Los Chiles

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Los Chiles
Los Chiles
Los Chiles district
Costa Rica location map.svg
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Los Chiles
Los Chiles district location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10°57′50″N84°35′56″W / 10.9639334°N 84.5989939°W / 10.9639334; -84.5989939
CountryFlag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica
Province Alajuela
Canton Los Chiles
Area
  Total
504.21 km2 (194.68 sq mi)
Elevation
43 m (141 ft)
Population
 (2011)
  Total
13,262
  Density26/km2 (68/sq mi)
Time zone UTC−06:00
Postal code
21401

Los Chiles is a district of the Los Chiles canton, in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Los Chiles was originally settled by fishermen and others who worked on the nearby Río San Juan in Nicaragua. It was granted the title of "ciudad" (city) by a law of May 4, 1970.

During the 1980s, it was a strategic location on an important supply route for the Contras fighting to overthrow the Sandinista government in Nicaragua, and during that time military men from the United States were a common (albeit illegal) sight on the streets on the town.

Geography

Los Chiles has an area of 504.21 km2 [3] and an elevation of 43 metres. [1]

It is on the San Carlos Plain (Llanura de San Carlos) in northern Costa Rica, 14 kilometers southeast of San Carlos in Nicaragua, 97 kilometers northwest of Ciudad Quesada, 175 kilometers from the provincial capital city of Alajuela, and 198 kilometers from the national capital city of San Jose.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.±% p.a.
19633,231    
19733,190−0.13%
19845,154+4.46%
20009,900+4.16%
201113,262+2.69%
202220,546+4.06%
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos [4]
Centro Centroamericano de Población [5]

For the 2011 census, Los Chiles had a population of 13,262 inhabitants. [6]

Transportation

Road transportation

The district is covered by the following road routes:

Airports

Los Chiles is served by Los Chiles Airport, a grass runway on the east side of town.

Economy

Los Chiles is a "border town," only four kilometers from Nicaragua. The vast majority of the population of the city was born in Nicaragua. The Río Frío, on the western edge of town, is a major thoroughfare used to access small villages and farms in the surrounding area.

The town is also an agriculture and sportfishing center. A gas station is located here, the only one for 20 kilometers in any direction, and a civil guard checkpoint is on Highway 35 south of town. There is a bank and a few basic restaurants and cabinas for lodging.

Tourism

Climate

This area typically has a pronounced dry season. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Los Chiles has a tropical savanna climate, abbreviated "Aw" on climate maps. [7]

Climate data for Los Chiles (1995–2015)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)29.9
(85.8)
30.9
(87.6)
32.6
(90.7)
33.8
(92.8)
32.9
(91.2)
31.6
(88.9)
30.8
(87.4)
31.5
(88.7)
32.2
(90.0)
31.7
(89.1)
30.5
(86.9)
30.0
(86.0)
31.5
(88.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)25.4
(77.7)
25.7
(78.3)
26.5
(79.7)
27.6
(81.7)
27.8
(82.0)
27.4
(81.3)
26.9
(80.4)
27.2
(81.0)
27.5
(81.5)
27.3
(81.1)
26.4
(79.5)
25.7
(78.3)
26.8
(80.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)20.8
(69.4)
20.4
(68.7)
20.4
(68.7)
21.4
(70.5)
22.7
(72.9)
23.2
(73.8)
22.9
(73.2)
23.0
(73.4)
22.9
(73.2)
22.9
(73.2)
22.3
(72.1)
21.5
(70.7)
22.0
(71.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches)85.5
(3.37)
41.1
(1.62)
29.0
(1.14)
42.4
(1.67)
163.1
(6.42)
222.6
(8.76)
262.0
(10.31)
217.0
(8.54)
194.1
(7.64)
198.3
(7.81)
147.7
(5.81)
117.0
(4.61)
1,719.8
(67.71)
Average rainy days211512101924272624242022244
Average relative humidity (%)87848079848990898889888886
Source: Instituto Meteorologico Nacional [8]

References

  1. 1 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.
  2. 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.
  3. "Área en kilómetros cuadrados, según provincia, cantón y distrito administrativo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  4. "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
  5. Centro Centroamericano de Población de la Universidad de Costa Rica. "Sistema de Consulta a Bases de Datos Estadísticas" (in Spanish).
  6. "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.
  7. Climate Summary for Los Chiles
  8. "Comando Los Chiles: Monthly averages". Instituto Meteorologico Nacional. Retrieved 31 October 2016.