Puerto Limón, commonly known as Limón (Spanish for "lemon"), is the capital city and main hub of Limón province, as well as of the cantón (county) of Limón in Costa Rica. It is the second-largest city in Costa Rica after the capital, San José, with a population of over 55,000 (including surrounding towns), and is home of a multicultural community. Part of the community traces its roots to Italian, Jamaican and Chinese laborers who worked on a late nineteenth-century railroad project that connected San José to Puerto Limón. Until 1948, the Costa Rican government did not recognize Afro-Caribbean people as citizens and restricted their movement outside Limón province. As a result of this "travel ban", this Afro-Caribbean population became firmly established in the region, which influenced the decision to not move even after it was legally permitted. The Afro-Caribbean community speaks Spanish and Limonese Creole, a creole of English.
Puerto Limón contains two port terminals, Limón and Moín, which permit the shipment of Costa Rican exports as well as the anchoring of cruise ships. Health care is provided for the city by Hospital Dr. Tony Facio Castro. Two small islands, Uvita Island and Isla de Pájaros, are just offshore.
Limon or Limón, Spanish for "lemon", may refer to:
Coordinates: 10°12′56″N 083°47′32″W / 10.21556°N 83.79222°W / 10.21556; -83.79222 (Pococí)
Limón is the name of the first canton in the province of Limón in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of 1,765.79 km², and has a population of 97,102. Its capital is the provincial capital city of Puerto Limón.
The canton lies along the Caribbean coast from the mouth of the Río Toro in the north to Tuba Creek (Río Tuba) in the south. It ranges westward into the Cordillera de Tilarán, with a southwest finger of the canton reaching up to the peak of Cerro Chirripó, the highest point in Costa Rica.
The canton of Limón is subdivided into four districts (distritos):
A district of Limón was established in 1870 under the jurisdiction of the central government in San José. It was recognized as a canton by a decree of August 19, 1903, when the neighboring canton of Turrialba was created on territory that had previously been part of Limón.
