Liberia, Costa Rica

Liberia
City and District
Images, from top down, left to right: Immaculate Church of Concepcion de Maria, Central Park, Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport, the Chorotega, Mario Cañas Ruiz Park Monument.
Coat of arms
Motto: De la patria por nuestra voluntad  (Spanish) "From The Homeland Out of Our Own Will"
Liberia and surrounding area
Liberia Location of Liberia within Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10°38′N 85°26′W / 10.633°N 85.433°W / 10.633; -85.433Coordinates: 10°38′N 85°26′W / 10.633°N 85.433°W / 10.633; -85.433
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Guanacaste
Canton	Liberia
Founded	1836
Area
• Total	561.57 km2 (216.82 sq mi)
Elevation	144 m (472 ft)
Population (2013)
• Total	56,899
• Density	100/km2 (260/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Liberiano
Time zone	UTC-6
Postal code	50101

Liberia (Spanish pronunciation: [li.ˈβe.rja]) is the capital and largest city of Guanacaste province, Costa Rica, located 215 kilometres (134 mi) northwest of the national capital, San José, in the canton with the same name.

It is a major center for the country's tourism industry. Liberia has been nicknamed la ciudad blanca (the white city) due to the white gravel once used to make the city’s roads and the whitewashed colonial houses which used to make up a large part of the city. It had a population of 56,899 in 2013.

Modern-day Liberia was founded as a hermitage without any legal or formal act of foundation on 4 September 1769. It was located in a strategic location where the roads from the towns of Rivas, Bagaces, and Nicoya met. The hermitage was used primarily as place of rest by travelers. The area's giant Guanacaste trees provided shade for travelers and livestock and over time the area became known as Guanacaste (El Poblado de Guanacaste).

The settlement itself shared a history with Nicaragua and Costa Rica. In 1812 the Cádiz Cortes created the providence of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Nicaragua and Costa Rica achieved independence from Spain on 15 September 1821 after the Spanish defeat in the Mexican War of Independence. After the short-lived First Mexican Empire (1821–1823), Costa Rica (considered a minor provincial outpost at the time) became part of the newly formed Federal Republic of Central America in 1823. The Partido de Nicoya (Nicoya’s Party) served as an administrative unit for the Federal Republic of Central America. The Partido de Nicoya comprised much of the territory that today is the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Most of the area, such as the settlements of Nicoya and Santa Cruz, held economic ties to Costa Rican territory such as the growing port of Puntarenas. The settlement of Guanacaste (modern day Liberia), on the other hand, held closer economic ties to Nicaraguan territory like the town of Rivas.