Alfaro Ruiz is the name of the 11th canton

Cantons of Costa Rica

This is a list of the cantons of Costa Rica.Cantons are the second-level administrative division of Costa Rica. The country's seven provinces are subdivided into 81 cantons , and these are further subdivided into districts .A unique feature of the cantons is that they are the only administrative...

 in the province of Alajuela

Alajuela Province

Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north, and clockwise the provinces Heredia, San José, Puntarenas and Guanacaste...

 in Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

. The canton covers an area of 155.13 square kilometres (59.9 sq mi), and has a population of 11,556 (estimate as of 2003). The capital city of the canton is Zarcero

Zarcero

Zarcero is the capital city of the canton of Zarcero in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the distrito that includes the city...

.

It is a diamond-shaped canton, with the Río Espina (Thornbush River) as the border on the northwest and the southwest sides. The Río Toro (Bull River) forms the southeastern border, and the Río La Vieja (Old Woman River) borders the northeast.

Hiking trails, pure water creeks, friendly people, nice landscapes and natural attractions are features of the area.

Districts

The canton of Alfaro Ruiz is subdivided into seven districts

Districts of Costa Rica

| The cantons of Costa Rica are subdivided into 473 districts .-References:...

 (distritos):

District	Postal code	Alt. (m)	Area (km2)	Pop. (2008)	Coordinates
Zarcero	21101		12.01		10°11′08"N 84°23′39"W
	Barrios (neighborhoods): Cantarranas, Santa Teresita
Laguna	21102		23.08		10°12′40"N 84°24′08"W
	Poblados (villages): Peña
Tapesco	21103		6.2		10°13′10"N 84°24′16"W
Guadalupe	21104		22.35	857	10°11′06"N 84°24′45"W
	Poblados (villages): Anateri, Bellavista, Morelos
Palmira	21105		30.29		10°12′40"N 84°22′48"W
	Poblados (villages): Picada
Zapote	21106		43.03	819	10°13′36"N 84°25′35"W
	Poblados (villages): Quina (part), San Juan de Lajas, Santa Elena
Brisas	21107		18.17		10°13′53"N 84°23′40"W
	Poblados (villages): Ángeles, Brisa, Legua

History

The canton was established by a decree of June 21, 1915. It is named in honor of Colonel Juan Alfaro Ruiz, a hero of the National Campaign of 1856. Today Alfaro Ruiz is called Zarcero.