3 m
Tropical Cyclones
1 major tropical cyclone has made landfall in Costa Rica since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 2016Hurricane Otto · 120 km/h23 deaths
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution