Los Chiles is a canton in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica.

Toponymy

Los Chiles translates and refers to bell peppers.

History

Los Chiles was created on 17 March 1970 by decree 4541.

Geography

Los Chiles has an area of 1,358.86 km² and a mean elevation of 47 metres. The canton lies along the border of Nicaragua at the top of the Llanura de San Carlos (San Carlos Plains) in north central Costa Rica. The Pocosol River forms the southeastern boundary of the canton, with (from north to south) the Rita, Mónico, Frío and the Purgatorio rivers establishing the southwestern border.

Districts

The canton of Los Chiles is subdivided into the following districts:

Demographics

For the 2011 census, Los Chiles had a population of 23,735 inhabitants.

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes: • CR RNP 35.svg National Route 35 • CR RNS 138.svg National Route 138 • CR RNS 139.svg National Route 139 • CR RNT 733.svg National Route 733 • CR RNT 760.svg National Route 760 • CR RNT 761.svg National Route 761

Economy

This is a low-lying, sparsely settled region primarily devoted to large agricultural enterprises.