Puerto Viejo 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 counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

of the Sarapiquí canton, in the Heredia province of

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 ...

Geography

Puerto Viejo has an area of km² and an elevation of metres. The zone is of flat topography and is furrowed of mighty rivers of course rambling, being the main one the

Sucio River The Sucio River (Spanish: Río Sucio, ) is a river of Costa Rica. The river gets its name from the sulfur deposits found on the Irazú Volcano, which give the waters a brownish color. It is a tributary of the Río San Juan.Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

, to the south with the district of

Vara Blanca Varablanca is a district of the Heredia canton, in the Heredia province of Costa Rica. The Vara Blanca head city is located between Poas Volcano and Barva Volcano in Heredia Province in Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Co ...

, to the east with the province of

Limón Limón (), commonly known as Puerto Limón, is a district, the capital city and main hub of Limón province, as well as of the Limón canton in Costa Rica. It is the seventh largest city in Costa Rica, with a population of over 55,000, and is ho ...

and to the west with the province of

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 ...

. Its head, a small city with the same name, is Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, located 82 km north of the city of Heredia and 86 km from San Jose, the capital of the country, near the point of convergence of the Sarapiquí and Puerto Viejo rivers.

Demographics

For the 2011 census, Puerto Viejo had a population of inhabitants.

Settlements

The district includes the following population centers: *Achiote *Ahogados *Arbolitos (part) *Arrepentidos *Boca Ceiba *Boca Río Sucio *Bun *Cabezas *Canfín *Caño Negro *Cerro Negro (Part) *Cocobolo *Colina (neighborhood) *Colonia San José *Coyol *Cristo Rey *Chilamate (part) *El Amigo *El Jardín (neighborhood) *El Jardín *El Progreso *Estrellales *Gacelas *Gavilán *Guayacán *Jormo *La Chiripa *La Esperanza *La Gata *La Guaria *La Rebusca *Las Marías *Las Orquídeas *Loma Linda *Loma Linda (neighborhood) *Los Lirios *Malinche *Media Vuelta *Medias (part) *Muelle *Naranjal I *Naranjal II *Nogal *Pavas *Rojomaca *San José *San Julián *Tres Rosales *Trinidad *Vega de Sardinal (part) *Villa Tiberia *Zapote *Zurquí

Transportation

Road transportation

The district is covered by the following road routes: * CR RNP 4

National Route 4 * CR RNT 505

National Route 505 * CR RNT 507

National Route 507 * CR RNT 510

National Route 510 * CR RNT 817

National Route 817

Economy

The main sources of income in the area are agriculture (pineapple, banana, sugar cane and cattle) and tourism. There are a number of hotels and tourist lodges in the vicinity. That is as the

La Selva Biological Station La Selva Biological Station is a protected area encompassing 1,536 ha of low-land tropical rain forest in northeastern Costa Rica. It is owned and operated by the Organization for Tropical Studies,Matlock, R., & Hartshorn, G. (1999). La selva biol ...

. Puerto Viejo has several banks, supermarkets, a clinic and a number of small family businesses ranging from bakeries to beauty salons to cybercafés. The natural environment and biodiversity of the area, located in the Caribbean lowlands, make it a destination for ecotourists and birdwatchers.

References

Districts of Heredia Province Populated places in Heredia Province {{CostaRica-geo-stub