Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in the Central American region of North America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as maritime border with Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around five million in a land area of nearly 51,180 km2 (19,760 sq mi). An estimated 352,381 people live in the capital and largest city, San José, with around two million people in the surrounding metropolitan area.
Óscar Arias Sánchez is a Costa Rican activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He was President of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2010.
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of San José Province. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Central Valley, within San José Canton. San José is Costa Rica's seat of national government, focal point of political and economic activity, and major transportation hub. San José is simultaneously one of Costa Rica's cantons, with its municipal land area covering 44.62 square kilometers and having within it an estimated population of 352,381 people in 2022. Together with several other cantons of the central valley, including Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago, it forms the country's Greater Metropolitan Area, with an estimated population of over 2 million in 2017. The city is named in honor of Joseph of Nazareth.
Konstantinos "Kostas" Gavras, known professionally as Costa-Gavras, is a Greek-French film director, screenwriter, and producer who lives and works in France. He is known for political films, such as the political thriller Z (1969), which won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and Missing (1982), for which he won the Palme d'Or and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Most of his films have been made in French, but six of them were made in English, including Hanna K..
Rui Manuel César Costa is a Portuguese former professional footballer who is the 34th president of sports club S.L. Benfica. He also succeeded Luís Filipe Vieira as president of the club's SAD board of directors.
Jorge Paulo Costa Almeida is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a central defender, currently a manager.
António Luís Santos da Costa is a Portuguese lawyer and politician who served as the 118th prime minister of Portugal from 2015 to 2024, presiding over the XXI (2015–2019), XXII (2019–2022) and XXIII Constitutional Governments (2022–2024). Following this, Costa has been President of the European Council since December 2024. Costa's near 9-year tenure as Prime Minister is the second longest, with Costa also being the longest serving politician in government functions, in Portuguese democracy, and the longest of any Iberian Peninsula national leader in the 21st century.
The Costa Rica national football team represents Costa Rica in men's international football. The national team is administered by the Costa Rican Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL), the governing body for football in Costa Rica. It has been a member of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) since 1927, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) since 1961, and a member of the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) since 1990.
Paulo César Wanchope Watson, more commonly known as Paulo Wanchope, is a Costa Rican football coach and former professional footballer
Gal Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos, known professionally as Gal Costa ( ), was a Brazilian singer of popular music. She was one of the main figures of the tropicalia music scene in Brazil in the late 1960s and appeared on the acclaimed compilation Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis (1968). She was described by The New York Times as "one of Brazil's greatest singers."
Flávio Rodrigues da Costa was a Brazilian football player and manager. He managed the Rio de Janeiro clubs Vasco da Gama and Flamengo, as well as Colo Colo of Chile, and FC Porto of Portugal.
Celso Borges Mora is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Liga FPD club Alajuelense. With 163 international appearances, he is the most capped player in Costa Rica's history.
Keilor Antonio "Keylor" Navas Gamboa is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. and is currently a free agent. He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation.
Diego da Silva Costa is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Grêmio.
Gustavo Adolfo Costas Makeira is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a defender. He is the current head coach of Primera División club Racing Club.
Douglas Costa de Souza is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a winger for A-League club Sydney FC. He is known for his dribbling skills, speed, acceleration, and crossing ability.
Hélder Wander Sousa de Azevedo Costa is an Angolan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or right winger for Primeira Liga club Estoril Praia. Initially representing Portugal at youth and senior level, in 2021 he opted to represent the Angola national team.
Wimal Kumara de Costa was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema. He started his career in cinema with character acting in art films, later moving on to comedy roles. He is cited as the pioneer of the Sri Lankan mime industry.
Alberto da Costa e Silva was a Brazilian historian, poet, and diplomat. He won the 2014 Camões Prize.
Paulo Cezar Costa is a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been Metropolitan Archbishop of Brasilia since December 2020. He has been a bishop since 2010 and served as Bishop of São Carlos from 2016 to 2020.
