Title: Guanacaste Province Content: Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica. It is in the northwestern part of the country, bordering Nicaragua. The provincial capital is the city of Liberia. ==Name== The province is named for the guanacaste tree, also known as the ear pod tree, which is the national tree of Costa Rica. ==Location== The Guanacaste province borders the provinces of Alajuela to the east,and Puntarenas to the southeast and southwest. The Pacific Ocean is to the south and to the west, and Nicaragua is to the north of the province. ==Geography== Guanacaste is the second largest province of Costa Rica, after the Puntarenas province, with an area of . The province is in the northwest of Costa Rica, along the Pacific Ocean. Most of the territory of the province is flat or with low hills. The Cordillera de Guanacaste ("Guanacaste mountain range") is on the border with the Alajuela; in this range are four important volcanos: # Miravalles, high; # Tenorio, high; # Rincón de la Vieja, an active volcano, high; and # Orosí, an inactive volcano, high. ==Demographics== thumb|Guanacaste tree The people of the province are known as Guanacastecos (women: Guanacastecas. The Guanacaste province had a population, in 2011, of 326,953 for a population density of inhabitants/km2, the province with the lower density. The canton of Liberia, with 62,987 inhabitants, is the canton with more inhabitants. Evolution of the population in Guanacaste Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:400 height:373 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:400000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:50000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:25000 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1950 text:1950 bar:1963 text:1963 bar:1973 text:1973 bar:1984 text:1984 bar:2000 text:2000 bar:2011 text:2011 PlotData= color:barra width:30 align:left bar:1950 from:0 till: 88190 bar:1963 from:0 till: 142555 bar:1973 from:0 till: 178691 bar:1984 from:0 till: 195208 bar:2000 from:0 till: 264238 bar:2011 from:0 till: 326953 PlotData= bar:1950 at: 88190 fontsize:S text: 881,90 shift:(-12,5) bar:1963 at: 142555 fontsize:S text: 142,555 shift:(-18,5) bar:1973 at: 178691 fontsize:S text: 178,691 shift:(-18,5) bar:1984 at: 195208 fontsize:S text: 195,208 shift:(-18,5) bar:2000 at: 264238 fontsize:S text: 264,238 shift:(-18,5) bar:2011 at: 326953 fontsize:S text: 326,953 shift:(-18,5) ==Administrative divisions== The Guanacaste province is divided in 11 cantons, which are divided into 59 Districts. thumb|300px|center|Cantons of Guanacaste  ==Economy== The main economic activity in the province is farming, mainly cattle raising. Important crops in the province are cotton, sugarcane and rice. Alajuela has attracted many export-orientated manufacturing companies, especially within the free trade zones around the municipality of Alajuela. Tourism is an important activity because the combination of beaches as Playas del Coco and Playa Tamarindo, and the sunny dry season that coincides with the winter months in northern latitudes. Many tourists also visit the national parks in the province. ==Gallery== File:Pica e leña en Nicoya.jpeg|Typical Costa Rican ox-drawn carts in Nicoya File:Guanacaste National Park.jpg|Rincón de la Vieja volcano File:El viejo azu.jpg|Sugar mill in Filadelfia File:Playas del coco.jpg|Playas del Coco beach