Cantons of Costa Rica

Costa Rica is administratively divided into seven provinces which are subdivided into 81 cantons, and these are further subdivided into districts. Cantons are the only administrative division in Costa Rica that possess local government in the form of municipalities. Each municipality has its own mayor and several representatives, all of them chosen via municipal elections every four years.

From the 14 original cantons in 1848, the number has risen gradually by the division of existing cantons. Law no. 4366 of 19 August 1969, which outlines the creation of administrative divisions of Costa Rica, states that new cantons may only be created if they have at least one percent of the republic's total population.^[1] The last new canton, Garabito, was created on September 25, 1980.^[2]

The largest canton by population is the capital San José with a population of 288,054. The smallest canton by population is Turrubares with 5,512 residents.^[3] The largest canton by land area is San Carlos, which spans 3,347.98 km² (1,292.66 sq mi), while the smallest is Flores at 6.96 km² (2.69 sq mi).^[2]

Political structure

Each canton is controlled by a government unit called Municipalidad.^[4] The term reflects the fact that the cantons in Costa Rica have approximated the same function as municipios ("municipalities") in many other Spanish-speaking countries. This administrative unit consists of two bodies: a municipal executive (Concejo Municipal) and an executive body which only consists of a mayor (alcalde / alcaldesa municipal), a title that was introduced in 1998.^[4]

The mayor's main duties are to liaise with the municipal council, district councils and the entire administrative apparatus of the canton, and to approve and implement the decisions taken by the municipal council.^[5] The number of members of the municipal council varies from one canton to another and they are elected by local elections held every four years.^[6] The head of the council is titled the municipal president (presidente municipal). The council's main task is to manage the canton at the local level, and is responsible for planning basic policies and establishing budgets. More specifically, the responsibilities will include urban and agricultural planning and organizing cultural affairs, health care, education and industry.^[7] Each municipality president produces a number of working commissions that deal with issues specific to the municipality.^[8]

Cantons

San José, Costa Rica's capital and largest canton

Alajuela, Costa Rica's second largest canton

Desamparados, Costa Rica's third largest canton

Pavilion of Ciudad Quesada, located in Costa Rica's fourth largest canton, San Carlos

Name	Province	Population (2011)[3]	Population (2000)[9]	Change (%)[3][9]	Land area [2]	Population density	Incorporation date[2]
San José	San José	288,054	309,672	−7.0%			44.62 km^2 (17.23 sq mi)	6,455.7/km^2 (16,720.2/sq mi)	1848
Escazú	San José	56,509	52,372	+7.9%	34.49 km^2 (13.32 sq mi)	1,638.4/km^2 (4,243.5/sq mi)	1848
Desamparados	San José	208,411	193,478	+7.7%	118.26 km^2 (45.66 sq mi)	1,762.3/km^2 (4,564.4/sq mi)	1862
Puriscal	San José	33,004	29,407	+12.2%	553.66 km^2 (213.77 sq mi)	59.6/km^2 (154.4/sq mi)	1868
Tarrazú	San José	16,280	14,160	+15.0%	297.50 km^2 (114.87 sq mi)	54.7/km^2 (141.7/sq mi)	1868
Aserrí	San José	57,892	49,319	+17.4%	167.10 km^2 (64.52 sq mi)	346.5/km^2 (897.3/sq mi)	1882
Mora	San José	26,294	21,666	+21.4%	162.04 km^2 (62.56 sq mi)	162.3/km^2 (420.3/sq mi)	1883
Goicoechea	San José	115,084	117,532	−2.1%	31.50 km^2 (12.16 sq mi)	3,653.5/km^2 (9,462.4/sq mi)	1891
Santa Ana	San José	49,123	34,507	+42.4%	61.42 km^2 (23.71 sq mi)	799.8/km^2 (2,071.4/sq mi)	1907
Alajuelita	San José	77,603	70,297	+10.4%	21.17 km^2 (8.17 sq mi)	3,665.7/km^2 (9,494.1/sq mi)	1909
Vázquez de Coronado	San José	60,486	55,585	+8.8%	222.20 km^2 (85.79 sq mi)	272.2/km^2 (705.0/sq mi)	1910
Acosta	San José	20,209	18,661	+8.3%	342.24 km^2 (132.14 sq mi)	59.0/km^2 (152.9/sq mi)	1910
Tibás	San José	64,842	72,074	−10.0%	8.15 km^2 (3.15 sq mi)	7,956.1/km^2 (20,606.1/sq mi)	1914
Moravia	San José	56,919	50,419	+12.9%	28.62 km^2 (11.05 sq mi)	1,988.8/km^2 (5,150.9/sq mi)	1914
Montes de Oca	San José	49,132	50,433	−2.6%	15.16 km^2 (5.85 sq mi)	3,240.9/km^2 (8,393.9/sq mi)	1915
Turrubares	San José	5,512	4,877	+13.0%	415.29 km^2 (160.34 sq mi)	13.3/km^2 (34.4/sq mi)	1920
Dota	San José	6,948	6,519	+6.6%	400.22 km^2 (154.53 sq mi)	17.4/km^2 (45.0/sq mi)	1925
Curridabat	San José	65,206	60,889	+7.1%	15.95 km^2 (6.16 sq mi)	4,088.2/km^2 (10,588.3/sq mi)	1929
Pérez Zeledón	San José	134,534	122,187	+10.1%	1,905.51 km^2 (735.72 sq mi)	70.6/km^2 (182.9/sq mi)	1931
León Cortés Castro	San José	12,200	11,696	+4.3%	120.80 km^2 (46.64 sq mi)	101.0/km^2 (261.6/sq mi)	1961
Alajuela	Alajuela	254,886	222,853	+14.4%	758.32 km^2 (292.79 sq mi)	336.1/km^2 (870.5/sq mi)	1848
San Ramón	Alajuela	80,566	67,975	+18.5%	1,018.64 km^2 (393.30 sq mi)	79.1/km^2 (204.8/sq mi)	1856
Grecia	Alajuela	76,898	65,119	+18.1%	395.72 km^2 (152.79 sq mi)	194.3/km^2 (503.3/sq mi)	1848
San Mateo	Alajuela	6,136	5,343	+14.8%	125.90 km^2 (48.61 sq mi)	48.7/km^2 (126.2/sq mi)	1868
Atenas	Alajuela	25,460	22,479	+13.3%	127.19 km^2 (49.11 sq mi)	200.2/km^2 (518.4/sq mi)	1868
Naranjo	Alajuela	42,713	37,602	+13.6%	126.62 km^2 (48.89 sq mi)	337.3/km^2 (873.7/sq mi)	1886
Palmares	Alajuela	34,716	29,766	+16.6%	38.06 km^2 (14.70 sq mi)	912.1/km^2 (2,362.4/sq mi)	1888
Poás	Alajuela	29,199	24,764	+17.9%	73.84 km^2 (28.51 sq mi)	395.4/km^2 (1,024.2/sq mi)	1901
Orotina	Alajuela	20,341	15,705	+29.5%	141.92 km^2 (54.80 sq mi)	143.3/km^2 (371.2/sq mi)	1908
San Carlos	Alajuela	163,745	127,140	+28.8%	3,347.98 km^2 (1,292.66 sq mi)	48.9/km^2 (126.7/sq mi)	1911
Zarcero	Alajuela	12,205	10,845	+12.5%	155.13 km^2 (59.90 sq mi)	78.7/km^2 (203.8/sq mi)	1915
Valverde Vega	Alajuela	18,085	16,239	+11.4%	120.25 km^2 (46.43 sq mi)	150.4/km^2 (389.5/sq mi)	1949
Upala	Alajuela	43,953	37,679	+16.7%	1,580.67 km^2 (610.30 sq mi)	27.8/km^2 (72.0/sq mi)	1970
Los Chiles	Alajuela	23,735	19,732	+20.3%	1,358.86 km^2 (524.66 sq mi)	17.5/km^2 (45.2/sq mi)	1970
Guatuso	Alajuela	15,508	13,045	+18.9%	758.32 km^2 (292.79 sq mi)	20.5/km^2 (53.0/sq mi)	1970
Cartago	Cartago	147,898	132,057	+12.0%	287.77 km^2 (111.11 sq mi)	513.9/km^2 (1,331.1/sq mi)	1848
Paraíso	Cartago	57,743	52,393	+10.2%	411.91 km^2 (159.04 sq mi)	140.2/km^2 (363.1/sq mi)	1848
La Unión	Cartago	99,399	80,279	+23.8%	44.83 km^2 (17.31 sq mi)	2,217.2/km^2 (5,742.6/sq mi)	1848
Jiménez	Cartago	14,669	14,046	+4.4%	286.43 km^2 (110.59 sq mi)	51.2/km^2 (132.6/sq mi)	1903
Turrialba	Cartago	69,616	68,510	+1.6%	1,642.67 km^2 (634.24 sq mi)	42.4/km^2 (109.8/sq mi)	1903
Alvarado	Cartago	14,312	12,290	+16.5%	81.06 km^2 (31.30 sq mi)	176.6/km^2 (457.3/sq mi)	1908
Oreamuno	Cartago	45,473	39,032	+16.5%	202.31 km^2 (78.11 sq mi)	224.8/km^2 (582.1/sq mi)	1914
El Guarco	Cartago	41,793	33,788	+23.7%	167.69 km^2 (64.75 sq mi)	249.2/km^2 (645.5/sq mi)	1939
Heredia	Heredia	123,616	103,894	+19.0%	282.60 km^2 (109.11 sq mi)	437.4/km^2 (1,132.9/sq mi)	1848
Barva	Heredia	40,660	32,440	+25.3%	53.80 km^2 (20.77 sq mi)	755.8/km^2 (1,957.4/sq mi)	1848
Santo Domingo	Heredia	40,072	34,748	+15.3%	24.84 km^2 (9.59 sq mi)	1,613.2/km^2 (4,178.2/sq mi)	1869
Santa Bárbara	Heredia	36,243	29,181	+24.2%	53.21 km^2 (20.54 sq mi)	681.1/km^2 (1,764.1/sq mi)	1882
San Rafael	Heredia	45,965	37,293	+23.3%	48.39 km^2 (18.68 sq mi)	949.9/km^2 (2,460.2/sq mi)	1885
San Isidro	Heredia	20,633	16,056	+28.5%	26.96 km^2 (10.41 sq mi)	765.3/km^2 (1,982.2/sq mi)	1905
Belén	Heredia	21,633	19,834	+9.1%	12.15 km^2 (4.69 sq mi)	1,780.5/km^2 (4,611.5/sq mi)	1907
Flores	Heredia	20,037	15,038	+33.2%	6.96 km^2 (2.69 sq mi)	2,878.9/km^2 (7,456.3/sq mi)	1915
San Pablo	Heredia	27,671	20,813	+33.0%	7.53 km^2 (2.91 sq mi)	3,674.8/km^2 (9,517.6/sq mi)	1961
Sarapiquí	Heredia	57,147	45,435	+25.8%	2,140.54 km^2 (826.47 sq mi)	26.7/km^2 (69.1/sq mi)	1970
Liberia	Guanacaste	62,987	46,703	+34.9%	1,436.47 km^2 (554.62 sq mi)	43.8/km^2 (113.6/sq mi)	1848
Nicoya	Guanacaste	50,825	42,189	+20.5%	1,333.68 km^2 (514.94 sq mi)	38.1/km^2 (98.7/sq mi)	1848
Santa Cruz	Guanacaste	55,104	40,821	+35.0%	1,312.27 km^2 (506.67 sq mi)	42.0/km^2 (108.8/sq mi)	1848
Bagaces	Guanacaste	19,536	15,972	+22.3%	1,273.49 km^2 (491.70 sq mi)	15.3/km^2 (39.7/sq mi)	1848
Carrillo	Guanacaste	37,122	27,306	+35.9%	577.54 km^2 (222.99 sq mi)	64.3/km^2 (166.5/sq mi)	1877
Cañas	Guanacaste	26,201	24,076	+8.8%	682.20 km^2 (263.40 sq mi)	38.4/km^2 (99.5/sq mi)	1878
Abangares	Guanacaste	18,039	16,276	+10.8%	675.76 km^2 (260.91 sq mi)	26.7/km^2 (69.1/sq mi)	1915
Tilarán	Guanacaste	19,640	17,871	+9.9%	638.39 km^2 (246.48 sq mi)	30.8/km^2 (79.7/sq mi)	1923
Nandayure	Guanacaste	11,121	9,985	+11.4%	565.59 km^2 (218.38 sq mi)	19.7/km^2 (50.9/sq mi)	1961
La Cruz	Guanacaste	19,181	16,505	+16.2%	1,383.90 km^2 (534.33 sq mi)	13.9/km^2 (35.9/sq mi)	1969
Hojancha	Guanacaste	7,197	6,534	+10.1%	261.42 km^2 (100.93 sq mi)	27.5/km^2 (71.3/sq mi)	1971
Puntarenas	Puntarenas	115,019	102,504	+12.2%	1,842.33 km^2 (711.33 sq mi)	62.4/km^2 (161.7/sq mi)	1862
Esparza	Puntarenas	28,644	23,963	+19.5%	216.80 km^2 (83.71 sq mi)	132.1/km^2 (342.2/sq mi)	1848
Buenos Aires	Puntarenas	45,244	40,139	+12.7%	2,384.22 km^2 (920.55 sq mi)	19.0/km^2 (49.1/sq mi)	1914
Montes de Oro	Puntarenas	12,950	11,159	+16.0%	244.76 km^2 (94.50 sq mi)	52.9/km^2 (137.0/sq mi)	1915
Osa	Puntarenas	29,433	25,861	+13.8%	1,930.24 km^2 (745.27 sq mi)	15.2/km^2 (39.5/sq mi)	1940
Aguirre	Puntarenas	26,861	20,188	+33.1%	543.77 km^2 (209.95 sq mi)	49.4/km^2 (127.9/sq mi)	1948
Golfito	Puntarenas	39,150	33,823	+15.7%	1,753.96 km^2 (677.21 sq mi)	22.3/km^2 (57.8/sq mi)	1949
Coto Brus	Puntarenas	38,453	40,082	−4.1%	933.91 km^2 (360.58 sq mi)	41.2/km^2 (106.6/sq mi)	1965
Parrita	Puntarenas	16,115	12,112	+33.0%	478.79 km^2 (184.86 sq mi)	33.7/km^2 (87.2/sq mi)	1971
Corredores	Puntarenas	41,831	37,274	+12.2%	620.60 km^2 (239.61 sq mi)	67.4/km^2 (174.6/sq mi)	1973
Garabito	Puntarenas	17,229	10,378	+66.0%	316.31 km^2 (122.13 sq mi)	54.5/km^2 (141.1/sq mi)	1980
Limón	Limón	94,415	89,933	+5.0%	1,765.79 km^2 (681.78 sq mi)	53.5/km^2 (138.5/sq mi)	1909
Pococí	Limón	125,962	103,121	+22.1%	2,403.49 km^2 (927.99 sq mi)	52.4/km^2 (135.7/sq mi)	1911
Siquirres	Limón	56,786	52,409	+8.4%	860.19 km^2 (332.12 sq mi)	66.0/km^2 (171.0/sq mi)	1911
Talamanca	Limón	30,712	25,857	+18.8%	2,809.93 km^2 (1,084.92 sq mi)	10.9/km^2 (28.3/sq mi)	1969
Matina	Limón	37,721	33,096	+14.0%	772.64 km^2 (298.32 sq mi)	48.8/km^2 (126.4/sq mi)	1969
Guácimo	Limón	41,266	34,879	+18.3%	576.48 km^2 (222.58 sq mi)	71.6/km^2 (185.4/sq mi)	1971
Costa Rica	—	4,301,712	3,810,179	+12.9%	51,100 km^2 (19,700 sq mi)	84.2/km^2 (218.0/sq mi)

See also

• Provinces of Costa Rica
• Districts of Costa Rica

References

1. Comisión Nacional de División Territorial Administrativa (1980). Estudio sobre la División Territorial Administrativa de la Republica de Costa Rica (in Spanish). Costa Rica: Imprenta Nacional. p. s. 53.
2. "Division Territorial Administrativa de Costa Rica" (PDF) (in Spanish). Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos. 2009. Archived from the original on August 2, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
3. "Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito" (XLS) (in Spanish). Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos. 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
4. Alfaro and Zeledón (2006). Derechos ciudadanos y el gobierno local en Costa Rica (in Spanish). San José: Lara Segura & Asoc. p. 35.
5. Alfaro and Zeledón (2006). Derechos ciudadanos y el gobierno local en Costa Rica (in Spanish). San José: Lara Segura & Asoc. pp. 36–37.
6. "El Elector" (PDF). www.tse.go.cr (in Spanish). Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones. May 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
7. Unidad de Información y Adiestramiento (1987). La Municipalidad y sus funciones (in Spanish). San José. p. s. 6.
8. Unidad de Información y Adiestramiento (1987). La Municipalidad y sus funciones (in Spanish). San José. p. s. 11.
9. "Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito" (XLS) (in Spanish). Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos. 2000. Retrieved December 23, 2015.