Skip to main content

Limón

Submitted by mhabich on

Limón is one of seven provinces in Costa Rica. The province covers an area of 9,189 sq km and has a population of 386,862.

The majority of its territory is situated in the country's Caribbean lowlands, though the southwestern portion houses part of an extensive mountain range known as the Cordillera de Talamanca. The province shares its northern border with Nicaragua via the Río San Juan, its western borders with the provinces of Heredia, Cartago, and Puntarenas, and its southern border with Panama via the Río Sixaola. Within the province there are six cantons, or counties, which include Pococí, Guácimo, Siquirres, Matina, Limón, and Talamanca. Each cantón has several local districts.

Limón is one of the most culturally diverse of Costa Rica's provinces, housing a significant Afro-Caribbean and indigenous population. Several languages (Spanish, Limón Creole) are spoken, and due mainly to its cultural ties to the Caribbean islands, dishes like rice and beans are ubiquitous throughout the province, along with reggae, calypso, and soca music.

The capital is Puerto Limón, and other important cities include Siquirres, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, and Guápiles.

Locals refer to themselves as limonenses.