Guatuso is a canton in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica.

Toponymy

It is named for the region's original inhabitants, an indigenous tribe whose survivors are now known as the Maleku and remain as residents of the area.

History

Guatuso was created on 17 March 1970 by decree 4541.

Geography

Guatuso has an area of 758.32 km² and a mean elevation of 140 metres. It is a diamond-shaped canton, with the Purgatorio River and the Frío River as the northeast border, the Cucaracha River as a portion of the southeast border, the Cordillera de Guanacaste on the southwest border, and the Rito River and the Mónico River on the northwest. Tenorio Volcano marks the far western point of the canton.

Districts

The canton of Guatuso is subdivided into the following districts:

Demographics

For the 2011 census, Guatuso had a population of 15,508 inhabitants.

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes: • CR RNP 4.svg National Route 4 • CR RNS 139.svg National Route 139 • CR RNS 143.svg National Route 143 • CR RNT 733.svg National Route 733