Alajuela

Province of northern Costa Rica; area 9,757 sq km/3,767 sq mi; population (1996) 601,700. It is one of the largest provinces in Costa Rica, and borders on Nicaragua in the north. Alajuela is the capital of the province. Mainly agricultural, the area produces coffee, sugar, and cereals. Cattle rearing is important; food and chemical processing takes place on a small scale. In the southeast of the province is the national park of Poás, in which the volcano Poás (2,670 m/8,760 ft) still smokes.

The province is hilly and fertile, lying in tropical lowlands (altitude below 500 m/ 1,640 ft) watered by the Frío and San Carlos rivers.

Poás is a popular tourist attraction, as are the many nearby geysers. Set in tropical forest, the volcano Poás has one of the largest craters in the world, measuring more than 1.5 km/0.9 mi in diameter. Other volcanoes in the province include Arenal (1,633 m/5,358 ft) and Viejo (2,060 m/6,758 ft).

Alajuela

City in Costa Rica and administrative capital of the province of Alajuela; population (1996) 175,100. Situated at an altitude of 952 m/3,123 ft on Costa Rica's central plateau, in the extreme southeast corner of the province, the city is 22 km/14 mi west of San José, (the capital of Costa Rica) on the Inter-American Highway. Alajuela is the commercial centre of an important sugar-growing and cattle-rearing district which also produces cocoa, palm oil, macadamia nuts, cotton, vegetables, and cut flowers. Major industries include timber and flour production.

The city has markets and a monument to Juan Santamaría, a drummer who became a national hero in the 19th century. It is a tourist resort for the people of San José.