Limón (Spanish pronunciation: [liˈmon]) is one of seven
provinces in Costa Rica. The province covers an area of
9,189 km², 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 (see "Demographics").
The capital is Puerto Limón, and other important cities include
Siquirres, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, and Guápiles.
Locals refer to themselves as limonenses.
5 Economy, education, health
6 Cultural Events
7 Political divisions
8 See also
10 External links
Translation: "Wherever I go, Limónense I am"
Columbus was the first European to visit
Limón during his fourth and
final voyage to the Americas in 1502, setting anchor near Isla Uvita,
just off the shore of present-day Puerto Limón. Due mainly to the
region's hot and inhospitable weather and fervent resistance from
indigenous groups, the Spanish tried but eventually gave up the idea
of colonizing the
Caribbean lowlands and instead opted to exploit the
central valley and Pacific regions.
Starting in the early 19th century, Afro-Caribbeans from Bocas del
Toro (Panama), San Andrés (Colombia), and
Nicaragua visited what is
now Tortuguero to hunt turtles from May through September. As years
passed, these populations eventually settled along the coast and
founded the towns of
Cahuita (named after the sangrillo or cawa tree),
Old Harbour (Puerto Viejo), Grape Point (Punta Uva), and Manzanillo
(named after the manchineel tree). The Afro-
established an amicable trading relationship with the region's
indigenous populations, and this cohesive existence laid the
foundation for these two groups to eventually become the most populous
in the province.
Re-enactment of indigenous resistance to the Spanish during the "Día
del Indígena," which takes place in late April
Limón became accessible to large-scale economic activity and
settlement after the government decided to build a railroad from San
José to present-day Puerto
Limón (or, as the locals call it,
Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez
Tomás Guardia Gutiérrez proposed the project in 1870,
shortly after his successful coup, as a more efficient means to ship
to Europe. Although he secured two English bank loans in 1871 and
got the American
Henry Meiggs to take on the project, work stopped in
1873 due to financial, logistical, and labor issues. The railroad
sat unfinished until the presidency of Próspero Fernández. In 1884,
thanks to the effort of the Minister of Public Works, Bernardo Soto,
Costa Rica hired Meiggs' nephew, Minor Keith, to renegotiate Costa
Rica's debt and complete the project.
Native Costa-Ricans comprised the bulk of the labor force as the
railroad began construction, though small proportions of
Afro-Caribbeans and Chinese were also hired. When the project
Caribbean lowlands, however, many workers died from
exhaustion and malaria, which prompted Keith to aggressively recruit
outside the country, bringing in large numbers of Jamaicans, Chinese,
and even Italians to finish the job. Seeking to minimize fixed
costs, Keith planted banana crops along the lines as a cheap source of
food for his work force. After finishing the project, but losing
money due to low passenger numbers, Keith placed bananas in the empty
cars and shipped them to the United States as a (subsequently
successful) business experiment. Combined with the 800,000 acres
(3,200 km2) of
Caribbean land the Costa Rican government gave him
and the success of the banana sales, Keith eventually founded and grew
the enormously lucrative United Fruit Company.
Calypso dancers from Puerto
Limón performing in Bribrí, Talamanca
Several town names in
Limón (mainly in Talamanca) trace their origin
to Keith and his associates: Penhurst (just above Cahuita, and
actually marked as Penshurt in street signs and local maps), Fields,
Olivia, and Margarita (all three lying east of Bribrí, off of route
Demonstration against CAFTA-DR in Bribrí town
Ever since major development occurred in Limón, an undercurrent of
political resentment has been felt between limonenses and the central
government. This is especially true for the Afro-
who, until 1948, had to obtain legal permission to leave Limón
province, and were not recognized as citizens. Roads and
electricity were slow to come to most of the province (the latter did
not arrive to
Cahuita until late 1976), and the traditional disparity
of resources – along with racism – created resentment among some
Limón population. Recent major investment initiatives
are a break with the past, and may help to improve relations between
Caribbean district and the central valley (see "Economy").
Caribbean coast in Limón
The majority of Limón's land lies at sea level, though its western
border sees an increase in altitude due largely to the Cordillera de
Talamanca. The province's indigenous populations largely reside in
reserves that occupy much of the cantón of Talamanca.
Unlike the rest of the country,
Limón does not adhere to the dry-wet
season cycle. It rains throughout the year, though the driest months
tend to occur in September and October.
Climate data for
Limón International Airport, Costa Rica
Average high °C (°F)
Average low °C (°F)
Average precipitation mm (inches)
Source: Weather Underground 
Limón is home to the country's largest concentration of Chinese,
Caribbean and indigenous groups (mainly the Bribri, KéköLdi,
and Babécar). According to the 2000 census, 16% of Limón's
population is Afro-Caribbean, 7% is indigenous, less than 1% is
Chinese, and nearly 75% consider themselves a mix of Afro-Caribbean,
indigenous, Chinese, and/or mestizo blood. Spoken languages
include Spanish, an English creole called Limonese Creole, Chinese,
English, and the indigenous languages of the province's three main
groups (the Bribri, KéköLdi, and Babécar).
Due mainly to the surge in tourism starting around the 1970s, Limón
is home to a host of foreign expatriates. Among the most common are
Americans, Canadians, Nicaraguans, South Americans (mainly Colombian
and Ecuadorian), and Europeans (Spanish, Dutch, German, Swiss, and
Economy, education, health
United Fruit Company
United Fruit Company laid the foundation of what keeps the
limonense economy going. Although the fruit conglomerate has long been
dismantled, banana and plantain exports remain one of the region's top
sources of income, as well as the ports of
Limón and Moín
(administered by the government's Junta de Administración Portuaria y
de Desarrollo Económico de la Vertiente Atlántica [Japdeva]), and
Limón province ranks third in overall poverty statistics,
Talamanca ranks as one of the poorest counties in the country, with a
significant portion of its mainly indigenous population of nearly
26,000 residents having spotty access to potable water, electricity,
and roads. Two major tourist sites –
Cahuita and Puerto
Viejo/Manzanillo – exist in Talamanca, and taxes collected from and
investment due to tourism help keep the municipality afloat. However,
local leaders hope to benefit from the government's recent major
investment initiatives in the province.
Access to education – especially in Talamanca – is a problem that
the government has tried to tackle. Whereas about 45% of limonenses
possess a high-school degree (about the national average), only about
22% of talamanqueños (those from Talamanca) have achieved the same
qualification. Recognizing the tie between education and poverty,
the government recently launched the avancemos education initiative,
in which poor and at-risk high-school students are eligible for a
national scholarship to help pay for school and therefore reduce the
chances of dropping out. As of 2009, about 150,000 students receive a
stipend (about 47% of the total public-high-school population).
Though not officially linked, the government has reported lower
drop-out rates over the past few years.
Health care is provided for the province by Hospital Dr. Tony Facio
Every second week of October, Puerto
Limón hosts a festival called
carnaval. The event's start is credited to local community leader and
activist, Alfred Josiah Henry Smith (known as "Mister King"), who
helped organize the first carnaval in October 1949. The event
coincides with Columbus Day (known locally as Día de la Raza) on
October 12, and traditionally lasts for a little over a week (to
include two weekends). Activities include parades, food, music,
dancing, and, on the last night, a concert headed by a major
Caribbean music act in the Parque Vargas. Previous headliners
Eddy Herrera (2002),
Damian Marley (2003), El Gran Combo
de Puerto Rico (2005), and
The festival goes on rain or shine, though at times it is susceptible
to local emergencies: Event planners cancelled carnaval in 2007 due to
a major dengue outbreak that afflicted all of Limón, and again in
2008 due to an epidemic trash-removal problem that has since been
Jaguar Rescue Center, in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
^ Resultados Generales Censo 2011 Archived 2012-10-21 at the Wayback
Machine. p. 22
^ Historia de Costa Rica
^ a b c d e f Molina, Ivan; Palmer, Steven (14 October 2017). "The
History of Costa Rica: Second Edition Revised". Editorial UCR – via
^ a b c d e f Palmer, Paula (1 August 2005). "What Happen: A
Folk-History of Costa Rica's Talamanca Coast". Zona Tropical – via
^ cariari.ucr.ac.cr/~anuario/Botey.pdf El Ferrocarril al Pacífico
^ a b c Miranda, Carolina A.; Penland, Paige (1 November 2004).
"Lonely Planet Costa Rica". Lonely Planet Publications – via
^ Sharman, Russell Leigh (1 January 2001). "The
Race, Space and Social Liminality in Costa Rica". Bulletin of Latin
American Research. 20 (1): 46–62. doi:10.1111/1470-9856.00004 –
^ "Weather for Limon International Airport". Weather
^ Palmer, Paula (1 August 2005). "What Happen: A Folk-History of Costa
Rica's Talamanca Coast". Zona Tropical – via Amazon.
^ a b c inec. "Bienvenido a INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTADISTICA Y CENSOS
- INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTADISTICA Y CENSOS". www.inec.go.cr.
^ "Impuesto al banano financiará seguridad en zona del Caribe".
^ "Atrasada negociación para concesionar muelles de Limón".
^ "Inversión externa directa va a sector inmobiliario e
^ "Mejora desarrollo humano, pero la desigualdad persiste".
^ inec. "Bienvenido a INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTADISTICA Y CENSOS -
INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTADISTICA Y CENSOS". www.inec.go.cr.
^ "Banco Mundial otorga préstamo para modernizar puerto en
^ "Avancemos cubre al 47% de los colegiales".
^ "Se redujo la deserción de medio año en escuelas y
^ "Quienes Somos: Hospital Regional Dr. Tony Facio Castro" Caja
Costarricense de Seguro Social. Retrieved: 2012-03-07. (in Spanish)
Limón despidió a su Mister King con respeto y carnaval".
^ "Dengue obliga a cancelar los carnavales de Limón".
^ "Crisis por basura obliga a suspender carnavales".
^ "Resultados Generales Censo 2011" (PDF). CIPAC - Centro de
investigación y Promoción para America Central de Derechos Humanos
(in Spanish). May 2012. pp. 48–49. Retrieved 12 November
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