Zarcero is a canton in the

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 ...

province of Costa Rica. Hiking trails, pure water creeks, friendly people, landscapes and natural attractions are features of the area.

Toponymy

The name means an abundance of the elmleaf or thornless blackberry plant, in Spanish called . It was originally given the name "Alfaro Ruiz" in remembrance of Juan Alfaro Ruíz, a hero from the National Campaign of 1856, or Filibuster War. The head city of the canton is the eponymous Zarcero district.

History

Zarcero was created on 21 June 1915 by decree 27.

Geography

Zarcero has an area of km² and a mean elevation of metres. To the north, the region borders canton San Carlos, to the south it borders canton

Naranjo Naranjo is a Pre-Columbian Maya city in the Petén Basin region of Guatemala. It was occupied from about 500 BC to 950 AD, with its height in the Late Classic Period. The site is part of Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park. The city lies along the ...

, to the east it borders canton Sarchí and to the west it borders the canton San Ramón. The canton itself is diamond-shaped, with the Espina River forming the border on the northwest and the southwest sides. The Toro River forms the southeastern border, and the La Vieja River borders the northeast.

Districts

The canton of Zarcero is subdivided into the following districts: # Zarcero # Laguna # Tapezco # Guadalupe # Palmira # Zapote # Brisas

Demographics

For the 2011 census, Zarcero had a population of inhabitants. The canton has a 93% literacy rate, and by the year 2012 had a

Human Development Index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistic composite index of life expectancy, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income indicators, wh ...

of 0.726 according to the

United Nations Development Program The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

. The region also has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

Economy

The economy of the canton is based on agriculture, primarily coffee and vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, potatoes and chiverre. Livestock and their products, especially "natilla Zarcero", a form of sour cream that originated in this area, make up another large portion of the economy. There are also smaller pastry, bread and other agriculturally-based industries in Zarcero. Tourism likewise has an impact on the economy. Two protected areas help attract tourist attention, a section of

Juan Castro Blanco National Park Juan Castro Blanco National Park is a National Park, part of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area, in the northern part of Costa Rica. Location Located about 100 km north of San José, to the east of Ciudad Quesada in Alajuela Pro ...

and El Chayote Protected Zone. One feature of the canton is Evangelista Blanco Brenes Park, a park with

topiary Topiary is the horticultural practice of training perennial plants by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, whether geometric or fanciful. The term also refers to plants w ...

-designed bushes located in front of the Iglesia de San Rafael Arcángel in the center of the city of Zarcero.

References

{{CostaRica-geo-stub Cantons of Alajuela Province Populated places in Alajuela Province