# Pococí (canton)

Pococí is a canton in the Limón province of Costa Rica. The head city is in Guápiles district, which houses many of the canton's services and businesses.

## History

Pococí was created on 19 September 1911 by decree 12.

## Geography

Pococí has an area of 2,188.25 km$^2$ (844.89 sq mi) and a mean elevation of 134 m (440 ft).
The canton takes in the Caribbean coast from the Toro River northward to the border with Nicaragua. It ranges inland in a southwestern direction with the Chirripó River forming the western border. The canton ends in the Cordillera Central where the Sucio River crosses the National Route 32 in Braulio Carrillo National Park.

## Government
### Mayor

According to Costa Rica's Municipal Code, mayors are elected every four years by the population of the canton. As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the United We Can candidate, Manuel Hernández Rivera, was elected mayor of the canton with 54.22% of the votes, with Yamileth Hidalgo Arias as first vice mayor, without a second vice mayor.
Mayors of Pococí since the 2002 elections :
| Period | Name | Party |
| 2002–2006 | Manuel Hernández Rivera | PUSC |
| 2006–2010 | Enrique Alfaro Vargas | PLN |
| 2010–2016 | Jorge Emilio Espinoza Vargas | PLN |
| 2016–2020 | Elibeth Venegas Villalobos | PLN |
| 2020–2024 | Manuel Hernández Rivera | PAREVA |
| 2024–2028 | Manuel Hernández Rivera | UP |

### Municipal Council

Like the mayor and vice mayors, members of the Municipal Council (called regidores) are elected every four years. Pococí's Municipal Council has 9 seats for regidores and their substitutes, who can participate in meetings but not vote unless the owning regidor (regidor propietario) is absent. The current president of the Municipal Council is the Social Christian Unity Party regidor, Juan Mauricio Mora Cruz, with National Liberation Party member, Eva Isabel Torres Marín, as vice president. The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024–2028 period is as follows:
Current composition of the Municipal Council of Pococí after the 2024 municipal elections :
| Political parties in the Municipal Council of Pococí ||||||
| Political party | Political party | Political party | Regidores | Regidores | Regidores |
| Political party | Political party | Political party | № | Owner | Substitute |
| | United We Can (UP) | | 4 | Luis Ángel Méndez Araya | Gerardo Cubillo Gamboa |
| | United We Can (UP) | | 4 | Patricia Aguilar Araya | Virginia Hernández Rivera |
| | United We Can (UP) | | 4 | Walter Villagra Rodríguez | Fabián Sánchez Loría |
| | United We Can (UP) | | 4 | Carmen Sánchez Navarro | Yoseline Rocío Abarca Torres |
| | National Liberation Party (PLN) | | 2 | Carlos Alberto Retana López | William Hernández Valverde |
| | National Liberation Party (PLN) | | 2 | Eva Isabel Torres Marín$^{(VP)}$ | Sandra Umaña López |
| | Recovering Values Party (PAREVA) | | 1 | Ricardo Villalobos Vargas | Robert Jiménez Araya |
| | New Generation Party (PNG) | | 1 | Jordan Chaves Chaves | Ovidio Vives Castro |
| | Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC) | | 1 | Juan Mauricio Mora Cruz$^{(P)}$ | Jeffry Rojas Serrano |

## Districts

The canton of Pococí is subdivided into the following districts:
* Guápiles
* Jiménez
* La Rita
* Roxana
* Cariari
* Colorado
* La Colonia

## Demographics

In 2022, Pococí had an estimated population of 146,320, up from 125,962 for the 2011 census.
According to a publication by the United Nations Development Programme, Pococí ranked as the 2nd highest canton in Limón regarding human development in 2022, with a score of 0.700, only behind Siquirres. However, it's the 27th lowest in the country.

## Transportation
### Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes:
* National Route 4
* National Route 32
* National Route 149
* National Route 247
* National Route 248
* National Route 249
* National Route 507
* National Route 809
* National Route 810
* National Route 814
* National Route 817

## Tourism

The Caribbean coast of Pococí boasts extensive wetlands and several protected areas, including Tortuguero National Park and Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge. In the Braulio Carrillo area is located the first aerial tram in the world to travel through a rainforest, called Rainforest Adventures and recently added to National Geographic's top ten adventure trips. Much of the northern portion of the canton is inundated year-round or seasonally, and inaccessible by road. The wetlands stretch inland the length of the canton. The coastal areas provide important sea turtle nesting habitat. These protected areas and wetlands are an important ecotourism destination.