Upala

Upala
District
Upala district
Upala Upala district location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10°51′52″N84°59′39″W / 10.8645353°N 84.9942032°W / 10.8645353; -84.9942032
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Alajuela
Canton	Upala
Area
• Total	148.65 km2 (57.39 sq mi)
Elevation	48 m (157 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	16,139
• Density	110/km2 (280/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Postal code	21301

Upala is a district of the Upala canton, in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica. ^{[1] [2]}

History

Upala was granted the title of "ciudad" (city) by a law of May 4, 1970.

Geography

Upala has an area of 148.65 km^{2 [3]} and an elevation of 48 metres. ^[1]

It is in the northwest corner of the San Carlos Plain (Llanura de San Carlos) in northern Costa Rica, 76 kilometers (47 mi) southeast of La Cruz, 124 kilometers (77 mi) northwest of Ciudad Quesada, 195 kilometers (121 mi) from the provincial capital city of Alajuela, and 214 kilometers (133 mi) from the national capital city of San José.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1963	10,001		—
1973	5,492		−45.1%
1984	7,008		27.6%
2000	12,372		76.5%
2011	16,139		30.4%
Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos [4] Centro Centroamericano de Población [5]

For the 2011 census, Upala had a population of 16,139 inhabitants. ^[6]

Transportation

Road transportation

The district is covered by the following road routes:

• National Route 4
• National Route 6
• National Route 138
• National Route 164
• National Route 728
• National Route 729
• National Route 730
• National Route 731

Economy

Upala is a supply center for cattle ranchers and rice growers in the area. A hospital, bank, medical clinic, pharmacy and gas station are here. There is a busy commercial marketplace in the town center where vendors sell fruits, vegetables and a wide array of other home-grown products. Several small restaurants share the market area, and there are other restaurants and a few places to stay in the town.

Nearby places of interest

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge: a watery lowland of lush sloughs and marshes, a seasonal lake, and abundant wildlife. The area is a birdwatcher's paradise. (37 kilometers (23 mi) east of Upala via Highway 4 to Colonia Puntarenas and Highway 138 to Caño Negro)

Climate

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

Climate data for Upala
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	30.6 (87.1)	31.3 (88.3)	33.1 (91.6)	34.0 (93.2)	34.0 (93.2)	32.8 (91.0)	31.8 (89.2)	32.4 (90.3)	32.5 (90.5)	32.1 (89.8)	31.1 (88.0)	30.6 (87.1)	32.2 (90.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	24.4 (75.9)	24.6 (76.3)	25.7 (78.3)	26.4 (79.5)	26.9 (80.4)	26.8 (80.2)	26.3 (79.3)	26.5 (79.7)	26.5 (79.7)	26.2 (79.2)	25.4 (77.7)	24.7 (76.5)	25.9 (78.6)
Average low °C (°F)	18.2 (64.8)	17.9 (64.2)	18.2 (64.8)	18.7 (65.7)	19.8 (67.6)	20.8 (69.4)	20.7 (69.3)	20.7 (69.3)	20.5 (68.9)	20.4 (68.7)	19.7 (67.5)	18.9 (66.0)	19.5 (67.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	111.1 (4.37)	68.0 (2.68)	38.2 (1.50)	53.4 (2.10)	185.1 (7.29)	325.3 (12.81)	322.0 (12.68)	317.9 (12.52)	281.0 (11.06)	283.9 (11.18)	227.9 (8.97)	185.2 (7.29)	2,399 (94.45)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	16	10	7	7	15	22	24	23	21	21	19	19	204
Average relative humidity (%)	86.8	82.6	78.0	76.2	82.0	87.9	88.8	88.7	87.2	87.5	88.2	88.1	85.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours	155.0	163.9	207.7	186.0	158.1	117.0	89.9	108.5	117.0	130.2	123.0	127.1	1,683.4
Mean daily sunshine hours	5.0	5.8	6.7	6.2	5.1	3.9	2.9	3.5	3.9	4.2	4.1	4.1	4.6
Source: Instituto Meteorologico Nacional (precipitation 1963–2012, temperatures 1990–2013, sun 1984–1995, humidity 1989–2013) [8]

References

• Costa Rica portal

1. "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. "Sistema de Consulta de a Bases de Datos Estadísticas". Centro Centroamericano de Población (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 Upala
8. "Descripción del clima: Cantón de Upala" (in Spanish). Instituto Meteorologico Nacional. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.