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The Middle of Costa Rica
Home » Costa Rica » Costa Rica Major Cities and Regions » The Middle of Costa RicaPosted by Your Guide on May 10, 2006 4:50 PM
The Alajuela, Heredia, San Jose and Cartago provinces make up the middle of the country and hold the majority of the population. Alajuela is located in north-central Costa Rica, on the other side of the volcanic cordilleras. This province was once covered with rain forests, but deforestation run rampant here. In fact, the climate is beginning to change because of the colonization of this northern frontier. To the north, Alajuela borders Nicaragua and is divided into 15 cantons. In this province you can find the popular Arenal National Park, Poas Volcano National Park and Rincon de la Vieja National Park. It is also the famous home of Juan Santamaria who was a national hero for helping defeat the army of William Walker from the United States who wanted to turn Costa Rica into a slave nation.
Heredia is the smallest of the country’s provinces, yet has such a varied terrain that there are several climatic conditions here. This area has a large coffee industry because it is home to the Barvo Volcano that offers fertile soil on its southern slopes.
Also in the central section of the country are the San Jose Province and the Central Valley. Here you can find green rolling hills with a mild and spring-like climate year round. Located in an area with fertile soil, this is the agricultural center of the country with the major industry here being coffee. With the largest population numbers of all the provinces, San Jose has both densely populated regions and smaller towns with a well-developed road system connecting them all.
Cartago is located in the central portion of Costa Rica and consists of the Reventazon River Valley with mountains to the north and south, including Mount Chirripo – the tallest peak in Costa Rica. This area is known as the peaceful province yet is home to the country’s tallest volcano, Irazu.
Sources:
1. www.angelfire.com
2. http://wikipedia.org/wiki/geography_of_Costa_Rica
3. www.frommers.com
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