Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

is administratively divided into seven provinces which are subdivided into 83

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...

, and these are further subdivided into

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

. Cantons are the only administrative division in Costa Rica that possess

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

in the form of

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. Each municipality has its own

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

and several representatives, all of them chosen via municipal elections every four years. The original 14 cantons were established in 1848, and 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, which was as of the last census (2011). The newest canton,

Monteverde Monteverde is the twelfth canton of the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica. It is located in the Cordillera de Tilarán mountain range. Roughly a four-hour drive from the Central Valley, Monteverde is one of the country's major ecotourism des ...

, was created on September 29, 2021 from the canton of

Puntarenas Puntarenas () is a city in the Puntarenas (canton), Puntarenas canton of Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Puntarenas canton, it is awarded the title of city, which is made from the Puntar ...

. The largest canton by population is the capital San José with a population of . The smallest canton by population is Turrubares with residents. The largest canton by land area is San Carlos, which spans , while the smallest is

Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including the Komodo Islands off its west coast (but excluding the Solor Archipelago to the east of Flores), the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and th ...

at .

Political structure

Each canton is controlled by a government unit called ''Municipalidad''. The term reflects the fact that the cantons in Costa Rica have approximately the same function as ''municipios'' ("municipalities") in many other Spanish-speaking countries. This administrative unit consists of two bodies: a municipal council (''Concejo Municipal'') and an executive officer called a mayor (''alcalde / alcaldesa municipal''), a title that was introduced in 1998. 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. 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. 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 include urban and agricultural planning and organizing cultural affairs, health care, education and industry. Each municipal president appoints a number of working commissions that deal with issues specific to the municipality.

Cities in Costa Rica

According to the Executive Decree N°41548-MGP (), a city in Costa Rica is a ceremonial title awarded to a district or districts which contain the administrative center regardless of factors such as population, population density, or economic indicators. This designation is also known as , head city of the canton.

Cantons

File:4- Vue San Jose.jpg, alt=Skyline of San José, San José, Costa Rica's capital and largest canton by population File:Alajuela, Costa Rica - Juan Park.png, alt=Juan Park in Alajuela,

Alajuela Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela canton of the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Alajuela canton, it is awarded the status of city. By virtue of being the city of the first canton of the province, it i ...

, Costa Rica's second largest canton by population File:Calle_en_Desamparados.jpg, alt=Downtown Desamparados,

Desamparados Desamparados is a district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, ...

, Costa Rica's third largest canton by population and suburb of San Jose File:Pavilion of Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica park.jpg, alt=Pavilion of Ciudad Quesada, Pavilion of

Ciudad Quesada Quesada is a district of the San Carlos canton, in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica. It is the head city of the canton of San Carlos. Although Ciudad Quesada is the official name, it is commonly referred to by the area name of San Carlos. Ciu ...

, located in Costa Rica's fourth largest canton by population, San Carlos

References

{{featured list Subdivisions of Costa Rica Costa Rica, Cantons Costa Rica 2 Cantons, Costa Rica

Cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...

Political structure

Cities in Costa Rica

Cantons

See also

References