Subdivisions of Costa Rica: the 7 provinces and all 84 cantons
Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces and 84 cantons. This list gives each province with its capital and ISO 3166-2 code and, province by province, every canton in Spanish with the town that seats it, including the three cantons created since 2017 and the four that changed their names.
- Provinces
- 7
- Groups
- 1
Updated
Province, canton, district
A Costa Rican address runs province, canton, district. The province (provincia) is the unit ISO 3166-2 codes, the canton (cantón) the only level with an elected municipal council and mayor, and the district (distrito) the smallest unit. A canton's seat is called its cabecera, and since a decree on the territorial division it holds the ceremonial title of city whatever its size.
In many cantons the seat bears a different name from the canton itself. Pérez Zeledón is governed from San Isidro de El General, Goicoechea from Guadalupe, Pococí from Guápiles and Garabito from Jacó. Several seats carry a saint's name shared with towns elsewhere: there are three seats called San Pablo, in Heredia, in León Cortés Castro and in Turrubares, and two called San Rafael, in Guatuso and Oreamuno, besides the Heredia canton of that name.
Provinces of Costa Rica with ISO 3166-2 codes
The seven provinces with their capitals and ISO 3166-2 codes. Guanacaste is the only province whose capital, Liberia, has a different name.
- spa Spanish
Provinces 7
| Province | Capital | Cantons | ISO 3166-2 |
|---|---|---|---|
Provincia de Alajuela
|
Alajuela
|
16 |
CR-A
|
Provincia de Cartago
|
Cartago
|
8 |
CR-C
|
Provincia de Guanacaste
|
Liberia
|
11 |
CR-G
|
Provincia de Heredia
|
Heredia
|
10 |
CR-H
|
Provincia de Limón
|
Limón
|
6 |
CR-L
|
Provincia de Puntarenas
|
Puntarenas
|
13 |
CR-P
|
Provincia de San José
|
San José
|
20 |
CR-SJ
|
The 84 cantons of Costa Rica by province
Every canton with its cabecera, the town that seats the municipality, given in brackets in the source where it differs from the canton's name. Three cantons created since 2017 are added, and four renamed ones appear under today's name with the older form beneath.
- spa Spanish
Alajuela 16
| Canton | Seat (cabecera) | Change since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
Alajuela
|
Alajuela
|
|
Atenas
|
Atenas
|
|
Grecia
|
Grecia
|
|
Guatuso
|
San Rafael
|
|
Los Chiles
|
Los Chiles
|
|
Naranjo
|
Naranjo
|
|
Orotina
|
Orotina
|
|
Palmares
|
Palmares
|
|
Poás
|
San Pedro
|
|
Río Cuarto
|
Río Cuarto
|
Created in 2018 (decree 9440) |
San Carlos
|
Ciudad Quesada
|
|
San Mateo
|
San Mateo
|
|
San Ramón
|
San Ramón
|
|
Sarchíin the 2016 list: Valverde Vega
|
Sarchí
|
Named Valverde Vega until Law 9658 of 7 August 2019 |
Upala
|
Upala
|
|
Zarceroin the 2016 list: Alfaro Ruiz
|
Zarcero
|
Canton named Alfaro Ruiz until renamed Zarcero |
Cartago 8
| Canton | Seat (cabecera) | Change since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
Alvarado
|
Pacayas
|
|
Cartago
|
Cartago
|
|
El Guarco
|
Tejar
|
|
Jiménez
|
Juan Viñas
|
|
La Unión
|
Tres Ríos
|
|
Oreamuno
|
San Rafael
|
|
Paraíso
|
Paraíso
|
|
Turrialba
|
Turrialba
|
Guanacaste 11
| Canton | Seat (cabecera) | Change since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
Abangares
|
Las Juntas
|
|
Bagaces
|
Bagaces
|
|
Carrillo
|
Filadelfia
|
|
Cañas
|
Cañas
|
|
Hojancha
|
Hojancha
|
|
La Cruz
|
La Cruz
|
|
Liberia
|
Liberia
|
|
Nandayure
|
Carmona
|
|
Nicoya
|
Nicoya
|
|
Santa Cruz
|
Santa Cruz
|
|
Tilarán
|
Tilarán
|
Heredia 10
| Canton | Seat (cabecera) | Change since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
Barva
|
Barva
|
|
Belén
|
San Antonio
|
|
Flores
|
San Joaquín
|
|
Heredia
|
Heredia
|
|
San Isidro
|
San Isidro
|
|
San Pablo
|
San Pablo
|
|
San Rafael
|
San Rafael
|
|
Santa Bárbara
|
Santa Bárbara
|
|
Santo Domingo
|
Santo Domingo
|
|
Sarapiquí
|
Puerto Viejo
|
Limón 6
| Canton | Seat (cabecera) | Change since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
Guácimo
|
Guácimo
|
|
Limón
|
Limón
|
|
Matina
|
Matina
|
|
Pococí
|
Guápiles
|
|
Siquirres
|
Siquirres
|
|
Talamanca
|
Bratsi
|
Puntarenas 13
| Canton | Seat (cabecera) | Change since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
Buenos Aires
|
Buenos Aires
|
|
Corredores
|
Ciudad Neily
|
|
Coto Brus
|
San Vito
|
|
Esparza
|
Esparza
|
|
Garabito
|
Jacó
|
|
Golfito
|
Golfito
|
|
Montes de Oro
|
Miramar
|
|
Monteverde
|
Monteverde
|
Split from the canton of Puntarenas by Law 10019, signed 29 September 2021 |
Osa
|
Puerto Cortés
|
|
Parrita
|
Parrita
|
|
Puerto Jiménez
|
Puerto Jiménez
|
Created in 2022 |
Puntarenas
|
Puntarenas
|
|
Queposin the 2016 list: Aguirre
|
Quepos
|
Named Aguirre until February 2015 |
San José 20
| Canton | Seat (cabecera) | Change since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
Acosta
|
San Ignacio
|
|
Alajuelita
|
Alajuelita
|
|
Aserrí
|
Aserrí
|
|
Curridabat
|
Curridabat
|
|
Desamparados
|
Desamparados
|
|
Dota
|
Santa María
|
|
Escazú
|
Escazú
|
|
Goicoechea
|
Guadalupe
|
|
León Cortés Castroin the 2016 list: León Cortés
|
San Pablo
|
Full official name of the canton |
Montes de Oca
|
San Pedro
|
|
Mora
|
Colón
|
|
Moravia
|
San Vicente
|
|
Puriscal
|
Santiago
|
|
Pérez Zeledón
|
San Isidro del General
|
|
San José
|
San José
|
|
Santa Ana
|
Santa Ana
|
|
Tarrazú
|
San Marcos
|
|
Tibás
|
San Juan
|
|
Turrubares
|
San Pablo
|
|
Vázquez de Coronado
|
San Isidro
|
Cantons and seats: the 2016 edition of this list (81 cantons). New and renamed cantons: Wikipedia, Cantons of Costa Rica, and the articles on Quepos, Sarchí, Río Cuarto and Monteverde, checked 28 October 2026.
New and renamed cantons
San José has 20 cantons, Alajuela 16, Puntarenas 13, Guanacaste 11, Heredia 10, Cartago 8 and Limón 6. The list grows only by division: Law 4366 of 1969 lets a new canton be created only where it holds at least one per cent of the national population.
Four cantons changed their names. Aguirre in Puntarenas became Quepos in February 2015 after a vote of the Legislative Assembly. Valverde Vega in Alajuela took the name of its seat, Sarchí, by Law 9658 of 7 August 2019, and Alfaro Ruiz, named after Juan Alfaro Ruiz of the campaign of 1856, is now Zarcero. León Cortés appears under its full name, León Cortés Castro.
Questions about the subdivisions of Costa Rica
How many cantons does Costa Rica have?
84. The newest are Río Cuarto, Monteverde and Puerto Jiménez.
Which province has the most cantons?
San José, with 20, from Acosta to Vázquez de Coronado.
What is the capital of Guanacaste?
Liberia, coded with the province as CR-G. Every other province is named after its capital.