Atenas (canton)

Atenas is a canton in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica.^[2][3]

Atenas
Canton
Church in Atenas
Flag Seal
Atenas canton
Atenas Atenas canton location in Alajuela Province Show map of Alajuela Province Atenas Atenas canton location in Costa Rica Show map of Costa Rica
Coordinates: 9.9794864°N 84.4049451°W / 9.9794864; -84.4049451
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Alajuela
Creation	7 August 1868[1]
Head city	Atenas
Districts	Districts Atenas Jesús Mercedes San Isidro Concepción San José Santa Eulalia Escobal
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Municipalidad de Atenas
Area
• Total	127.19 km2 (49.11 sq mi)
Elevation	706 m (2,316 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	25,460
• Density	200/km2 (520/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Canton code	205
Website	www.atenasmuni.go.cr

Toponymy

It is named for the ancient city of Athens in Greece as rendered in Spanish.

History

Atenas was created on 7 August 1868 by decree 30.^[3]

Geography

Atenas has an area of 127.19 km^2[4] and a mean elevation of 706 metres.^[2]

It is a fairly compact canton, mountainous for the most part. The Grande River forms the border on the canton's north and east sides. As the river moves south, it is joined by two other large rivers, the Poás River and the Virilla River, before turning west again and forming the canton's southern border under a new name, the Grande de Tárcoles River. The western border of the canton is established by a series of creeks and their canyons that cut through the Coastal Mountain Range.

Districts

The canton of Atenas is subdivided into the following districts:

1. Atenas
2. Jesús
3. Mercedes
4. San Isidro
5. Concepción
6. San José
7. Santa Eulalia
8. Escobal

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	±% p.a.
1864	3,185	—
1883	5,551	+2.97%
1892	6,208	+1.25%
1927	7,631	+0.59%
1950	9,313	+0.87%
1963	11,018	+1.30%
1973	12,610	+1.36%
1984	15,011	+1.60%
2000	22,479	+2.56%
2011	25,460	+1.14%
2022	25,460	+0.00%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[5] Centro Centroamericano de Población[6]

For the 2011 census, Atenas had a population of 25,460 inhabitants.^[7]

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

• National Route 3
• National Route 27
• National Route 134
• National Route 135
• National Route 707
• National Route 713
• National Route 716
• National Route 720

References

1. Hernández, Hermógenes (1985). Costa Rica: evolución territorial y principales censos de población 1502 - 1984 (in Spanish) (1 ed.). San José: Editorial Universidad Estatal a Distancia. pp. 164–173. ISBN 9977-64-243-5. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
2. "Declara oficial para efectos administrativos, la aprobación de la División Territorial Administrativa de la República N°41548-MGP". Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
3. División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica (PDF) (in Spanish). Editorial Digital de la Imprenta Nacional. 8 March 2017. ISBN 978-9977-58-477-5.
4. "Área en kilómetros cuadrados, según provincia, cantón y distrito administrativo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
5. "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
6. Centro Centroamericano de Población de la Universidad de Costa Rica. "Sistema de Consulta a Bases de Datos Estadísticas" (in Spanish).
7. "Censo. 2011. Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.