Guanacaste Province

Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern part of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. it borders Nicaragua to the north. To the east there is the Alajuela Province, and to the southeast is the Puntarenas Province. It is the most sparsely populated of all the provinces of Costa Rica. The province covers an area of 10,141 km² (3,915 sq mi) and as of 2010, had a population of 354,154.

Guanacaste's capital is Liberia. Other important cities include Cañas and Nicoya.

Etymology

The province is named for the guanacaste tree, also known as the ear pod tree, which is the national tree of Costa Rica.

History

Before the Spanish arrived, this territory was inhabited by Chorotega Indians from the town of Zapati, Nacaome, Paro, Cangel, Nicopasaya, Pocosí, Diriá, Papagayo, Namiapí and Orosi. The Corobicies lived on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Nicoya and the Nahuas or Aztecan in the zone of Bagaces.

The first church was built out of grass in Nicoya in the 17th Century.