Abangares (canton)

Abangares
Canton
Flag Seal
Abangares canton
Abangares Abangares canton location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10°14′57″N85°01′37″W / 10.249165°N 85.0268119°W / 10.249165; -85.0268119
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Guanacaste
Creation	4 June 1915 [1]
Head city	Las Juntas
Districts	Districts Las Juntas Sierra San Juan Colorado
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Municipalidad de Abangares
Area
• Total	675.76 km2 (260.91 sq mi)
Elevation	154 m (505 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	18,039
• Density	27/km2 (69/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Canton code	507
Website	www.abangares.go.cr

Abangares is a canton in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. ^{[2] [3]} The head city is in Las Juntas district.

History

Abangares was created on 4 June 1915 by decree 13. ^[1]

Geography

Abangares has an area of 675.76 km^{2 [4]} and a mean elevation of 154 metres. ^[2] The canton begins on the coastline of the Gulf of Nicoya north of the mouth of the Abangares River. It widens between the Lajas River on the northwest and Lagartos River on the east as it reaches up into the Cordillera de Tilarán.

Districts

The canton of Abangares is subdivided into the following districts:

1. Las Juntas
2. Sierra
3. San Juan
4. Colorado

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1927	5,540		—
1950	8,344		50.6%
1963	10,189		22.1%
1973	11,633		14.2%
1984	12,575		8.1%
2000	16,276		29.4%
2011	18,039		10.8%
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos [5] Centro Centroamericano de Población [6]

For the 2011 census, Abangares had a population of 18,039 inhabitants. ^[7]

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:

• National Route 1
• National Route 18
• National Route 133
• National Route 145
• National Route 601
• National Route 602
• National Route 606

Gold mines

The Abangares canton is home to the oldest gold mining tradition in Costa Rica, dating back over a century. ^[8] The first major mining operation was Abangares Mining Company, founded in the Tilarán mountains by U.S. railroad, fruit, and shipping magnate Minor C. Keith. ^[9]

One of the canton's major modern producers of gold, with silver as a by-product, has been the Tres Hermanos mine, which for many years was operated by El Valiente Ascari S.A., a subsidiary of Ariel Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ^[10] That company filed for insolvency in 2001 and abandoned the operation while still owing its workers two months worth of wages. ^[8] More than 300 families continue to earn a meager living working through an independent local collective that now operates the mine. ^[8]

A mining museum at La Sierra de Abangares with artifacts from the boom times of Costa Rican gold mining is a major tourist attraction of the canton. ^[11]

References

1. Hernández, Hermógenes (1985). Costa Rica: evolución territorial y principales censos de población 1502 - 1984 (in Spanish) (1 ed.). San José: Editorial Universidad Estatal a Distancia. pp. 164–173. ISBN   9977-64-243-5 . Retrieved 5 October 2020.
2. "Declara oficial para efectos administrativos, la aprobación de la División Territorial Administrativa de la República N°41548-MGP". Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
3. División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica (PDF) (in Spanish). Editorial Digital de la Imprenta Nacional. 8 March 2017. ISBN   978-9977-58-477-5.
4. "Área en kilómetros cuadrados, según provincia, cantón y distrito administrativo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
5. "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
6. "Sistema de Consulta de a Bases de Datos Estadísticas". Centro Centroamericano de Población (in Spanish).
7. "Censo. 2011. Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
8. Löding, Torge. "Not All Glitters: Corporate gold fever breeds resistance in Central America". Voces Nuestras. Beiersdorf, Dirk M. (translator). Archived from the original on September 16, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
9. Costa Rica Nature Adventures. "Costa Rica History: Post Independence History". To Enjoy Nature. com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
10. Doan, David B. (1996). "THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF COSTA RICA" (PDF). U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY—MINERALS INFORMATION. U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
11. Hutchison, Peter (2001). Costa Rica Handbook: The Travel Guide, First edition. Bath, England: Footprint Handbooks Ltd. p. 223. ISBN   1-903471-06-0.