Alajuela Province

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
Province
Alajuela cathedral
Flag Coat of arms
Location of the Province of Alajuela
Coordinates: 10°34′N 84°36′W
Country	Costa Rica
Founded	12 October 1782
Capital city	Alajuela
Area
• Total	9,757.53 km2 (3,767.40 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	848,146
• Density	87/km2 (230/sq mi)
Demonym	Alajuelense
ISO 3166 code	CR-A

Location

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

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).

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.

Demographics

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.

Evolution of the population in Alajuela

Administrative divisions

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

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

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.

Gallery

• 
  World's Largest Oxcart, Sarchí, Valverde Vega.
• 
  Cattle ranching under the Arenal Volcano
• 
  The Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna, San Carlos, is active. Night volcanic eruptions can be seen.
• 
  Poás Volcano Crater, Poás Volcano National Park