Guanacaste Province
| Guanacaste | |||
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| Province | |||
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| Coordinates: 10°26′N 85°24′W / 10.433°N 85.400°WCoordinates: 10°26′N 85°24′W / 10.433°N 85.400°W | |||
| Country | Costa Rica | ||
| Capital city | Liberia (pop. 98,751) | ||
| Largest city | Liberia | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 10,141 km2 (3,915 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2013) | |||
| • Total | 354,154 | ||
| • Density | 35/km2 (90/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-06:00) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | CR-G | ||
Guanacaste (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwanaˈkaste]) is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern region 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.
The province is named for the guanacaste tree, also known as the ear pod tree, which is the national tree of Costa Rica.
Before the Spanish arrived, this territory was inhabited by Chorotega Indians from the towns 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.
In the 18th Century some neighbors of Rivas established their houses and cattle farms in the northern part of the Nicoya Peninsula at crossroads that connected the towns of Bagaces, Nicoya and Rivas. The place was baptized after a famous Guanacaste tree that grows in the neighborhood.
In 1824-25 the territory of Guanacaste was annexed to Costa Rica. In 1836 the town of Guanacaste was declared capital of Guanacaste province. In 1854 the town of Guanacaste was renamed Liberia.
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Wikipedia