Limón
Limón (), also known as Puerto Limón, is the capital city of both the province and canton of the same name. One of Costa Rica's seven "middle cities" (i.e., main cities outside of San José's Greater Metropolitan Area), Limón has a populat ...
province of
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
. The head city is in Guápiles district, which houses many of the canton's services and businesses.
History
Pococí was created on 19 September 1911 by decree 12.
Geography
Pococí has an area of and a mean elevation of .
The canton takes in the Caribbean coast from the Toro River northward to the border with
Nicaragua
Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...
. It ranges inland in a southwestern direction with the
Chirripó River
Chirripó River is a river of Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocea ...
forming the western border. The canton ends in the
Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands.
Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges:
* Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America
** ...
where 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.National Route 32 in
Braulio Carrillo National Park
Braulio Carrillo National Park is a national park in Heredia Province, Cartago Province, Limón Province and San José Province, in central Costa Rica. It is part of the Central Conservation Area.
Geography
The park is located on the volcanic C ...
.
Government
Mayor
According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton. As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the United We Can candidate, Manuel Hernández Rivera, was elected mayor of the canton with 54.22% of the votes, with Yamileth Hidalgo Arias as first vice mayor, without a second vice mayor.
Municipal Council
Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called ) are elected every four years. Pococí's Municipal Council has 9 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor () is absent. The current president of the Municipal Council is the
Social Christian Unity Party
The Social Christian Unity Party () is a centre-right political party in Costa Rica.
PUSC considers itself a Christian-democratic party and, as such, is a member of the Christian Democrat Organization of America (ODCA). It was founded in 1983 by ...
regidor, Juan Mauricio Mora Cruz, with National Liberation Party member, Eva Isabel Torres Marín, as vice president. The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:
Districts
The canton of Pococí is subdivided into the following
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 ...
Roxana
Roxana (died BC, , ; Old Iranian: ''*Raṷxšnā-'' "shining, radiant, brilliant", ) sometimes known as Roxanne, Roxanna and Roxane, was a Bactrian or Sogdian princess whom Alexander the Great had married after defeating Darius, ruler of the ...
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Cariari
Cariari is a Districts of Costa Rica, district of the Pococí (canton), Pococí canton, in the Limón Province, Limón province of Costa Rica.
History
Cariari was created on 2 July 1971 by Decreto Ejecutivo 1825-G. Segregated from Guápiles, Po ...
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Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
In 2022, Pococí had an estimated population of , up from for the 2011 census.
According to a publication by the
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
, Pococí ranked as the 2nd highest canton in Limón regarding
human development Human development may refer to:
* Development of the human body
** This includes physical developments such as growth, and also development of the brain
* Developmental psychology
* Development theory
* Human development (economics)
* Human Develo ...
in 2022, with a score of 0.700, only behind
Siquirres
Siquirres is a district of the Siquirres canton, in the Limón province of Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast ...
. However, it's the 27th lowest in the country.
Transportation
Road transportation
The canton is covered by the following road routes:
Tourism
The Caribbean coast of Pococí boasts extensive wetlands and several protected areas, including
Tortuguero National Park
Tortuguero National Park is a national park in the Limón Province of Costa Rica. It is situated within the Tortuguero Conservation Area of the northeastern part of the country.
Despite its remote location, reachable only by airplane or boat, ...
and
Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge
Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge, part of the Tortuguero Conservation Area, in Limón Province in the northeastern part of Costa Rica. It was created in 1985 and covers an area of . The inactive Tortuguero Volcano lies on ...
. In the Braulio Carrillo area is located the first aerial tram in the world to travel through a rainforest, called Rainforest Adventures and recently added to National Geographic's top ten adventure trips. Much of the northern portion of the canton is inundated year-round or seasonally, and inaccessible by road. The wetlands stretch inland the length of the canton. The coastal areas provide important sea turtle nesting habitat. These protected areas and wetlands are an important
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...