Puntarenas Province

province of Costa Rica

Puntarenas is a province of Costa Rica. It is in the western part of the country, covering most the Pacific Ocean coast of Costa Rica. The provincial capital is the city of Puntarenas.

Province of Puntarenas
Provincia de Puntarenas
Cultural Centre of Puntarenas
Cultural Centre of Puntarenas
Flag of Province of Puntarenas
Coat of arms of Province of Puntarenas
Location of the Province of Puntarenas
Location of the Province of Puntarenas
Coordinates: 9°58′N 84°50′W / 9.967°N 84.833°W / 9.967; -84.833
CountryCosta Rica
Capital cityPuntarenas
Area
 • Total11,265.69 km2 (4,349.71 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total410,929
 • Density36/km2 (94/sq mi)
DemonymPuntarenense
ISO 3166 codeCR-P

Location change

The Puntarenas province borders with the Alajuela, San José and Limón provinces to the north, with Panama to the east; with the Pacific Ocean to the south, and with the Pacific Ocean and the Guanacaste to the west.[1]

Geography change

Puntarenas is in the western part of the country, covering most of Costa Rica's Pacific Ocean coast, and is the largest province of Costa Rica. It is the province with more islands: Chira, Bejuco, Caballo, Venado, Cedros, Cuchillos, Negritos, San Lucas, Herradura, Violín, Isla del Caño and the Coco Island. The province has an area of 11,265.69 km2 (4,349.71 sq mi).[1]

The highest mountain in the province is the Cerro Dúrika on the border with the Limón province; it is 3,280 m (10,760 ft) high (9°22′32″N 83°18′18″W / 9.37556°N 83.30500°W / 9.37556; -83.30500 (Cerro Dúrika)).[3]

Some of the rivers that flow through the province are Ario, Lagarto, Barranca, Grande de Tárcoles, Grande de Térraba, General, Coto Brus, Naranjo, Barú, Parrita, Savegre, Aranjuez and Coto.[4]

Demographics change

A person from the province is known as puntarenense (men and women).[4]

The Puntarenas province had a population, in 2011, of 410,929 for a population density of 1.9 inhabitants/km2. The canton of Puntarenas, with 115,019 inhabitants, is the canton with more inhabitants.[2]

Evolution of the population in Puntarenas[2]

Administrative divisions change

The Puntarenas province is divided in 11 cantons, which are divided into 60 Districts.[2]

 
Cantons of Puntarenas
No. Canton Capital Districts[5] Population
(2011)
Area
(km²)
Density
(inh./km²)
1 Puntarenas Puntarenas 16 115,019 1,842.33 62.4
2 Esparza Espíritu Santo 6 28,644 216.80 132.1
3 Buenos Aires Buenos Aires 9 45,244 2,384.22 19.0
4 Montes de Oro Miramar 3 12,950 244.76 52.9
5 Osa Ciudad Cortés 6 29,433 1,930.24 15.2
6 Quepos Quepos 3 26,861 543.77 49.4
7 Golfito Golfito 4 39,150 1,753.96 22.3
8 Coto Brus San Vito 6 38,453 933.91 41.2
9 Parrita Parrita 1 16,115 478.79 33.7
10 Corredores Ciudad Neily 4 41,831 620.60 67.4
11 Garabito Jacó 2 17,229 316.31 54.5

Economy change

Important economic activities in the province are farming and fishing.

Gallery change

References change

  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. p. 49. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Anuario Estadístico 2012 - 2013" (PDF) (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC). June 2015. p. 103. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  3. "Cerro Dúrika, Costa Rica". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Provincia: Puntarenas" (in Spanish). Guías Costa Rica. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  5. "División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica" (PDF) (in Spanish). San José, Costa Rica: Diario Oficial La Gaceta. 12 November 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2017.