Guanacaste Province

Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica. It is in the northwestern part of the country, bordering Nicaragua. The provincial capital is the city of Liberia.
Name.
The province is named for the guanacaste tree, also known as the ear pod tree, which is the national tree of Costa Rica.
Location.
The Guanacaste province borders the provinces of Alajuela to the east,and Puntarenas to the southeast and southwest. The Pacific Ocean is to the south and to the west, and Nicaragua is to the north of the province.
Geography.
Guanacaste is the second largest province of Costa Rica, after the Puntarenas province, with an area of .
The province is in the northwest of Costa Rica, along the Pacific Ocean. Most of the territory of the province is flat or with low hills. The "Cordillera de Guanacaste" ("Guanacaste mountain range") is on the border with the Alajuela; in this range are four important volcanos:
Demographics.
The people of the province are known as "Guanacastecos" (women: "Guanacastecas".
The Guanacaste province had a population, in 2011, of 326,953 for a population density of inhabitants/km2, the province with the lower density. The canton of Liberia, with 62,987 inhabitants, is the canton with more inhabitants.
Evolution of the population in Guanacaste
Administrative divisions.
The Guanacaste province is divided in 11 cantons, which are divided into 59 Districts.
Economy.
The main economic activity in the province is farming, mainly cattle raising. Important crops in the province are cotton, sugarcane and rice.
Alajuela has attracted many export-orientated manufacturing companies, especially within the free trade zones around the municipality of Alajuela.
Tourism is an important activity because the combination of beaches as "Playas del Coco" and "Playa Tamarindo", and the sunny dry season that coincides with the winter months in northern latitudes. Many tourists also visit the national parks in the province.