Los Chiles
Encyclopedia
Los Chiles is the capital city of the canton of Los Chiles
in the province of Alajuela
in Costa Rica
. It is also the name of the distrito (district) that includes the city. The district of Los Chiles covers an area of 535.93 km², and has a population of 11,064.
The city lies at an elevation of 43 meters above sea level 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
.
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.
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.
: a watery lowland of lush sloughs and marshes, a seasonal lake, and abundant wildlife. Boats can be hired at Los Chiles for traveling the 23 kilometers down the Río Frío to Lake Caño Negro inside the reserve. The area is a birdwatcher's paradise. Tours to Caño Negro from La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano area come by bus to Los Chiles, where visitors then board canopied boats for the trip down the Río Frío to the reserve. (29 kilometers southwest of Los Chiles via Highway 4 to El Parque, then west to San Emilio, and southwest on Highway 138 to Caño Negro)
Solentiname Islands
: an archipelago in Lake Nicaragua. These islands are home to fishermen, farmers, and many painters and crafters. They are reached from Los Chiles by traveling up the Río Frío to the city of San Carlos in Nicaragua, from where boats journey into the lake to the islands.
Los Chiles Canton
Los Chiles is the name of the 14th canton in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. The canton covers an area of , and has a population of 21,523 . The capital city of the canton is also called Los Chiles....
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....
. It is also the name of the distrito (district) that includes the city. The district of Los Chiles covers an area of 535.93 km², and has a population of 11,064.
The city lies at an elevation of 43 meters above sea level on the San Carlos Plain (Llanura de San Carlos) in northern Costa Rica, 14 kilometers southeast of San Carlos in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, 97 kilometers northwest of Ciudad Quesada
Ciudad Quesada
Ciudad Quesada is a city in the district of Quesada in the cantón of San Carlos in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is the capital city of the cantón...
, 175 kilometers from the provincial capital city of Alajuela
Alajuela
Alajuela is the second largest city in Costa Rica after the capital, San José. It is also the capital of the namesake province. Because of its location in the Costa Rican Central Valley, Alajuela is nowadays englobed in the conurbation of Great Metropolitan Area...
, and 198 kilometers from the national capital city of San Jose
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
.
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.
History
Los Chiles was originally settled by fisherman and others who worked on the nearby Río San JuanRío San Juan
Río San Juan may refer to* Río San Juan , Nicaragua* Río San Juan, Dominican Republic* Río San Juan, north-eastern Venezuela* Río San Juan , Mexico...
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
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
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.
Nearby Places of Interest
Caño Negro Wildlife RefugeCaño Negro Wildlife Refuge
Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is a Wildlife refuge, part of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area, in the northern part of Costa Rica twenty kilometers south of Los Chiles near the border with Nicaragua in the Alajuela province...
: a watery lowland of lush sloughs and marshes, a seasonal lake, and abundant wildlife. Boats can be hired at Los Chiles for traveling the 23 kilometers down the Río Frío to Lake Caño Negro inside the reserve. The area is a birdwatcher's paradise. Tours to Caño Negro from La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano area come by bus to Los Chiles, where visitors then board canopied boats for the trip down the Río Frío to the reserve. (29 kilometers southwest of Los Chiles via Highway 4 to El Parque, then west to San Emilio, and southwest on Highway 138 to Caño Negro)
Solentiname Islands
Solentiname Islands
The Solentiname Islands are an archipelago towards the southern end of Lake Nicaragua in the Nicaraguan department of Río San Juan...
: an archipelago in Lake Nicaragua. These islands are home to fishermen, farmers, and many painters and crafters. They are reached from Los Chiles by traveling up the Río Frío to the city of San Carlos in Nicaragua, from where boats journey into the lake to the islands.