Alajuela Province

province of Costa Rica

Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. It is in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua. The provincial capital is the city of Alajuela.

Province of Alajuela
Provincia de Alajuela
Alajuela cathedral
Alajuela cathedral
Flag of Province of Alajuela
Coat of arms of Province of Alajuela
Location of the Province of Alajuela
Location of the Province of Alajuela
Coordinates: 10°34′N 84°36′W / 10.567°N 84.600°W / 10.567; -84.600
CountryCosta Rica
Founded12 October 1782
Capital cityAlajuela
Area
 • Total9,757.53 km2 (3,767.40 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total848,146
 • Density87/km2 (230/sq mi)
DemonymAlajuelense
ISO 3166 codeCR-A

Location

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The Alajuela province borders the provinces of Heredia to the east, San José to the south, Puntarenas to the southwest and Guanacaste to the west. Nicaragua is to the north of the province.

Geography

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Alajuela is the third largest province of Costa Rica, after the Puntarenas and Guanacaste provinces, with an area of 9,757.53 km2 (3,767.40 sq mi).[1]

The province is in the western part of the Central Valley and is crossed by the Cordillera Central ("Central mountain range) and the volcanic Cordillera de Guanacaste ("Guanacaste mountain range). In the northern part, along the border with Nicaragua, are the plains of the San Carlos and Frío rivers.

Two of the most active Costa Rican volcanoes are in this province: the Poás, 2,708 m (8,885 ft) high, and the Arenal, 1,630 m (5,350 ft) high.[1]

Demographics

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San Mateo Alajuela

The people of the province are known as Alajuelenses, both men and women.

The Alajuela province had a population, in 2011, of 848,146, for a population density of 86.9 inhabitants/km2. The canton of Alajuela, with 254,886 inhabitants, is the canton with more inhabitants.[2]

Evolution of the population in Alajuela[2]

Administrative divisions

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The Alajuela province is divided in 15 cantons, which are divided into 113 Districts.[3]

No. Canton Capital Districts Population
(2011)
Area
(km²)
Density
(Inh./km²)
1 Alajuela Alajuela 14 254,886 388.43 656.2
2 San Ramón San Ramón de los Palmares 13 80,566 395.72 203.6
3 Grecia Grecia 8 76,898 395.72 194.3
4 San Mateo San Mateo de Alajuela 4 6,136 125.90 48.7
5 Atenas Atenas 8 25,460 127.19 200.2
6 Naranjo Naranjo de Alajuela 8 42,713 126.62 337.3
7 Palmares Palmares de Alajuela 7 34,716 38.06 912.1
8 Poás San Pedro de Poás 5 29,199 73.84 395.4
9 Orotina Orotina 5 20,341 141.92 143.3
10 San Carlos Ciudad Quesada 13 163,745 3,347.98 48.9
11 Zarcero Zarcero 7 12,205 155.13 78.7
12 Valverde Vega Sarchí 5 18,085 120.25 150.4
13 Upala Upala 8 43,953 1,580.67 27.8
14 Los Chiles Los Chiles 4 23,735 1,358.86 17.5
15 Guatuso San Rafael de Guatuso 4 15,508 758.32 20.5

Economy

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The main economic activity in the province is farming. In the southern part of the province, tropical ornamentals, coffee, tubers, and Leaf vegetables are the major crops. Toward the north and northeast, rice, corn, pineapple, bananas, and sugarcane are important crops.

There is also an important cattle raising industry in the province, mainly in the San Carlos canton.

Alajuela has attracted many export-orientated manufacturing companies, especially within the free trade zones around the municipality of Alajuela.

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Anuario Estadístico 2012 - 2013" (PDF) (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC). June 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Anuario Estadístico 2012 - 2013" (PDF) (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC). June 2015. p. 102. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  3. "Anuario Estadístico 2012 - 2013" (PDF) (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC). June 2015. p. 51. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.