Golfito (canton)

Golfito is a canton in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica.^[2][3] The head city is in Golfito district.

Golfito
Canton
Golfito Bay
Flag
Golfito canton
Golfito Golfito canton location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 8.652603°N 83.1733158°W / 8.652603; -83.1733158
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Puntarenas
Creation	10 June 1949[1]
Head city	Golfito
Districts	Districts Golfito Guaycará Pavón
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Municipalidad de Golfito
Area
• Total	1,753.96 km2 (677.21 sq mi)
Elevation	24 m (79 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	39,150
• Density	22/km2 (58/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Canton code	607

History

Golfito was created on 10 June 1949 by decree 532.^[1]

Geography

Golfito has an area of 1,753.96 km²^[4] and a mean elevation of 24 metres.^[2]

The canton encompasses the southernmost Pacific coast of Costa Rica, north from Punta Gorda Hill at the Panama border, on the east side of the Golfo Dulce.

Districts

The canton of Golfito is subdivided into the following districts:

• Golfito
• Guaycará
• Pavón

Puerto Jiménez was the second district of the canton, which was segregated to become Puerto Jiménez canton on 8 April 2022.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	±% p.a.
1950	10,396	—
1963	36,567	+10.16%
1973	42,510	+1.52%
1984	29,043	−3.40%
2000	33,823	+0.96%
2011	39,150	+1.34%
2022	44,086	+1.09%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[5] Centro Centroamericano de Población[6]

At the 2011 census, Golfito had a population of 39,150 inhabitants.^[7]

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

• National Route 2
• National Route 14
• National Route 238
• National Route 245
• National Route 611