Guatuso (canton)

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

Guatuso
Canton
San Rafael Church
Flag Seal
Guatuso canton
Guatuso Guatuso canton location in Alajuela Province Show map of Alajuela Province Guatuso Guatuso canton location in Costa Rica Show map of Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10.7031011°N 84.8297361°W / 10.7031011; -84.8297361
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Alajuela
Creation	17 March 1970[1]
Head city	San Rafael
Districts	Districts San Rafael Buenavista Cote Katira
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Municipalidad de Guatuso
Area
• Total	758.32 km2 (292.79 sq mi)
Elevation	140 m (460 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	15,508
• Density	20/km2 (53/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Canton code	215
Website	muniguatuso.go.cr

Toponymy

It is named for the region's original inhabitants, an indigenous tribe whose survivors are now known as the Maleku and remain as residents of the area.

History

Guatuso was created on 17 March 1970 by decree 4541.^[1]

Geography

Guatuso has an area of 758.32 km²^[4] and a mean elevation of 140 metres.^[2]

It is a diamond-shaped canton, with the Purgatorio River and the Frío River as the northeast border, the Cucaracha River as a portion of the southeast border, the Cordillera de Guanacaste on the southwest border, and the Rito River and the Mónico River on the northwest. Tenorio Volcano marks the far western point of the canton.

Districts

The canton of Guatuso is subdivided into the following districts:

1. San Rafael
2. Buenavista
3. Cote
4. Katira

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	±% p.a.
1973	4,713	—
1984	6,774	+3.35%
2000	13,045	+4.18%
2011	15,508	+1.58%
2022	18,316	+1.52%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[5] Centro Centroamericano de Población[6]

For the 2011 census, Guatuso had a population of 15,508 inhabitants.^[7]

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

• National Route 4
• National Route 139
• National Route 143
• National Route 733